10.02.2008

The Good and the Bad

Since I have fielded several questions about AJ, I figured I should get around to describing recent events. As I have said before, I want to make this space more of a celebration of how much fun we have at the DDC than a chronicling of his medical history, so the run-down will be brief.

While we were out in San Diego for Dr. Mom's conference (in which both her poster and presentation took second place in the competitions!) we got the call from Ellen and Carol that AJ had a seizure. The prize money Sarah won pretty much covered the cost of buying redeye flights home, and a few planes, trains and automobiles later we were back at the hospital with AJ. 

I really need to take this opportunity to thank and praise Gramma Ellen, about whom Dr. Bean said "She was amazing."  I know how hard it is to see AJ during a trip to AI Dupont, and she really toughed it out. Thanks also to her sister Carol, whose support was invaluable. 

Some progress was made in understanding whats going on with AJ, but if you'd like to talk about that please call me or Sarah. For now, his medication has changed once again and he has been spell-free since leaving the hospital. 

We also had another set of scares these past few weeks, after AJ's Uncle Phil went to the hospital a few times himself. Initially the docs tossed around scary diagnoses like "stroke" and "TIA," but he was released this weekend after what was determined to be his second severe migrane. I just wanted to say that the folks at 1 Embry are happy we got a chance to see him, and we hope he's done making Sarah's parents drive to MD! 

I just cant leave you with the "bad" side of things, so I wanted to post (with permission already sought and received) an email Ellen sent us after spending the week with Aidan. 

"What I Love About Aidan"

I love ....

- the way you race to the foot of the stairs, pause, sit and look back at me with a wry smile 

- your sincere backward wave "hi" to the backyard squirrel

- the salubrious effect of pumpkin ice cream on your little face

- your seat dancing, bobbing to music

- the way you scuttled with shocking speed towards the basement spider

-your soft, kissable, curling feet

-the wonder in your face as you gazed at the trees moving in the wind

- your inscrutable expression when I sang to you

-the way your eyes had an almost feral  brightness as you grabbed a fist-full of poisonous houseplant

-your whole body meals that require a post meal baths

-the precision in your tiny thumb and forefinger while you pick up grape pieces and Cheerios

-your soft, mellow. morning sounds

I miss you already!



Not to be forgotten, thanks also to Grandpa Don for playing with the Champ, tackling household projects, and making us realize how much AJ likes to be chased around. We spend some time every day crawling around the basement until Aidan is laughing so hard it impedes his crawling, and he sits up and just smiles. He also sent me an email when he got home after visiting Aidan, reminding me, very Grandpa-like, where the dampeners were on the heating ducts in the basement.

I love you all, thanks for reading.

3 comments:

jess said...

we love you all and the backwards wave is my favorite thing he does this week :)

Kristin Mullins said...

and i love you too!!

Sarah said...

He talks about the basement spider all the time, by the way