back in the game... again

So hopefully people are using the RSS feed on this blog rather than checking the page itself, which must be very unrewarding as I am obviously terrible at updating it. An RSS reader will tell you when there's a new post, rather than you having to come to the site to check yourself. I have been using Google Reader for a while now and it works well for me, letting me know when there's something new on frequently-updated sites I like to keep up with, especially blogs like Freakonomics.

Anyway. First things first: I'm going to edit the post about our honeymoon and add some pictures... done. Man, wish I'd done that sooner.

Second things second: an update on Andy's dad. Reg has actually done astonishingly well. Despite all the complications he's had, including a pulmonary embolism, serious bleeding, the discovery of a congenital heart defect and two episodes of near-fatal sepsis requiring a return to the ICU for a few days in the summer, he's somehow managed to hang on. In some ways, things are really good: first of all, he's alive; second, most of his personality is intact -- he remembers us and is able to talk and crack some jokes; and third, he's able to adequately protect his airway and take in enough nutrition that his tracheostomy and feeding tubes have both been removed. It's phenomenal that he's done this well considering how serious his injuries were.

On the other hand, he still has serious limitations. He is unable to use his limbs properly and has developed contractures on his left side (his muscles have tightened such that his wrist and knee are permanently flexed and it's difficult and painful for him to straighten them even a little bit). He can use his right hand a bit for some things like bringing a cup to his mouth, but he doesn't have the strength in his trunk to sit properly or to reposition himself in bed. His cognition is pretty good but his memory has been affected so he sometimes gets confused about people and events. And he is limited to spending most of his time in bed because when he sits up his oxygen levels drop because of the hole in his heart (which has been there since birth but never caused any problems, so nobody was even aware of it until his oxygen levels started dropping when they were getting him into a reclining wheelchair).

However, Reg is out of acute danger and has stabilized enough that, after more than nine months in HSC, he's looking to move out to either Riverview or Deer Lodge. This will be a much more home-like atmosphere, quieter and more comfortable than HSC with activities for Reg to participate in as much as he's able and interested. Hopefully Reg will continue to improve over time.

And third things third: we're having a baby! We're due at the end of July and no, we don't know if it's a boy or a girl. Even if we have the opportunity to find out, I don't think we will. Don't really care, frankly -- just hoping for ten fingers and ten toes.

So here's to yet another go at regular blogging...