Poor Olivia

Olivia (pictured with Bridget) spent a few hours in the emergency room tonight.

Olivia's hand was painfully swollen.

Poor Olivia.

She came up with a rash recently and it led to some pretty unpleasant and uncomfortable days. Tonight, with the pain and itching too much to bear, we headed over to Children's Hospital to get to the bottom of it.

Several hours later, we still are not sure what is causing the rash but at least Olivia is getting some (temporary) relief from it. The official diagnosis? Hives.

The bad news is, we were told it could be at least a week before it completely subsides.

No, not that Emily...

The Final Visit

Score! Lauren's friend, Dedra, made sure she went home with the best prize from the closet.

It was with mixed feelings that we learned today's visit to the Shriner's Hospital will be Lauren's last as a patient.

On one hand, it is amazing to see the progress she has made over the years thanks to the help of many professionals there. Not to mention the friends and wonderful memories gained on the drives (and one flight) to and from Minneapolis. From Dr. Guidera to Dedra to one of our original drivers from the Tangier Shrine Temple, "Oley."

Lauren and Dedra, back in 2007.

Dr. Luedtke checked Lauren over, telling her that she has pretty much stopped growing and that her scoliosis has cleared up. She reminded her to continue to do stretching exercises and to create a good foundation for a healthy lifestyle as her bones continue to develop.

The visit was probably the shortest of all time and we marveled at the fact that the lobby was completely empty the entire time we were there. We made sure to stop in and see Dedra and Tim and Lauren found one more prize in the prize chest on the way out the door.

If all goes to plan, we hope to make another trip up to Minneapolis this summer to look at the campus at the University of Minnesota. Lauren just might feel right at home there, too.

(See more from Lauren's past hospital visits here, here, here and here.)

Lauren (wearing her Shriner's Hospital shirt, as usual), posed with Dedra and Tim.

Lauren even brought shorts along for her "walking exam," which she didn't have to do.

There was the usual checking for flexibility. We have lots of pictures of this over the years.

Dr. Luedtke gave Lauren some good advice before sending her off for the last time.

We saw Dr. Guidera! Well, at least his photo in the lobby.

There would be no playing on the playground on this day.

One more look at the prizes on the way out the door...

We exited the parking garage into the midst of a blizzard.

Visiting Aunt Jean

A stroke landed Aunt Jean in the hospital.
I was headed to the criterium at the Redlands Bicycle Classic when I got the call: Aunt Jean had suffered a stroke. Bridget was the one who broke the news to me. Obviously, it was very upsetting since this was at least the third time I was delivered bad news about a family member's health while working in California.

The day after returning from the race, the girls and I headed up to the hospital to visit her. Her speech has been significantly affected, but she was very pleased to see the girls and me. The girls also made "get well" cards for her (pictured at right).

On our way out, the girls took a moment to check out the player piano in the lobby. Some of their expressions are a bit strange...

The Latest On My Dad

The problems with my dad's colon are spelled out in black and white.
So my father-in-law now faces open heart surgery and my own dad learned more today about his impending trip under the knife.

In the coming week(s), my dad will have about 10 inches of his colon removed. A colonoscopy will proceed the surgery and expected in-hospital recovery time from the two procedures is expected to be four days to a week. Four weeks of additional rest will be required after that, the doctor said.

Essentially, this is certainly a difficult time for everyone. The power of prayer is amazing and certainly I will be doing a lot of it for both guys - and our families. It certainly puts everything else in perspective.

Prayers Requested

Papa Aube and Grandma Bep pose at their 50th anniversary
party with the YD girls in January.
My father-in-law, Mike, is in need of prayers. He underwent an angioplasty today and the doctors could not finish the procedure because his arteries were blocked.

The means he will be back in the hospital a week from today for either a triple (or possibly quadruple) bypass surgery.

Less than a year ago, he and "Grandma Bep" (as the girls and I affectionately refer to her) celebrated 50 years of marriage. I have never referred to them as "in-laws" as the term is often associated with something negative. Rather, I consider them to be my second set of parents and I love them like I do my own mom and dad.

Prayers are certainly requested and appreciated.

Dad Is Home; Dining At Petrow's

So my dad is home from the hospital. And I am so glad. Although he is not 100 percent (more surgery lies ahead), it's good to have him sleeping in his own bed and home with mom to take care of him.

I went up to the hospital this morning with the intent of being with him all day (I even took my laptop), only to find out he was being released "soon." Well, the "soon" was more like four hours later - but that was OK. It was interesting to meet the doctors and nurses and listen to the things that he will need to do from this point forward.

Stacy (pictured at right) was dad's nurse Wednesday and said he was her "best patient ever." So we took a picture of the two together before leaving. I also remember Sarah, who was his nurse on the Thursday night he was admitted. Bridget and I cracked some pretty funny jokes with her, which lightened what was a pretty tense situation.

As for the picture of Jon (below), the two of us went to eat at Petrow's earlier tonight. I hadn't been there in awhile, and the World-Herald had not given it a favorable review recently. So I wanted to scope things out myself.

As it turned out, the service was terrific, the food was delicious (large portions) and the price was just right. I got the special: turkey, gravy, stuffing, potatoes, salad; Jon got the French Dip (which also came with a salad). Lara was our server and she made quite the impression - calling us "honey" and "dear" and even winking at Jon. And she couldn't have been more than 25 years old. (Note to other servers: this stuff really does result in higher tips. It's a proven fact.)

Anyway, tomorrow I will be picking up the girls from school. Now that the cycling season is over, I have a lot more time on my hands. So it will be great to see them for an extra two hours or so.

Girls: We'll have to save up some money so we can make a stop there this weekend. Jon and I wanted to get malts (they are "buy two, get the third free") but we were stuffed!

Jon pondered who would be picking up the check.

Celebrating Three Birthdays

Lauren bailed out of this picture at the last second.
We celebrated three birthdays on Sunday: Veronica's (which was actually Sept. 19), Bridget's and mine. The actual party took place at the hospital, since dad was still there.

The day was a good one. We all went to church together, then ate a quick lunch at Wendy's before rushing off to the "dollar" theater to see the new Indiana Jones movie. Veronica slept through most of it, but the girls really enjoyed it. We opened presents and cards at the hospital, then ate pizza at Zio's.

Get Well Soon, Dad

Dad was looking much better when I saw him Saturday morning.
Being the procrastinator that he is (and that I am, too), it should come as no surprise that my dad ended up in the hospital Thursday. He had a blockage in his colon - the result of which had him not eating for at least a week.

So when my mom and Bridget finally dragged him off to the doctor, it wasn't long before he was checked into the hospital. Thursday night was a rush of tests and a surgical procedure that temporarily got things going. But more surgery lies ahead - and it will be at least Monday before dad gets out of the hospital.

The power of prayer is amazing - and if you didn't realize that, this is a perfect example. What could have been a very grave situation has turned out to be not as bad as we once thought. Thank you to everyone for your prayers and thoughts. It also meant the world to my dad to hear from the girls and Danielle. Your voices brought a wide grin to his face when he relayed the story of speaking with you by phone. Thank you.