Celebrating MLK Day

We braved the harsh rainy weather early this morning to make our way to the annual Martin Luther King Day Celebration at the historic Arlington Theater in Santa Barbara. We felt it was worth bundling Rudy up and taking him out in this dreary weather to see big brother Max present his winning poem at the big event. Max was this year’s first place poetry winner in a city-wide competition among 1st-6th graders. It was a morning filled with state and local dignitaries, speeches and music but our favorite contributor was, of course, Max:

Live Together Poem by Max Geyling

We should treat each other equally

Black men and white men with

Black women and white women

And all other kinds of colors of people

We should bring each other flowers

In the early morning hours.

As brothers and sisters living in peace,

Our hatred and sorrow will be released.

If we listen to MLK Jr. and keep our cool,

We’ll perish as friends, not as fools.

Luckily it’s over where I live

Because I have friends of all colors.

We’ve noticed we can have fun

With the ones our ancestors called dumb.

We can play together,

live together,

cry together,

laugh together,

and die together.

At our school you won’t find one fool.

MLK day 011 — Miss Grant came in support of Max! -So sweet

Max was well supported by Wilson, Olivia and Rudy and his teacher, Miss Grant, who was kind enough to come as well. It was a special opportunity and Rudy enjoyed being a part of it all…

MLK day 013 — Rudy likes celebrating MLK Jr!

MLK day 015 — The Arlington Theater offers the added bonus of viewing the actual "Gone With The Wind" couch used in the movie! Rudy is wondering why he can't get a diaper change on it...

And so, we mark our journey with Rudy with yet another memorable holiday. ‘Just 10 more days until the heart cath…anxious and excited…and, as always, very grateful.

A thousand words…

Need a pick me up? I think I’ve got just the thing…

Feel better? I thought so.

Thanks to Dr. Ryan, a man of many talents!

Rudy’s view of the zoo…

Things are relatively peaceful in these parts so thankfully there’s not much to report. We had a quiet weekend where we stayed close to home, which isn’t so bad when your home is close to the beach and the zoo. The big kids enjoyed Saturday afternoon out in the surf. Since Rudy seemed so excited by the ducks, we thought he’d really enjoy a stop at the zoo on Sunday. Turns out he wasn’t all that excited. Then we realized that, regardless of what species might have been before us, this was pretty much the view from his stroller:

“The 12 Days In The Hospital”

The start of the new year has certainly directed Rolf’s and my thoughts to Rudy’s upcoming surgery but, apparently, it’s weighing on the kids’ minds too as Max and Olivia composed their own version of the following Christmas classic over the weekend…

“The Twelve Days In The Hospital”

On the twelve day in the hospital the doctors gave to me…

12 naps a day

11 x-rays of me

10 doctors operating

9 nurses dancing

8 hospital gowns

7 hopes for the future (how profound and absolutely sweet it this one!)

6 bottles of milk

FIVE STITCHES IN THE STOMACH

4 stuffed animals

3 pacifiers

2 dirty diapers

and an open heart surgery!

As scheduled, Rudy’s dance card has been full this week with visits -so far- to Dr. Harake (SB Cardiologist) and Dr. Pornchai T. (UCLA Pulmonologist). Both appointments went pretty well…no changes on the heart front and we have the heart cath scheduled for Thursday January 28th. Rudy is second on the schedule that day so ours will, most likely, be an overnight stay like last time. There is also the remote possibility that they will go ahead and admit Rudy into the hospital for the Glenn surgery at that time depending on what they find during the cath so we’ll plan accordingly. Either way we hope to have a plan for the Glenn as a result of this heart cath.

Rudy and I had a nice drive down the coast to L.A. on Tuesday. Dr. Pornchai did another thorough examination of Rudy and was a bit concerned this time with the way he was breathing. His breathing was a bit labored but he was also a little worked up after the long car ride, a late feed, being examined (normal baby stuff). I didn’t notice much difference from the way he normally is which then left me feeling like maybe I’m not reading Rudy right…what am I missing?…should I be concerned?…etc, etc. I’m tellin’ you, the mind games you start playing with the smallest of triggers can drive you crazy. Dr. Pornchai added a nebulizer med to Rudy’s regimin so we’ll start that, keep an eye on him and trust that we’ll know when something is wrong…ugh!

