07.27.2008 - Boy's Weekend

From Julian's COTA journal.

Julian and I had a great weekend this week, and it was just the two of us. Stacy left early Friday morning (I arrived Thursday night) for Carlsbad, CA, where she was to meet her family for her dad's wedding. I haven't heard all the details yet, but I understand it was a pleasant family affair.

Meanwhile, Julian & I had a boy's weekend.

Our day usually starts with a mid-morning excursion to La Baguette, the bakery at the shopping center across from the Donald House (that's what Julian calls the Ronald MacDonld House), where we get an 8-grain sandwich each (ham & cheese on an 8-grain baguette), I have my latte and Julian has his o.j. Julian likes to dissect his sandwich and eat the components separately - hence the photo with the slice of cheese. We hang out there until we've plowed through the food, then it's back to the Donald House to regroup. On Friday, it was time for a nap; on Saturday, we drove over to Half Moon Bay to see the wabes (waves) and surfers. Not a whole lot of action on the beach, and very windy, so we got back in the van and headed up the coast toward Pacifica. Then down the 280 back to Palo Alto and the Donald House. Regroup one more time, then back across the street to the California Pizza Kitchen ASAP, where we have (you guessed it) pizza. Pizza is so much more fun for Julian now that we don't have to peel the cheese off! Then a little walk around the neighborhood before returning to the Donald House for the evening routine.

It really helped me appreciate what Stacy does on pretty much a full time basis, not necessarily because of what I had to do, but because of what I didn't have to do that Stacy has to deal with all the time: labs, clinic appointments, dealing with Medicare and Blue Cross. She's pretty much full time. I basically had to manage meds, basic nouishment and sleep schedules for both of us. Compared to what Stacy has to deal with on top of all that, my job this weekend was a snap.

Of course it helps that we have possibly the most pleasantly disposed little person as the recipient of all this attention.

Stacy returned this morning with a bit of a frog in her throat, and we're hoping it's just from driving with the top down all weekend in that beautiful, clean air they have down there in the L.A. area. Also, she did some body surfing in Carlsbad, and inhaled a couple of waves, so that probably didn't help. No other symptoms at this point, so that's good news. Please pray that she remains healthy and makes a full recovery for this week.

Medically Julian is doing well - the docs are still happy. We don't know for sure yet when we'll be "released" from our stay here in Palo Alto, but we're hoping for sometime in early September. Julian has a 3-month ultrasound and biopsy coming toward the end of August. Once that's complete, the docs will review his long term care and we'll revisit our departure.

That's it for this week. Sorry for the two-week lull. Sometimes it just gets away from us. Thanks always for your prayers and support. Love to you all from the three of us.

David