1.16.11

AYNSLEY:
So, first let me start off with the sad news of the day: The Seahawks. Though we are all disappointed to see them bumped out of the play-offs, they fought a good fight and made it farther than, quite honestly, they should have. And in related news, Gary and I are very excited that the Jets caused another upset and get to stay and play another week. Though I haven't explicitly said so in the blog, I am keeping tabs on all of the gifts we have received since Mom's diagnosis. Not the physical gifts (though thank you so much for all of those, too-amazing!) but the little miraculous moments that have been popping up continually. And football has been one of them. I never cared about football in any way shape or form until I started dating Gary, but he's such a patient teacher and makes watching the games so fun that now I actually enjoy it. And then-gift!-I get to talk to my dad about it. Silly, I know, but special to me.

So on to the good news! Weekends are so great. No radiation, not chemotherapy, lots of visitors, homemade food, physical therapy that Mom's not too exhausted to push herself in...all wonderful gifts. Today Mom had her first qigong lesson, which she said was great. Very interesting, not difficult and, she thinks, very good for her. She received a CD (thanks J!!) so she can do some of the work, but also just listen passively. Ross also mentioned that we all can do some qigong for her by helping to visualize her whole, healthy and strong. For those of you who haven't seen her in the hospital, all that requires is conjuring the last image of her you have. For those of you who have been visiting, please think of your favorite memories of her; I guarantee, it will be of a time when she was whole, healthy and strong.

Mom ate well today-her stomach has been feeling better so it's not so uncomfortable. She didn't eat as much as yesterday, but still good amounts. She has really set her mind to nourishing herself. She had a great PT session today and walked a LOT-out of the room and into the hall, which is the longest walk yet. And when Ross arrived at the hospital this morning, she was sitting up in the chair. She's been taking good strong naps, too; she has a great balance of hard work and relaxation/recovery. I know some people have been disappointed not to be able to see her if they come to the hospital during a nap, but the rest is essential to her treatment and we tell her everyone who stopped by when she wakes up.

It continues to be difficult for me to be away. I feel like I constantly have to justify why I'm in NY (not to her, but to me!) so I told her about how I was working tomorrow on MLK Jr day and what else I've been up to in NYC. Gary and I picked out our ketubah (marriage contract) last night and started our preliminary pre-marital counseling earlier this week. She's super excited about both things, saying that the ketubah sounds beautiful (it is!) and that she can't wait to hear all the questions we got asked-she loves teasing us. I'll be back in Seattle in a week, and Gary a few days after that. So until we can give her physical hugs, we'll work on our long-distance visualizations of everyone in our family being whole, healthy and strong.