My sister-in-law Nancy went to the hospital last night to "smoke out" this overdue baby of theirs. Not sure what technique the doctor will use, rubber tube attached to car exhaust pipe or one of those smoker pots you use for bees, but whatever the case, I am confident Ryan will make his appearance in the next 24 hrs. Nancy's mom is sending me updates from her Blackberry, but last update (midnight EDT) said they (Nancy's parents) got sent home so Nancy could get some sleep, as this is a long process.
Now a short tribute to my brother Jeff who is about to become a father. When I started kindergarten, Jeff wanted to be just like me, what a twerp! He started practicing for the kindergarten entrance exams and got early admission (I kid you not). Growing up, Jeff was a smart, shy boy at school, but at home, he was a fierce fighter, with excellent biting skills. As long as I can remember, he wanted to be a doctor and a father too (with 5 kids to cause unending chaos). Dan says we do too much scheming when we get together and need to be monitored by a third party. But I say being a good schemer has got Jeff where he is today. He knows how to follow his dreams, no matter how silly they seem to other people. What's so silly about a Christmas tree farm?!
And a tribute to Nancy, although I've known you many years less than Jeff and am unsure of your fighting or biting skills. Nancy has a fabulous sense of humor and always makes me laugh. She likes summer cocktails and can drink me under the table. Since I met her, she has gone from not cooking at all to making elaborate Indian meals that I wouldn't even attempt. Ryan is going to be eating some good food! She is always willing to listen, giving me advice when I'm in some kind of emotional crisis or have a friend that's ready to throw in the towel. Her caring and compassionate personality will make her a wonderful mother. I can't wait to take our kids to the beach together and drink some margaritas!
Hopefully my next post will have pictures of Ryan, but I told them not to send me the gooey photos, as I'll gladly wait another day for something less gross.
**Update: Sometime around 15:00 EDT Ryan Alexander was born!! Both baby and mama are doing fine. He weighed in at a whopping 9 lbs 2 oz and 21" long. Hooray!! I was prepared to pull an all-nighter waiting for news. Now I can go to sleep normal time**
Yesterday Dr. Mick cut off my soft cast/wrap (gross) and replaced it with this boot called the Ligastrap Immo. I'm supposed to wear it all the time for a few months. What, a few months? Yes a few months. What can I say, my joints are shot from this neuromuscular disease so injuries like these do not heal easily or quickly. He is just hoping for best case scenario where it heals back to what it used to be before injury and I don't have to keep wearing a brace :-/ At least I can shower now without wearing a vegetable bag over my foot.
My sister-in-law Nancy went to the hospital last night to "smoke out" this overdue baby of theirs. Not sure what technique the doctor will use, rubber tube attached to car exhaust pipe or one of those smoker pots you use for bees, but whatever the case, I am confident Ryan will make his appearance in the next 24 hrs. Nancy's mom is sending me updates from her Blackberry, but last update (midnight EDT) said they (Nancy's parents) got sent home so Nancy could get some sleep, as this is a long process. 
Now a short tribute to my brother Jeff who is about to become a father. When I started kindergarten, Jeff wanted to be just like me, what a twerp! He started practicing for the kindergarten entrance exams and got early admission (I kid you not). Growing up, Jeff was a smart, shy boy at school, but at home, he was a fierce fighter, with excellent biting skills. As long as I can remember, he wanted to be a doctor and a father too (with 5 kids to cause unending chaos). Dan says we do too much scheming when we get together and need to be monitored by a third party. But I say being a good schemer has got Jeff where he is today. He knows how to follow his dreams, no matter how silly they seem to other people. What's so silly about a Christmas tree farm?!
And a tribute to Nancy, although I've known you many years less than Jeff and am unsure of your fighting or biting skills. Nancy has a fabulous sense of humor and always makes me laugh. She likes summer cocktails and can drink me under the table. Since I met her, she has gone from not cooking at all to making elaborate Indian meals that I wouldn't even attempt. Ryan is going to be eating some good food! She is always willing to listen, giving me advice when I'm in some kind of emotional crisis or have a friend that's ready to throw in the towel. Her caring and compassionate personality will make her a wonderful mother. I can't wait to take our kids to the beach together and drink some margaritas! 
Yesterday at 3:15 I went for an MRI of my ankle. By 4:15, I was out the door with films and a report in hand! Now that's German efficiency. They didn't mess around with paperwork or make me sit in the waiting room, they whisked me right in and onto the table. The MRI itself took 30 minutes, then they decided to MRI other areas of my leg, just for comparison, I guess. It was a pleasant 45 minute nap. Dr. Mick took a look at the films this morning and told me there is tenosynovitis, or inflammation of the tendon sheaths around my ankle (see red arrow in photo). So, no major injury, but he wants this to go away to avoid further damage to the joint. They wrapped it up all nice and tight to keep it immobilized. This time he told me "don't take it off". Oops, didn't know I wasn't supposed to remove the other one. I go back on Saturday for them to take a look at it and re-wrap it. In the meantime, he told me "don't walk so much, OK?" Hahaha, OK Dr. Mick, but only because you are so nice!
