Here we go again...

We were at the hospital for the pre-op prep today. I suppose it could have been worse, but I was hoping for flawless and was disappointed. My brave little man was great. He had a tube put down his nose to his stomach to infuse a liquid that helped clean out his bowel. Unfortunately, that made him nauseous and he kept spitting up bile. And the first attempt at inserting a needle for a blood test was unsuccessful and painful and had to be repeated. All the while the nurse and hospital educator were trying to walk us through everything that will happen on Tuesday, surgery day. Mathieu seemed at times bewildered but eventually - once the tube was removed - was much better; almost his old self.

We have to be at the hospital at 7:45am on Tuesday for admission. Then the nurse will do another sort of bowel preparation and the surgery is scheduled for 8:45. We are all hoping that there won't be too much of a stretch with the small bowel when they form the j-pouch reservoir, because if there is, they will need to put a temporary colostomy bag. This would mean another surgery in appox. 2 months and Mathieu would wake up with a tube down his nose to prevent bile from accumulating. Not to mention the daily (or more) cleaning out of the bag... I'm sure Tony will be with us and help us face whatever happens.

Re-reading this post, I guess I'm tired and a little bewildered myself. Hopefully things will go smoothly tomorrow. Say a prayer for Mathieu.

That's it for now. I will keep you posted.

Take good care!

Renée

Home, Sweet New Home!

We've been busy over the weekend. We've been unpacking and sorting out what should go where and what we need to get to make our new home just right... There are lots of new things to get used to; like a dishwasher - but I think I can handle that! The front loading washer was a bit scary at first, but my sister has one and she came to the rescue. Not so difficult after all - it just looks intimidating. Now I need to unpack a few more boxes; but considering that the movers finished unpacking their truck at 4:30 on Friday afternoon, I figure I'm doing very well. I must admit, however, that I did get a lot of help. Among others, my sisters came in from Ottawa to help, as did our good friend Luce.



Today, Sunday, my sisters had to leave early in the morning to make it back for my niece's violin concert. As for myself, I had to get Mathieu to his soccer practice and ensure that he was set for the soccer association's BBQ. I picked Richard up from his friend's and we headed off to St-Lazare for a football game. Back home after that to find Mathieu, register Richard for the soccer house league, detour via Sports Experts to buy some soccer cleats and chin pads and then off again to Mathieu's football practice. I guess I don't need to tell you that I'm exhausted.


The boys seem quite happy about the new home. I might actually have to equip Mathieu with a GPS system so that I can keep track of him. He's making friends fast and furious and is quite enjoying exploring his new neighbourhood. Although he has sent quite a bit of time here as his best friend and Richard's best friend live right around the corner. This could prove to be very interesting.


Unfortunately, I haven't downloaded any photos yet, but I promise to get around to it in the next few days.


Well! That's it for now.


Take good care!


Renée

SOLD / VENDU

Well, it seems all the terms and conditions of the offer have been fulfilled and my house is now sold! As I have already taken possession of my other house (and am renting it to the previous owers), I'm delighted. Now I can go shopping... Well, actually, I should really start packing as we are moving in 8 days! YIKES!!!

Three more days of work and I will be off til school start again. I was just sort of getting back into it and getting my self-confidence back... Oh well! My family needs me and I need them, so that is where I will be.

Mathieu's surgery is scheduled for June 17th, the anniversary of Tony's death. I told Mathieu it was a special day and it meant that Daddy will be there to help him through this. So will I... As promised, I will be sleeping with Mathieu at the hospital. My Mom, family and friends will be holding the fort for me at home.

I'm very lucky to have family and friends that I can rely on. I know Tony has something to do with my good fortune. He is still taking care of us.

Well, that's it for now.

Take good care!

Renée

Photos for your viewing pleasure...

Happy Mothers' Day!

Sorry folks, I haven't uploaded the software for my new camera yet; so no new photos! Maybe Rich will do it for me tomorrow. Well, a belated Happy Mothers' Day to all you wonderful mothers out there. It can be a thankless job at times, but you wouln't give it up for the world, now would you!...

It's been really busy around here these last few weeks. The real estate agent came by last Friday to take photos of the house and put up the "FOR SALE" sign. That's just so weird. It's like watching somebody else's life through invisible glasses. All sorts of weird thing are going on.

As I was getting the lawn ready for photos, I noticed that, somehow, some of the annual flowers I had on the deck the year before had somehow made their way over the fence and seeded themselves next to the side of the house. There I stood, two days before mother's day, staring at beautiful flowers, which I am sure were Tony's mothers'day gift to me. I broke down and cried - and then I made sure that my friend who was mowing the lawn did not mow them down.

I have an appointment with the notary to sign for my new house next Thursday. Our move-in date is June 6th. WOW!

