A window to the world

6:00 a.m. has quickly become my favorite time of day, because that's when I get to see my mom and dad's faces and hear their voices.

This morning Dad couldn't come to the phone (or rather, the phone couldn't come to him) right away because he was hanging out with his PT team. He got to stand again and even do a little marching in place, but he still hasn't got to the chair yet. Baby steps.

He also has a lot less stuff attached to him (so maybe he won't turn into a cyborg after all), the most notable of which is that he's off oxygen completely! His lungs have healed! When I commented on this, Dad said, "It's kind of amazing, given where I was last week." Tchah. Understatement of the year, Dad.

And although he was eating tuna bake when I called (and yes, it is apparently exactly as unappetizing as it sounds), he still has to have the feeding tube up his nose because eating alone isn't providing enough calories. It makes him sound like he has a bad cold when he talks--all his Ms come out as Bs, for example, and his Ns are Ds. Other than that, though, his voice has returned to normal, and they're hoping to have him out of CCU and into an oncology ward by this weekend (he's still on dialysis, but you don't need to be in the CCU to do that).

He is LOVING all your newsy emails, and continues to be amazed at the sheer size, dedication, and power of Team Eric. You have become his window to the world, for which he is very grateful. If there's one thing Dr. Eric Wedell can't stand, it's boredom.

Which reminds me: It looks like his Kindle has given up the ghost. And since he loves to read (the book addiction runs in the family), this is not a good development. I plan to order him a new one from Amazon UK. If you'd like to chip in, please private message me--and MUM'S THE WORD! I want this to be a surprise for both him and my mom.

Keep up the fantastic work, Team Eric! We love you!