Of course, we had to pop up to the CTICU quickly while we were in the neighborhood to say “hi” to our staff friends and the sweetest part of my day was running into Dr. Andy M. who we haven’t seen since we left the hospital back in May. As one of the attendings in the PICU/CTICU, Dr. (Papa) Andy oversaw Rudy’s care on numerous occasions and he was so pleased to see how Rudy has grown. In his sweet, quiet way he just starred at Rudy and marveled so sincerely at how beautiful he is. Ahhhh, music to a mother’s ears. It is always so reassuring to check in with the folks on 5 east as they know so intimately how far Rudy has come. As the atmosphere in the unit on Tuesday was, once again, serious and intense, I hope our quick visits are mutually encouraging!

Did I mention Rudy and I had a nice drive down the coast? We are definitely blessed with a pretty commute down to L.A….especially in the winter time. I LOVE Santa Barbara in the winter… the sky is so clear and blue, the air is fresh and you can actually see the channel islands! Rolf captured these pics of Wilson on Sunday…a calm Pacific Ocean-

Water calm enough for Rudy!!!…I look forward to the day when Rudy can join them on one of their kayak excursions!

Happy New Year 2010

new years 001 — Celebrating the East Coast New Year! (9pm PT)

new years 006 — Not sure we'll make it to midnight...

new years 007 — Midnight on the West Coast...Happy New Year Big Boy!

How is it possible that it is not only the start of a new year but also another decade!!!! My memories of it turning 2000 are much too vivid for it to now be 2010!!!! Yikes, can we all please slow down a bit. My mind has been full today…reflecting on all that happened in 2009, trying hard not to worry about what is to come in 2010 and wishing I were with my oldest brother and his family in Indy as they celebrate the wedding of my niece Stefanie. ‘Just got this pic sent to me from the reception that’s happening right now!!!…Technology is pretty cool:

Again I say “Slow down…life is happening much too fast!”

The theme around our household today has been roses and football. I woke this morning to breakfast in bed complete with one of Rolf’s fresh cut roses just in time to watch the Rose Parade on t.v. Rudy and I watched the Rose Parade last year in his hospital room but I think he liked this year’s view a little better.

new years 009 — Rudy's front row seat to view the parade

new years 011 — Daddy's roses are prettier than the ones on t.v.

new years 012 — A new year kiss from Wilson

new years 013 — Everyone ended up in mom and dad's bed for the parade!

Once the parade ended, football was next on the agenda…the Capitol One bowl, the Rose bowl possibly the Sugar bowl a little later. Rolf and Max had a very special treat with a quick trip to El Paso Wednesday and Thursday to see Stanford play in the Sun Bowl thanks to our best man Ruben (we chose wisely!). Max was definitely in heaven…

And so, Wilson made it home safely from his church youth group trip, Rolf & Max made it home from the game and we all enjoyed New Year’s Eve at home under one roof over a piping hot plate of Olivia’s cheesiest macaroni & cheese she made with the help of her new cookbook. A great start to the new year…

Today is also Rudy’s 15-month birthday…we continue to cherish each milestone!

15 months 005 — Trach-Froggie helps Rudy celebrate 15 months!

15 months 001 — Happy 15-month Birthday Rudy!

The House Is Still All A’Bustle!

We continue to take full advantage of our Christmas vacation by engaging in a number of our favorite activities. Rolf and the big boys headed up to Solvang first thing Saturday morning to get a good day of skating in at the skatepark. It still amazes me how the boys can jump back into the bowl and skate as well as they do especially since months can go by between skating treks to Solvang. Thankfully, it was a fun, injury-free trip and a great start to Wilson’s “ultimate-boarder” week as he took off the following day for a snowboard trip with the church youth group and plans to surf on New Year’s day.

Sunday was Livy and Rudy’s turn as they headed off to the lake near our house with a bag of bread to feed the ducks. The last time Rudy ventured out to feed the ducks he wasn’t able to focus on them very well so it was a real treat to see him get so excited this time…a clear sign of growth and progress.

ducks 004 — It's official...Rudy likes ducks!

ducks 015 — I think he likes his Daddy too...

