Friday, March 30, 2012

Therapy Baby

My sister, Waylon and I headed down to Missouri for an impromptu trip this week because my dad was in the hospital.  He recently started kidney dialysis, and overall things are not going well.  Now he has moved to a skilled nursing facility but could still use your prayers.

Kudos to Waylon for being the most easy-going baby traveler a girl could hope for.  Faces of patients and staff alike lit up every time I brought him to the hospital.  There is no maternity ward there, so I guess they don't see babies too often.  I kept joking that instead of a therapy dog, he should be the resident therapy baby, brought around from room to room to lift everyone's spirits.  I hope he lifted his Pop Pop's spirits anyway.

I plan to continue posting here, catching up on old stuff and ignoring present family health problems, if for no other reason than to cheer up my mom when she gets home and turns on her computer.

We passed mile after mile of beautiful purple clover fields on the way down. I'm sure losing my life while my sister abruptly jerked the van over to the side of the road and had me pop out of the sunroof to snap this photo would have been worth it, right?
IMG_0329

Here's Waylon in his Cardinals gear, worn especially for my dad, enjoying some play time on the hospital floor with Nana. That's the great thing about babies; they have no idea.
IMG_0333

First Shakespeare's trip!
IMG_0334
(Oh, and you can catch a glimpse of my recently-dyed-brown hair here.)

IMG_0335

The creepy doll we left behind in my mom's bed to give her a laugh/freak her out.
IMG_0337

IMG_0338


Wow, Waylon even still looked pretty cute and cooperative after hanging out in a Denny's parking lot in Springfield, IL for an hour while we pulled off the road for good cell reception to talk to the health insurance company.  What a trooper. 
Denny's

I do have some good ones of Waylon and my dad, but for now I'm keeping them to myself. 

8 comments:

Beth said...

The clover field photo was not nearly as life-endangering as you portray it to be! Just because we were on the 18 inch shoulder of a two lane highway in northeast Missouri with cars zooming past us in both directions. You're still glad you got the shot, right?? And kudos to your sister and her iPhone for the adorable baby photos ;-)

Susan said...

Great photos of Waylon! So cute. Glad you all were able to get to CoMo to cheer up your dad (and mom, too!).

Sarah said...

Aw Kate, that sounds so sad and crazy at the same time. I'm glad Waylon was a good traveler. Hopefully you got some good family time in with all the craziness. We'll be praying for you guys!

TomT said...

Prayers to Pop Pop. I'm sure he and your mom were so glad for your visit, especially with little Waylon.

jessica said...

Love Waylon's little belly in that green shirt. I can see how he could make anyone feel better.

Ann Price said...

Kate, sorry to hear about your dad's health troubles. I'll be praying for some relief and healing. Nothing like traveling in a crisis to make you appreciate the small things in life. Love the flowers! And yes, Waylon is an awesome therapy baby.

katandkarl said...

Man, Waylon is adorable. Will be thinking about your family. Sorry to hear.

katandkarl said...

Also, we have that exact Cards onsie. Hopefully Opening Day will do some distracting!