A not-so-freaky Friday

Hi everyone:

Well, family fun night took a different turn last evening. Instead of following our regular format, in which only our immediate family participates, we invited Alec and Allison (two wonderful kids from our neighborhood) as the kids' guests. We opted for this because PJ wasn't participating and, well, it's Christmas. Next week, Devin and Colin will be here, and we'll settle back into our insular approach.

After a dinner at Olive Garden, we watched Charlotte's Web. Although there really wasn't anything wrong with the movie, both Patty and I were underwhelmed. I suppose the reason may be that we're middle-aged, and the show is geared toward a younger set--it's amazing how quickly cute can erode into saccharin. The children enjoyed the movie, though, so it wasn't a waste. Later in the evening, Patty and I watched Little Miss Sunshine. I was too tired to fully appreciate its many merits, although I'm sure I will enjoy it much more in a second viewing. Patty, on the other hand, was by turns rolling on the floor laughing and bawling like a baby.

Today, we had an appointment with Dr. Costanzo. This visit was about as routine as they get. At some point, Patty will likely be put back on milrinone, and she has been prescribed an as-needed diuretic to combat some mild swelling and breathing issues. Later in the day, we heard back from Edward Hospital, who confirmed that Patty's routine labs came back normal. Overall, Patty seems to be doing well right now, all things considered. We're of course ever aware that this may just be the calm before a whole new variety of storm, but it's nice to hear people commenting as to how healthy Patty looks (she really does.) Please keep your fingers crossed that she'll stay this strong throughout the holidays; I've never seen Patty so excited about Christmas.

Tonight, we're kid-free, so we're settling in with a bunch of television shows, some candles and a fire. Somehow, we have managed to find four programs that we really want to see, all of which overlap at some point. What's really pathetic is how distressed we are about it. To solve the problem, we have considered recording two programs on the DVR on the main floor, and watching the two others upstairs. Pathetic, isn't it?

Love,
Brian