2-10-12 #3

Zach and I went to Snip and Clip today where Jessie gave Zach a big boy hair cut.  Jessie and Zach were both great!  Mommie is really excited. 

Who do you think he looks like here?  I honestly can't quite put my finger on it. 
Dad: I don't know but he sure is good looking.  Dashing Zach.

The new Bubble Guppies season has started with a very exciting episode about a rhino.

Zach saying cheese while looking away from the camera. He is so elusive!

2-10-12 #2

Oh hell.

Mom: Oh hell is right.  What a precious kitten.

2-10-12

We love the little kitten that found her way to our door, but Mike and I are leaning toward finding her a good home.  I posted a notice on Facebook.  I may try to find a no-kill shelter if postings don't work. Details to follow.

2-9-10

Zach: I like this couch.
Mike: Me too.
Zach: Me three.

Mom: His conversation has just bloomed. How many 3 year olds say "couch, me three,  or you are sweet".   I asked Zach if he had a dirty diaper, that we needed to change it quickly so his buttsy would not hurt. He replied, " It is good" shaking his head.  

2-6-12

The aide in same day surgery was certified as a paramedic and had worked on life flight helicopters. He is also a funeral director and working on his RN degree.  The nurse had lap band surgery lost a bunch of weight then had bilateral knee replacements and had only been back to work for 2 weeks.  The PACU nurse had been there for 6 years. She loves it. I think I would too.  The guy next door wouldn't keep his oxygen on. Garry! Jeez. The unit coordinator in same day surgery suggested that Mike bring a wheelchair to the room at discharge. This is a GREAT idea because it eliminates need to wait for transport. Martha and Mercy in the short stay unit were so beautiful (Kenyan, I think) and competent.  The rooms are so small that they have a cabinet door one opens and out swings a toilet! Felicia, my night nurse on 51 (not short stay unit, as stay was extended) has the tiniest piercing, the size of a baby tick, but it is a diamond and it is on the right corner of her right lower lip. She is from another country too, but she sort of seems Jamaican or similar. She is older and efficient. She did not screw around with getting everything set up so I could sleep through the night and she always came into the room with a fresh cup of ice water. Kristen, the 51 day nurse, just had a baby 4 months ago. She doesn't have one extra bit of flab anywhere. She has a 7 year old named Zach and a 3 year old too.  Dr. Dunleavy is finishing his residency at KU in about 6 months and then heading to Minneapolis to do a fellowship in sports medicine. He grew up in Waterloo. He also operated until midnight on Saturday night, was in to see me before 10 a.m. on Sunday and on the day of my surgery he did not scrub in to a procedure so he could follow me up to my first room and get my wound vac fixed. The housekeeper got a Kindle Fire for Christmas. She says luuuuuuvs to read. She has everything on it from "Christianity to exotic, you know like bad girl stuff." Her family had a youngster who was the baby, and they nicknamed her Was. I think that is so artful. Nina offered to come get me and take me home, but Mike decided he wanted to help.  He and Zach had to wait for 9 + hours at the hospital with me on Friday. Zach had a BM blowout and the same-day staff went and got him a diaper and wipes from the pediatric unit. Poor Mike, that was a really bad day.

I'm not sure what will happen with my foot.  It seems to be collecting more fluid without the wound vac.

2-4-12

Surgery yesterday- I&D to remove hematoma. Hospital stay x 3 days for wound vac compression. Vac placed over sutured site to provide pressure to stop "diffuse venous oozing."

2-1-12

Sharon Yohn, Barb's mom, composed this letter for a church group in which she is active. What a wonderful family. 

Dearest Anna:                                                                                                                                           

2-1-12

I send you my love on the valentine’s month, February 2012. I miss you often. My faith tells me that you are aware of the comings and goings of the Jones family. Let me touch on a few moments with you.

You and Larry must be very proud of your three sons. Let’s start with Steve. He is doing well in his business in St. Louis. He is a great dad to Kyle who is becoming a wonderful young man. Angi and Steve have matured and deal with matters of Kyle quite well. Steve is a loving man; he really loves to come to Kansas City for celebrations. He treats Bill and I with the utmost respect and love. 

Onward to Mike. Mike is an incredible dad to Zach and he and Andrea are keeping their busy schedules under control. Barb just called to say that she went to Zach’s day-care yesterday to pick up Zach because Mike was stuck in New York unable to come home in a timely manner; Andrea was in the middle of her twelve-hour shift at the KU hospital. Barb told me that Zach was adorable and the boys played together until Andrea could come get him about 9:00pm. Isn’t that wonderful? 

Now what about Warren? Where do I start. Warren is a very excellent father. (That’s three for three!!) He is hard-driving but fair, which is how your sons described Larry. Matt now works full-time at the clinic trying to save funds to move out on his own. Matt is a great kid; I hope you are aware that he is an artist. He started majoring in Art at the community college but now he’s thinking of what to do. He is a very fine bass guitar player; and his hobby of skateboarding is alive and well. He is always very respectful to us and we adore him. Nick is very interesting! His goal on this his second semester of the junior year is to improve his GPA while doing above and beyond the required preparation for baseball at Parkhill. Anna, he wants to go to KSU!!! We all hope he will be enabled to do so. This remains to unfold in the coming months. He is a neat kid and very respectful to us. When I hug him, I sometimes say “Nick, you are awesome!’ and the adorable response is: “So are you, Grammy” in his nice deep voice. I hope you can hear these things. And Cole Riley Jones: well, at age ten, he has our hearts in his hands. He is a very active, charming and engaging young man. When in a family group recently, someone noticed that Cole can and will visit with the youngest to the oldest with ease. His looks reminds me of Larry in the area of his eyes.

Back to Warren. He has three businesses. He is doing well. He is now looking toward the future and is preparing to gradually get out of the businesses-perhaps in the next decade or so. His goal is to be able to spend time with Barb in a warmer climate to help her circulation problems. He mentions you and Larry enough that I know he misses you both. My faith lets me believe that you are aware of his thoughts and dreams. I mention you sometimes just to let Warren know that I, too, remember and miss you.

Barb: I know that you fell in love with Barb as Warren did. Yes, you got yourself a fantastic daughter-in-law. She loved you dearly, also. She is a great mom, wife and daughter to us. We feel totally blessed to have the Barb/Warren Jones family nearby so we can share joys and sorrows together.

I hope that you love this letter. I’ve loved composing it and sharing it with dear friends, as well as with Barb and Warren. It gives me comfort to know that you are aware of us still. 

Sending our love, Sharon and Bill

Anna Corrine Attwater Jones died in 1999 at the age of 61.