And so the week continues with a couple of visits with good friends, good football to be watched and good play!

Holiday At Home Highlights

Wisely, Rolf turned off Max’s alarm which was set to go off at 6:30am when we went to bed on Christmas Eve and that bought us another hour of sleep Christmas morning. We were awakened by the troops at 7:30am ready to start the day…

The big kids proudly presented their gifts to Rudy first thing…a race car Wilson made in shop class, a teddy bear from Max and a blanket Livy sewed with her Girl Scout sewing skills. I think Rudy was wondering why everyone was home on a weekday and what all the fuss was about but he quickly settled back and watched in amazement at all the excited activity.

Christmas Day 2009 will also be remembered for being the day Rudy had his first shower with Daddy…He is getting much too big for the sponge baths on the kitchen countertop he has been getting and not quite ready for sitting in the bath tub so we thought we’d try something new and he liked it…except when he arched his back and got water all over his face…good thing Daddy has a strong grip…he was a slippery little sucker.

Once we were all cleaned up and dressed, we were off to the Rescue Mission for the Inaugural Santa Barbara Rescue Mission President’s Turkey Bowling Tourney! It was an exciting afternoon of athletic excellence!

Christmas day 011 — There's more than one way to tenderize a turkey!

Our day ended with us all snuggled in bed at home….once again, so grateful to be home. Rudy ended the day grateful for his new slinky and big red ball:

Christmas Eve 2009

Rudy’s first Christmas Eve at home started off with a morning visit with our friends at Bethel House…donuts, a vicious game of “Christmas Basket”, ornament crafts and Christmas carols…we couldn’t have fit anything else in!!!!

We were home long enough for the boys to take care of the chickens they are sitting for vacationing neighbors and for a surprise visit from Nurse Aliza and her family in Santa Barbara for the day…such a fun treat!!

Next, we were off to the candlelight service at church that included “O Holy Night” and a little time with Rayme, Brett and Emma…Rudy liked his snuggle time with Rayme.

xmas eve 005 — Big hugs from Rayme and smiles from Brett...

xmas eve 006 — We were blessed to be with the Elliotts but there was no doubt that Logan was profoundly missed...

Our day ended at home with beef stew, Martinellis and a favorite Christmas movie.

xmas eve 010 — Blessed to be home but missing family far away...

The last we checked on the NORAD website, Santa was in Boise, Idaho…it’s time we went off to bed before Santa arrives…Rudy beat us to it…

Christmas cheer at the hospital

We started off our celebration this week by going back to the hospital. We had fun sharing Christmas cheer with many of the doctors and nurses that were a part of our holiday last year.

: Saying “Merry Christmas” to a handful of Rudy’s angels!

It was affirming to get so many positive comments on how good Rudy looked. Compared to the little guy we took home from the hospital, he was about twice the weight, alert and smiling with good color. Some just couldn’t resist a more clinical assessment:

UCLA 003 — An impromptu listen by Dr. Dan...

In just a few hours at the hospital, our family reminisced about some of the things we did to remain sane there for seven months. We didn’t have time to take over a room for a game of udderball, race down deserted hallways in wheelchairs, or spin around in nurses’ chairs until we were dizzy. ..too many people around for that. But you can almost always have a good “Elevator Dance Party”.

Wait for an elevator of your own.

Play it cool.

Get in the elevator like normal, well-behaved people.

Until the door closes…

Then the party begins!

Extra points for extra abandon, but you can’t get too carried away…

You never know when the door might open…

True experts learn how to time things just right…

Dancing right up until that last second.

When the door opens.

Rudy couldn’t dance along with us. He just looked on from the stoller and entertained second thoughts of whether he was better off staying with his nurse friends.

Christmas Week is Here!

Some members of the family thought it never would come, but Christmas break is here. Unfortunately, Daddy’s Christmas break doesn’t run the full two weeks so I headed off this morning with the unmistakeable feeling of missing out on something–there’s a great deal of holiday fun to be had with the kids at home today.

Not to say that I can’t claim to have already had a hand in the holiday fun…because I came up with the MOST SUPER-FUN holiday decoration. In fact, I’ve been hesitant to show it because once you know of it, it will make your own celebration feel so incomplete and leave unrequiteable yearning in your heart.

