Happy Sunday and Happy St. Patrick's Day! We have had a pretty up and down week, but we just keep plugging along as best as we can. The girls are doing well. I've done my best to keep them happy, and they are doing their best to take care of me too.
On Monday, along with a busy day of work, I spent a lot of time on the phone back and forth with my mom and the case worker at the hospital as we worked through the final details for my dad to get to go home from the hospital. So many moving parts. It was exhausting!
After work, I decided that we'd go to Soldan Dog Park for a nice walk/run through the woods. The girls had a great time. Honestly, I even felt better after some fresh air and time in the woods. Plus these happy faces always make me happy.
Tuesday came, and with it, the possibility that my dad would finally leave the hospital 10 weeks after initially being admitted. When I hadn't heard from my mom by mid-day, I reached out for an update, only to find that she was already on her way home with my dad. He didn't sound too thrilled to be going home when I talked to them, but I assumed that it was just the uncertainty of how things would go with his care over the initial few days at home. Unfortunately, I quickly learned that he was feeling very weak and tired, and my mom was struggling to help him. He had no strength to get around, and I felt pretty useless an hour a way, but she got some help from my Uncle Charles to get my dad settled into bed where he proceeded to spend most of the rest of the day sleeping. A home health nurse stopped late in the afternoon to help my mom get set up with all of the information she would need to be successful in helping my dad. The nurse was there for a few hours.
I decided that my original plan to visit them at home after work didn't make much sense. My mom was getting lots of help from the nurse, and I had had a pretty emotionally exhausting day myself. I figured it would be better if I waited until another day to visit, maybe a day that the nurse wouldn't be at the house and mom would need more help. So, even though I felt completely exhausted, I decided I would take the girls to Soldan Dog Park again because they needed a good run. I was glad that we made this trip, and for the first time since we started going to this park, we saw two other GSPs. I spent a large chunk of my time talking to the owner of one of them while the girls played. She was also a long-time GSP owner and her dog, Duna, is her seventh GSP. We were at the park a lot longer than I had planned, but I was glad for the distraction. I hope we run into them again.
Wednesday arrived, and my mom was expecting another visit from a home health nurse along with the physical therapist who will be working with my dad for the next several weeks. Unfortunately, he was still feeling very weak and unable to get out of bed. Both the nurse and physical therapist told my mom that they suspected my dad might have an infection and told her that he needed to go back to the hospital, although the nurse thought it might be a good idea to send him to the hospital in Owosso for a new set of eyes on his case.
Ultimately, the staff in Owosso said that they would need to transfer my dad to another hospital, so we had him transferred back to Grand Blanc where there is a whole team of people who are familiar with all that he's been through over the past 2 1/2 months. He moved by ambulance late that evening and my brother stayed with him until he was admitted after midnight.
I had a busy day at work on Thursday, but I planned to head to the hospital that afternoon for a visit with my dad. I left home late that afternoon with my laptop so I could work from the hospital, and the girls came along for the ride too. My mom was still at the hospital when I arrived, but left shortly after, and I stayed for a couple of hours to keep dad company. Thankfully, he was in good spirits, even though he wasn't feeling that great. I spoke with the Physician Assistant from the Infectious Disease team who we've spent a lot of time with over dad's stay at the hospital and she told me their plan for him. Meanwhile, a staff member came to take him for a CT scan, so I walked to the elevator with him and then headed home. It was a rainy day and the girls weren't going to get out for much of a walk, so we made a stop at Magoo's Pet Outlet to give them a chance to sniff around and to pick up a few goodies for them. Then we had a quiet drive home.
Friday was a beautiful sunny day. Peaches really enjoys this sunny spot in the doorway on days like that. Both girls spent a lot of time outside throughout the day. My mom called a couple of times with updates, and since both my brother and my mom had planned visits to my dad, she suggested I stay home instead of making my planned visit after work. I was able to have a really productive day at work, and when it was over, I was excited for the opportunity to get the girls out for some fun.
We headed out to Dewitt because I had to make a stop in town to pick something up for Nicol, and then I got the girls out for a walk. While we walked around town, we discovered Riverside Park and decided to check it out.
Both girls were pretty happy to be out exploring somewhere new. This trail was nice and there were plenty of great spots for sniffing. It was so nice to be out enjoying the sun. I ended my Friday with a Friday Fish Fry and then had a quiet night at home.
Saturday I would be visiting my dad at the hospital to give my mom the day off. I did a few things around the house in the morning before loading the girls into the car to make the drive East. I had decided that I was going to get the girls out for a short walk before heading to the hospital and that I would make sure to get them out for a little adventure after my visit too.
We made a couple of quick stops on the drive toward Grand Blanc, and I even made a quick visit to the Genesee County Animal Shelter. I have wanted to visit this shelter for a long time so I couldn't resist stopping. I was really lucky that when one of the staff members learned that I was a long-time volunteer in Ingham county, she decided to give me a special tour of the shelter and I got to meet several of their dogs. It is always interesting to see how different shelters are set-up and how they run things. I met a couple of volunteers, petted some dogs, and really enjoyed my visit. They are always so full of dogs and I really appreciate how much the staff and volunteers give back to the animals in their care.
After my stop at the shelter, I headed to the hospital for a visit with my dad. To my disappointment, he wasn't having a very good day and, with the exception of a couple of short conversations, he slept almost the entire time I was there. I left earlier than I had initially planned because there was really no point in me staying there since he clearly needed the rest.
Before leaving the Flint area, I wanted to get the girls out for a walk. I had seen the Genesee Valley Trail on my geocaching map, so I decided that we'd check it out. It is an urban trail, but it was a lot more wooded than I had expected. We had a two mile walk along the trail and did a little geocaching along the way. We did a little more geocaching in the area before picking up a quick dinner. The girls slept soundly the whole drive home.
I was determined to have a relaxing Sunday after another exhausting week. While I knew that girls would love a little fun today, I was glad that I was able to get them out for some fun throughout the week because I knew that today, I needed a day of rest. I also knew that I would have to find things that could keep them busy right here at home. We were able to sleep in a bit and then had a slow morning. The girls spent time outside playing while I made breakfast and prepped Kongs for the week. They had a great hour outside and then came in and were treated with the empty peanut butter jars. They always love cleaning them out.
There were rounds of napping, snuggling, playing, wrestling, and time outside. Then we made a quick trip to the store and had lunch when we got home. Afterward, the girls went outside for another round of play before coming in to enjoy a Kong.
I made some mid-afternoon popcorn and had an audience while I ate it. Of course I shared with them.
It's been cold and dreary most of the day, but we've had some peeks of sunshine in between the snow showers. I thought I was going to make a lasagna for dinner, but I have decided that I'm just going to have a completely lazy day. Maybe we'll just order a pizza or make something quick and easy. I'm just really grateful that the girls have been really good all day and are giving me that chance to rest.
We haven't been very festive for St. Patrick's day, but I am wearing my green. Nicol, on the other hand, made sure that both Fiona and Picasso are dressed for the day.
I'm really hoping that we get some answers about my dad this week and maybe we can get him to a point that he can really get home. In the meantime, I'll just keep plugging along at life and hoping for better days. We are entering the last few days of Winter, and by the end of the week, Spring will arrive. That gives me hope.
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