7/1

We head out to Ashland Thursday to pick up the kids, see some plays and enjoy some (Weil) family time.

For the last five days, Mike has hauled out and done most of "the loop" around our house. Using a walker or cane (and buoyed by a therapy belt), he's walked about 1/2 mile daily, much of it up and down hill and all of it uneven terrain. It's an impressive step forward.

With so many days childless, I've had time to do...nothing. And with so much nothingness surrounding me, I have had a chance to get interested in the world around me. Today, I can tell you I finally have a layman's understanding of the housing market crisis because of This American Life. Listen here: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1242

6/22

Greetings From Hailey, Idaho

We've arrived in Hailey to deliver the kids to my sister for a week. She is renting a house here and then returning them to Ashland in early July. The entire Weil clan will be in Ashland over the 4th for fraternizing and a few plays.

Here's a picture that proves we are really on vacation: Winston is naked and holding a Coke. Mike has a bag of Ruffles.

We were fortunate to happen upon a great Hailey park. Winston and Amelia rode the tire swing for a long time.

The first two pictures show them having a great time. The next is the picture taken right before Amelia threw up from the effects of the swing.

We are enjoying the beauty of Southern Idaho -- and its warmth. Locals tell me that they had 12 foot snow drifts up until six weeks ago. They must have gotten all of Portland's rain as snow this year. Lucky for us, that means lilacs are a month late in blooming and I have never seen anything like the lilacs here. They run the length of people's properties in giant blooming hedges. I will try to get a few pictures if the kids let me stop the car long enough.

We are also discovering the joys of the ADA. There are few places a person can go in this country now that do not accommodate people with disabilities. Bathrooms are tricked out. Hotels rooms are roomy and adapted. Even small cafes are accessible. Who knew?

Mike is moving with more fluidity now. He's zippy on the walker but has been hesitating on the cane; his equilibrium is still extremely compromised. He has been enjoying the pools we've hit on this roadtrip. The water takes the burden of his weight off of him and gives him a sense of safety and maybe even freedom.

6/1

Mike has been prepping dinners for the last three days. On Saturday, we went out to the Farmers Market (note: people really clear the way for people in wheelchairs; it's the only way to go to crowded places). We picked up some morel mushrooms, white truffles and green garlic. Tonight, Mike whipped up a lovely Spring pasta with those ingredients. He complimented the main dish with a (Mario Batali) Babbo-inspired dish: seared broccocauli with mint and hot pepper. It was perfect! For those that are curious, the kids ate pasta, plain, no salt or oil in the water. Oi.

5/11 #2

Some Mother's Day pictures!

The Bankowski's came over to prepare a great breakfast. Thanks Susan and Brandon!

5/11

Here's a video of Mike walking with a cane this week. He's moved from a walker to a cane for most short haul walking around.

5/5 #2

Here's a video from 4/19:



And here's one from 5/5:



Speech has been working on "prosody" (from Wikipedia: the study of rhythm, intonation, and related attributes in speech) and the change is marked. Coming out of the hospital, Mike sounded robotic. He is now consciously working on adding sing-song qualities to his voice.

Also note that he holds his right hand oddly in the older video (and Amelia is flipping the book's pages because that task would have been too arduous coupled with the reading). We are starting to see him favor his left hand now for everyday tasks. His (previously dominant) right hand is taking a backseat which is probably a good indicator of damage location.

We are getting out a good amount. Wendy has taken an intense liking to Pho Van and we've been haunting their every location. Speaking of Wendy, she's off tomorrow after a two week Physical Therapist stint with us and will be missed (although she will need a break from the kid din that is a constant over here). She worked Mike out, whipped up dinners and did a truly unbelievable amount of laundry while here.

Another shout out to Wendy and John's Golf Ladies and Gentlemen who provided us with a gift certificate to Higgins Restaurant. We wheeled over there Saturday night for a fantastic meal. Mussels! Oysters with a carrot and jalepeno granita! Salmon! Steak! Halibut cheeks! Wine! It was a beautiful, quintessential Northwest meal from a classic Portland restaurant and it was delightful (and I'm not just saying that because the kids were not invited). Thank you!

5/5

Mike is home!

Mike is receiving physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy visits at home for two weeks. After that, it will be out-patient rehab. He has gained enough confidence with his walker that he will putter around the main floor without "spotters." This week, he's also been introduced to the cane. That has got him a bit anxious (he feels unsteady and vulnerable on it) but he's getting in and trying very hard.

I'll post an old and new video of him reading to show his voice progress next.