OK.

Without further ado….

I present to you…

The PuleTide (TM) advent wreath!

puletide greetings — Eat your heart out, Bellagio! (pretty proud of my winter roses too!)

It took some tweaking to get things working right. I anticipated accumulation of rain water so I drilled holes in the candleholders to let it drain (but this didn’t prevent the wicks from getting saturated). A larger struggle with buoyancy temporarily made it the first sub-aquatic holiday decoration, but switching from an inner-tube (prone to leaks) to foam rectified that situation. My camera skills aren’t good enough to capture it’s full nightime splendor, but I still think it conveys what your celebration will be lacking without a PuleTide (TM) advent wreath.

And to think–this is Rudy’s first Christmas home, so he’ll probably just take the brilliance of the PuleTide advent wreath for granted!

Last year’s Christmas at UCLA certainly taught us a lesson about not taking things for granted. We’ve enjoyed being together, decorating, advent celebrations at church and the anticipation of everyone being together under one roof. In the midst of this, it was surprising to hear Olivia say how much she was going to miss Christmas at the hospital with all the doctors and nurses. As her older brothers readily agreed, we decided to plan a drive down there tomorrow to check in on our friends and bring some cheer to the families who will be spending this year there. Keep an eye out for us, UCLA friends!

Last year’s Christmas in the ICU made an indelible impact on us as it shed new light for us on the incarnation–that God’s son came into the world in all it’s chaos and uncertainty. In the midst of stress and anguish, there can be beauty and joy because of His presence. We’re so glad for that.

Last year’s circumstances didn’t leave me much room to unleash my creativity on things such as the PuleTide advent wreath. In an attempt to pass the hours in Rudy’s room, some of you might remember I worked out a new take on a familiar Christmas classic. I read it over again this weekend and it brought forth tears of gratitude and empathy for the kids and families that will spend this Christmas in the hospital. In honor of them, I’m reposting it here again. Even if you aren’t spending Christmas in a place of your chosing, may you find peace, comfort and hope there.

‘Twas the night before Christmas, in the CTICU on 5 East,

A few creatures were stirring, because they never cease;

The fluids were hung by the bedsides with care,

In hopes that all would remain peaceful there;

The children, not “nestled” but comfortable yet,

Saw lots more than sugar-plums thanks to the meds;

Dr. Ryan in his coat, Dr. Andy in clogs,

Kept quiet watch as they checked patient logs;

Far up on the roof there arose quite a clatter,

But they wouldn’t have heard what was the matter.

Nurse Susan at her station would not have noticed,

Her attention on Rudy was lovingly focused.

The flat helipad with its lights flashing on top,

Made landing much easier than most other stops,

The touchdown was simple, but the rest was quite hard,

For patients and visitors with no proxy card,

But this one was different and he knew some tricks,

The card readers and elevators were no match for St. Nick.

He stuffed his sack fuller than he ever had yet,

For scores below worried that he might forget;

To the 5^th Floor through the stairwell he came with a bound,

Right through the alarmed door with nary a sound.

Yes, dressed all in fur from his head to his foot,

But he cleaned himself up because they don’t allow soot.

Into the PICU he walked without ringing,

Quietly as the pumps and the vents did their singing.

His eyes kept on twinkling; his dimples still merry,

But tender concern showed behind that nose like a cherry.

While the nurses’ attention was never averted,

Somehow he slipped into each room unobserved,

He’d given up the pipe as he’s now much the wiser,

And at each door he carefully lathered with the sanitizer.

The belly like jelly still shook only slightly,

As he kept his voice quiet and laughed only lightly;

That wink of his eye and the twist of his head,

Assured the small patients they had nothing to dread;

He spoke soothing words along with his work,

Being careful to turn with nary a jerk,

After carefully laying what he’d brought on the bed,

He’d give a small whisper and a pat on the head;

Without any rush he went door to door,

Making sure he missed no one on the entire floor;

He returned to his sleigh and offered a prayer,

That these little ones wouldn’t be much longer in there,

As he prepared to alight from this special stop,

The children were assured he hadn’t forgot.

So he loudly exclaimed as he drove up into the air,

“Be home next Christmas, and I’ll see you there.”