Last week I got a very special call from Tony's friend and boss, Denis. He called to invite the boys to go to Quebec City with him to see the World Cup of Hockey. Just when I was starting to freak out about dealing with the kids for the weekend and handling the renovations and all... It was like a gift from heaven. Also, when Denis talked to me, he mentioned that all the guys - Tony's work colleagues - had talked about our upcoming move and offered to help. Tony always did look after me... I don't know why I thought he would stop now... It's just weird. And, no, I haven't totally lost my mind. Just partially, and temporarily!

The biggest news is that Mathieu's surgery has been scheduled for June 17th. The one year anniversary of Tony's death. Tony will definitely be there with us that day, and I'm sure he'll be keeping our Mathieu safe! Unfortunately, it is also a week befre the end of Mathieu's school year. Hopefully an end-of-year party will make up for the time he will miss in the last week.

Faced with an overflow of emotions, I have had to scale back my work schedule to three days a week until Mat's surgery. I will be off for the summer to be by his side, and look forward to going back to work full time in September.

I hope you're all keeping well. Drop me a line or two. I'd love hear from you.

Take good care!

Renée

Rain, rain, and more rain...

Well folks, I sure hope the weather channel is wrong. They're forecasting rain for the whole week, including Saturday and Sunday. While it is helping the leaves grow and making the scenery a bit more green, it is still quite depressing! I suppose it might make it easier to stay inside and do housework... But, unfortunately, rain usually makes me feel like shopping! Yikes! The house is coming along. I actually visited some open houses this weekend in an effort to compare properties and prices for my own lisiting. I guess all the nice houses sold really quickly, because the ones I saw made my house look like a castle. I guess I shouldn't get overly optimistic though. Wouldn't want to be disappointed.

The moving truck has been reserved, and I've rented a storage space to store my stuff and declutter the house - it's not full yet, but it won't be long. I'm still on 3 days/week at work. I should be up to 4 days/week next week and, if all goes well, I will be full time on May 19th. I'm hoping to get to the gym on Wednesday... I really need to... I haven't been since last week. Working really cuts into your free time!!!

I want to wish my father-in-law and my friend Debra a happy belated birthday! And, my congrats to my baby sister who just bought her first house! We'll be christening a few decks this summer, I guess. I spoke to Joe tonight and Ella is still in Washington doing well and recovering from her surgery. She is making good progress.

Rich and I were discussing the possibility of him going to Belfast this summer. We were looking at flights and dates, and it's a definite possibility. We're still waiting on a date for Mathieu's surgery and I've been researching and talking to doctors in an effort to determine what type of surgery would be best for him. I guess avoiding the issue will not make it go away, so I'll simply have to face it and forge ahead. Tony's going to have to help me with this one.

The boys, my sister Michelle and I went to see the Canadiens play the first match of this second series of the playoffs against the Flyers. It was amazing. It went into overtime and Rich, a fervent Leafs' fan, was actually wearing - for the first time ever - a Canadiens' jersey and a smile. I think Michelle has a photo.

There does not seem to be any rhyme or reason to this blog, but these days, my brain is in constant overdrive and there's not much order to my thought process. I suppose I could reorganize the paragraphs to camoufflage this, but you'll have to forgive me, I'm just too tired.

That's it for now.

Take good care!

Renée

Spring has sprung... and change is in the air

Call it a bold move, maybe done in large part on a gut feeling, nevertheless, I've gone and done it... I bought a house. I visited one house and just had to have it! It is within walking distance of the boys' schools and close to many good friends. It will make life simpler - and it is newly renovated. Only Richard's room will need to be repainted - it's now lime green!

Purchasing that house was the easy part. The difficult part will be leaving the home that we shared with Tony. I try not to think about that too much. The time will come soon enough. I've hired a friend of mine to help freshen up the house so that it is ready for sale. So far, he's redone the ceilings and repainted the walls in the dining room and living room. He's replaced the light fixtures in the kitchen and the dining room. The kitchen is the biggest eye-sore, so I've ordered a new counter and bought tiles for the floor. Hopefully that will help. I'll be replacing the bedroom doors and the light fixture in my room. My room will also be repainted. I've had a homestager come for a consultation. Her recommendations were all things I had already thought of. I have a lot of decluttering to do. YUK!

I get possession of the new house on my birthday. I wanted to ensure that we were moved in before Mathieu's surgery - the date of which has yet to be determined. It'll will be after the school year. So I will be working until the end of the school year and will then be off until September so that I can be there for Mathieu. I am still on a progressive reinstatement program and am working 3 day a week. I should be full time in May.

Well, I should get back to my decluttering... Lots to do.

Take good care everyone.

Renée