Day 572 - Dec 22, 2009

First, I gotta tell you that Kevin truly did that scrapbook layout all by himself. He is just like his mama and REALLY anal about exact placements. As I was attaching the photos with glue dots, I didn't do it right and it took forever to get them exactly where he wanted them. It was kinda hilarious.

So I also have to tell you that Kevin said a whole slew of new words in the last few days. I was on the phone the other night (Hi Linda!) and he called me downstairs to say 'star'. He was watching Family Guy and the woman was putting the star on the tree. He just said it - without any teaching involved.

Today he came out with Pap (my dad), I love you, Pap (very hard for him to get words together that are a new combination), eat, cookie, Josh (my niece Chrissy's boyfriend), Dawn (my other sister), Kammerdiener (ok - so that doesn't sound exact, but it's way close enough, lol), lights and hold on. He is trying to repeat things often now and he is even singing as best he can whenever the radio is on and he knows the song. You should hear him sing 'Happy Birthday' - he does it so well! If I could ever find the cord to my video camera, I will take some videos. It's been so long, but I haven't seen it since we moved from the Fisher House.

We did have speech therapy yesterday too, but Kevin was really mad. I guess the therapist spent almost the whole time writing notes. He also talked real slow and Kevin feels he is talking down to him. The one thing I don't do is slow it down. We talk normal and I only emphasize words when he is struggling to learn them. I talked to the therapist after I had Kevin leave the room, and I talked to Kevin on the way home because I know it's how you teach stroke patients, so hopefully they can meet in the middle. I just don't want Kevin to get so mad that he won't go back, kwim?

And lastly, I want to thank everyone for the well wishes for my dad. It's just not good. He has the option of either doing nothing and allowing the cancer to take over, or having surgery knowing that the odds are better that he won't make it through either the surgery itself or the recovery. They don't feel he is healthy enough to handle it.

So it's a decision my father must make and we all need to accept whichever he chooses. I do have to say though that it will be a less rosy world without my dad in it - even if he does drive me nuts sometimes.

Ah well, I don't want to get all maudlin, I'm sure it will all work out...