Update on Dad / The Boys

Kenton and I and the boys visited Dad today. He has improved even more. He can take deeper breaths and can now take a couple of steps without help. Just two days ago, when he would try to breathe deeply, he just couldn’t get enough air. What a contrast to before – scooting up in bed, even reaching for the phone would make Dad struggle for breath. We’re so thankful that Wednesday’s procedure was successful. The doctor had told Dad that if the catheterization wasn’t successful, they would discharge him and let him go home – they wouldn’t be able to do anything else for him. Thank God that wasn’t the case, and that our prayers were answered!

Now, Dad is on several medications – one for thyroid, a couple for thinning blood, and a couple for the heart. The doctor says that if he continues to take his medicines and live a healthy lifestyle, he should recover fully over time.

Dad says that he is ready to go home. He wants to be discharged tomorrow. We’ll see what the doctors say.

The boys: Kevin was able to attend school yesterday and today. He has quite a bit of homework to catch up on, but should be able to do so over the weekend. He took a reading placement test last week, and his reading level is that of a fifth grader during their third month of school. (He just started second grade). At the end of last year, his reading level was that of a third grader during their eighth month. I suppose the test results reflect that he did quite a bit of reading over the summer. He read the whole set of the Magic Treehouse Books, among many others. We hope that his love for reading stays with him for the rest of his life.

Justin decided to show off his drawing and coloring skills on the ledge of our bay window. We praised him for his nice art, but told him that we were very upset that he didn’t draw on paper. His feelings were hurt, but he agreed to try and clean off his crayon drawings. The drawings are still there.

Brian got up before daybreak this morning, and insisted that I go with him to the living room. He stayed awake until around 9 am, then laid down on the kitchen floor and fell asleep immediately. Even after two weeks of coming back to the States, he is still adjusting to the time difference.