He's imitating everything these days, from sentences to favorite pastimes. He pulled out a "big book" from the shelf this morning and wanted to read it - Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath
So. About the knitting bag, and what I'm packing in it. We're leaving tomorrow for an east coast extravaganza trip. First we're heading to Florida to see Patrick's family for a few days, then we're flying from there to Philadelphia where we will tour the facilities at the Children's Hospital and meet with the cardiologists and surgeons. From Philly we head home.
While all of the craziness is happening around me, I plan to knit. It keeps me grounded, especially when this mildly introverted homebody is cajoled out of her comfort zone and into the more lively real world. The nice thing about the real world is that there are more people to watch Finn - and that fact, coupled with my very pregnant state - gives me the perfect exuse to put up my feet with a ball of yarn and a few needles. Yes.
And boy, do I have some knitting to do. So much of what happens to Lachlan once he is born is out of my hands, but what remains very clearly (and literally) in my hands is the ability to make things to keep him warm (a necessity for babies with HLHS, whose circulation is compromised.) I have a blanket to finish for him, as well as another pair of booties and some matching Stella Pixie hats. Perhaps I'll start a Yoda Sweater if I get the chance. You see, he needs to have shirts and sweaters that open in the front and leave plenty of room for IVs and tubes - kimono shirts that don't have metal snaps. Miriam, a very generous blog reader, sent along a pair of tie-front shirts from Japan that fit the bill perfectly. Thank you so much, Miriam! I also have these wool ones in mind (especially if I end up short on knitting time for making a sweater.)
In other news, we met the pediatric cardiologist at Duke yesterday who will be Lachlan's go-to-guy here at home. We LOVE him. He's such a great guy (and doctor) and that really puts our minds at ease knowing that Lachlan will be in his care. And guess what? We toured their pediatric cardiology ICU unit, met with the surgeon (who is new to Duke) and found out that he has a very excellent reputation and has survival statistics equal to those boasted by the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. All of this means that we might end up staying at Duke for his care, which is pretty exciting for us because it would be SO convenient. We live so close to Duke that we could walk there if we wanted to (Patrick bikes all the time.) And how much easier would it be on Finn to be on his familiar home turf during all of this? We'll see how our visit to Philly goes, and then we'll be making our decision.
Alrighty then. The knitting bag is packed with supplies for various works-in-progress. Who cares about my actual suitcase. I only have a few items of clothing that fit me nowadays, anyway. I guess I'll throw those blah things in a bag and go to the beach in Florida covered in an oversized sweatshirt and sweatpants. Who cares? As long as I'm knitting.
