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Ellie update: So far, so good :D
11 years ago
My 14-month-old niece, Ellie, made it though her heart surgery just fine. It was a tense day, as all sorts of delays ended up getting her started on surgery about when it was originally supposed to be wrapping up, but surgery itself went faster, and more easily than expected. Thank you so much to all who kept her in their thoughts!
She's got a long stay at the children's hospital ahead of her, but she only needed a pacemaker for a few hours after surgery, shes off the ventilator and back on her regular CPAP (she always breathes through a trache tube), she can have her feeding tube providing nutrients again, and they're close to taking her off her chest suction/drain :)
My brother and sis-in-law are too stoic to tell much of how they feel, but I'm sure how well Ellie is recovering is a huge relief to them (I know it is for me!)
The only unfortunate thing that happened around that time involved some of my art supplies/studio stuff I had just finished setting up in the basement at Biscuit's house.. I had left to visit Michigan last Wednesday, and Thursday started a big day of rain and thaw in Iowa, and I got word that the basement had flooded with a few inches of water by late afternoon. Portfolios, supplies, and books that were on shelves near the floor, or actually resting on the floor, sponged up a bunch of water. Biscuit got off work early, and had his brother and a friend helping him try to salvage my work from a watery death by hanging artwork up to dry, turning on fans and heaters to dry up the water/mud on the floor, etc. I had planned to stay in Michigan until at least Saturday, but I couldn't stand the thought of all my hard work being damaged like that, with no way to inspect it all myself. I left Michigan soon after hearing the news (at least I had gotten to visit with Ellie earlier that day..which was the main point behind that Michigan trip), drove 400 miles in some pretty shitty weather, and arrived about 1:30am to check things out myself. Biscuit and I ended up spending a collective 8 hours, once I got home, peeling every individual reference/art book page apart, fanning them out all over the kitchen and living room with hairdryers and fans on them. It could have been worse (seriously, Biscuit's actions SAVED my shit..It would have been a much more devastating loss had he not acted so quickly, and done all he did! <3), but I'm still really sad that nearly all my college work, about $600 in books, and perhaps another $200 in random art supplies and collectibles are pretty severely warped and water damaged :/ The art will never look the same, and that hurts the most. The books are usable, but they don't look pretty; this happened a week ago now, and some of them are still drying out. I am very glad it wasn't worse, and especially glad that my antique desk (it was originally my great-grandpa's) isn't any worse for wear after sitting in some water last Thursday.
Okay, okay, but most especially, I'm glad Ellie is recovering okay!
She's got a long stay at the children's hospital ahead of her, but she only needed a pacemaker for a few hours after surgery, shes off the ventilator and back on her regular CPAP (she always breathes through a trache tube), she can have her feeding tube providing nutrients again, and they're close to taking her off her chest suction/drain :)
My brother and sis-in-law are too stoic to tell much of how they feel, but I'm sure how well Ellie is recovering is a huge relief to them (I know it is for me!)
The only unfortunate thing that happened around that time involved some of my art supplies/studio stuff I had just finished setting up in the basement at Biscuit's house.. I had left to visit Michigan last Wednesday, and Thursday started a big day of rain and thaw in Iowa, and I got word that the basement had flooded with a few inches of water by late afternoon. Portfolios, supplies, and books that were on shelves near the floor, or actually resting on the floor, sponged up a bunch of water. Biscuit got off work early, and had his brother and a friend helping him try to salvage my work from a watery death by hanging artwork up to dry, turning on fans and heaters to dry up the water/mud on the floor, etc. I had planned to stay in Michigan until at least Saturday, but I couldn't stand the thought of all my hard work being damaged like that, with no way to inspect it all myself. I left Michigan soon after hearing the news (at least I had gotten to visit with Ellie earlier that day..which was the main point behind that Michigan trip), drove 400 miles in some pretty shitty weather, and arrived about 1:30am to check things out myself. Biscuit and I ended up spending a collective 8 hours, once I got home, peeling every individual reference/art book page apart, fanning them out all over the kitchen and living room with hairdryers and fans on them. It could have been worse (seriously, Biscuit's actions SAVED my shit..It would have been a much more devastating loss had he not acted so quickly, and done all he did! <3), but I'm still really sad that nearly all my college work, about $600 in books, and perhaps another $200 in random art supplies and collectibles are pretty severely warped and water damaged :/ The art will never look the same, and that hurts the most. The books are usable, but they don't look pretty; this happened a week ago now, and some of them are still drying out. I am very glad it wasn't worse, and especially glad that my antique desk (it was originally my great-grandpa's) isn't any worse for wear after sitting in some water last Thursday.
Okay, okay, but most especially, I'm glad Ellie is recovering okay!
Sorry to hear of the flooding, though.
Take care.
Again, thank you so much for your kind thoughts, words, and sympathies!
I also hope that the flooding damage has not been too extensive, now that you have had time to sort through it all.
Take care of yourself too, as I am sure all of this has taken its toll on you as well.
The flooding issue, while not as bad as I initially feared, still has me kind of depressed, and I keep avoiding going back down to my studio now that all the main things have been cleaned up and dealt with. That feeling is some sort of out-of-sight-out-of-mind denial coping mechanism I need to get over...I really do need to get back on the horse, so to speak!
I hope all is well with you ^^
Glad the flooding isn't as bad as initially feared, though I am sorry to hear about the depression - though I think that is totally understandable, really. I have always said that water and fire (which I know about lately, as was a big fire at my husband's workplace last week!) are the two most destructive forces. I hope that when you are able to deal with it, that it goes as well as can be hoped for.
Thank you for the watch, btw. I know I do not post much, really... most usually it is just photos of my german shepherd. ;)
Take care!!!
(I go by the nickname of "Louve", btw. ;))