11:58pm
The number of boxes that Nathaniel needs to check in order to qualify as having (re)mastered the activities of daily living grows smaller each day. He took a shower today on his own (with a nurse standing by) and took care of the bulk of his own getting dressed. He’s still having trouble eating, but he’s trying new foods every day. It’s a process, and the process is working.
He will not, however, be home for Christmas. Not even hotel-home. That’s really hard but… well, there’s an alternate-universe version of me somewhere out there, probably a LOT of versions of me out there, who are planning a year of wearing black and planning funerals and doing all the things that widows do. I’m not a widow. He’s alive.
He’s alive and he’s configuring third-party game controllers to play all kinds of retro games with equipment he doesn’t even have yet, and complaining that his neck hurts (He likes to sleep sitting up and very often snoozes in the position you expect from a great uncle after thanksgiving dinner, with the chin on the chest. Not good for the neck, that position.) and ordering things he needs for the hospital and things he thinks the hospital needs, and asking for this thing to be plugged in there and that thing to be unplugged and the wires can go in the box and the instructions should be kept and all the things he does when he’s becoming more energetic.
It’s a better timeline than I dared hope. I’ll take it.
Love this for you both. Seriously.
So glad to hear from you and so glad things are going well for you too! Let us know what you need and we’ll do what we can to help!