Babygirl was walking Geordi LaDog yesterday.  It was rainy and cold, and she was adjusting the music on her phone when 'Lil Ms Speedbump decided that a change in direction was Absolutely Necessary. Babygirl went down. I can envision the slow-mo horror that followed as her phone skidded across the pavement, and teetered on the brink of a storm drain....and went down with an audible splash. Sigh.   It takes quite a lot to upset Babygirl, but she had left for the walk already fed up with her niece and nephew (clumsy was endemic yesterday. Things got broken. Cleanup was grumpy ..read more

We drove to Rochester yesterday through a lot of rain. A LOT of rain.  It was never bad enough by itself to really be terribly problematic, but when we slammed into a WALL of fog in the dark it got terrifying.  I can't remember the last time my mouth went dry from fear. It took us quite a bit longer to arrive than typical, and it took HOURS for the adrenaline to wear off so I could sleep. Babygirl's appointment was at 10. The lab opens at 8.  She went in about 8:15, and came out unusually quickly.  "They don't have any orders for me." Well, that's a first.  I told her ..read more

 First things first.  12 years ago yesterday a young man's parents had a horrible choice to make.  In his death, the gave life and better health to many people, including Babygirl.  His kidney bought her 10 years of dialysis-free life. And while transplant patients can never truly be considered "healthy," she did SO many things with that time: Mission trips, hiking, traveling, and being the Best Auntie Anyone Ever Had (I mean, except maybe all of her sisters, who are pretty fine Aunties as well LOL).  Last year this was all very difficult to talk about. The loss of tha ..read more

 I have, rather late in life, re-acquired the habit of making my bed every morning.  On Saturday or Sunday, I put on fresh everything, so last night I climbed into soft, clean, sweet-smelling sheets.  This is one of the simplest, richest blessings. All week Facebook has been kindly reminding me of my life 2 years ago this week.  Babygirl was desperately ill, and I was as far from anything like home as I've been in a long time.  She is sitting with me now, looking for furniture for her room.  We are both sipping coffee, and the peace and sense of home is...intense ..read more

 Like many people, the last few days have had a lot of errands to run, small tasks to manage and gatherings to plan.  We've had a lot of LOUD.  Vigorous car conversation. Loud singing, exclamations of joy and despair, background "All I want for Christmas is YOOOUUUUUUUU" and the like. There's been some pretty loud laughter. At one point yesterday Bean came out of the bathroom crying: "There's a MONSTER in there." Babygirl's priceless reply? "Well, stop looking in the mirror."  Many of you are aware that I am a natural introvert.  I need peace and quiet to recharge, one ..read more

 Babygirl is slightly less than 6 months out from the transplant.  At the six-month mark, we can be reasonably confident that all of the things they gave her to keep her from early rejection (you know, all but killing her immune system) are wearing off.  This means that her own immune system should be up and running at its normal? Umm, very sluggish? pace.  In plain English, she's not as likely to get so terribly ill from a minor illness.  To give a more subtle view of Before Six Months vs After Six Months: Before Six Months: Don't bother getting vaccinated with anythi ..read more

 It's barely noon, but it has been BUSY here.  Due to work and visitation schedules, we have 5 kids 4-13 here sans parents, some since Tuesday night, and some since 7:30 this morning. I've been up since 6:30 preparing a meal meant to be served at 12:30.  Since we blew a circuit breaker mid-turkey roast, there might be some delay.  All the kids have been helpful to some degree.  One grandson learned about piecrust. A granddaughter learned the value of a final recipe check: Pumpkin pie with no sugar would not have been a hit. It took two grandkids 20 minutes to search ou ..read more

 Yesterday's Rochester Run was, thankfully, uneventful.  Her labs are stable, and they are again decreasing one of her transplant medications.  She's been flipped from the medication that looks like bright yellow finger pain to a pill.  Antivirals have been gone for few weeks. No trip is complete without a walk, a restaurant, and music and conversation.  All of it was interesting, fun, and relaxing. Next visit: TWO months. DeeDee ..read more

 Most donor families stay pretty quiet about their sacrifice.  There must be donor families everywhere, given the sheer number of transplant recipients there are. We don't generally hear a lot about them, or from them. I can't begin to imagine the range of stories, tragedies, incomparable pain. I heard one of these stories today.   In the early 1990's, the mother I met today let her asthmatic daughter go to that last swim class:  The one, her daughter argued, that would prove she was a good enough swimmer to go to camp and not have to "swim with the babies."  Late ..read more

 Babygirl and I are at the beach this week. Two of my very best friends have been here as well. There has been conversation. Crying. Laughing. Storytelling. Remembering. Babygirl has been coming to this beach town since she was 3. She potty trained here.  She learned to swim in the community pool.  She ran and played with her cousins and sisters.  With the exception of 2020 (Covid) and 2022 (dialysis) we have been here. This week is "off season." It's delightfully quiet and un-crowded.  But there are no lifeguards. The ocean has been...variable.  This morning was ..read more