March 2024.
Mom finished physical therapy after her knee replacement and started to drive again!
Rob was in SSH a few nights for his heart but is doing better 😞
Joe is almost one year post op after his stomach surgery!
Billy is still hanging in there!
We all went out on March 16th for early St Patrick’s Day so Mom could have her corned beef and cabbage!🍀
I feel like we blinked and February was over!
We celebrated Billy’s 56th Birthday !
I celebrated 39 years at my job !
Mom continued with her physical therapy and is doing so well !
I had a long holiday weekend.
We all watched the Super Bowl for the commercials.
Four out of five of us got our taxes done and already got the returns.
I mailed a few Valentines cards.
Started re-watching the TV show Scandal on Hulu.
Thank you February for being kind to us.
Mom is the STAR of January !!!
On January 2 we went to get her staples removed from her left knee. Everyone there said she was doing GREAT!!!
At the end of that week she finished at home physical therapy and she graduated to out-patient physical therapy. She pushes herself and she is 81 years old!! I have been going to every appointment with her in January to make sure she doesn’t overdo it or get hurt! We still have appointments scheduled out until the end of February to help with strength. But she is doing so well !!
On January 30th (the photo above!) we went to her SIX week follow-up appointment with her surgeon! WOW!! She is in the top ten percent (of course!) of recovery/movement/healing ! No surprise there! Mom is one tough lady!
She LOVES her surgeon and he was so kind and funny with her.
Her new knee is looking good too!
We don’t go back to the surgeon again until June.
Other January news:
Billy had his PET scan and I went with him to his Oncologist on Monday January 29 to get the results. No change. No better and no worse. I could tell Billy was nervous because he even let me drive. He has another PET scan / appointment in another few months. It’s hard to think that it’s been two years already. (cancer sucks)
I didn’t work a full week in January using up all my time and helping out with doctor appointments. Went back to the office on 1/31 after not being there since the middle of December. It was very strange being in person again.
Got my taxes done the last week of January. I was the only one that had all the paperwork ready, so I went! Same company did them, but a new/closer location. I know we’ll be going back again to get everyone else done, but I wanted to get mine out of the way!
Everyone says that January drags on, but for me it flew by with all the appointments and craziness going on.
Well we all survived 2023!!
January !
February we celebrated Billy’s Birthday !
March we celebrated St Patrick’s Day!
April We celebrated Mom’s Birthday!
Also in April, Joe had his stomach weight loss surgery!
May had Rob back in the hospital for his leg. 😦
June I went to Maine with Billy!
July I remember being hot and humid.
August back to Maine with Billy !
September Mom got lyme disease 😦
October was Maine with Billy!
October we also celebrated the twins Birthdays!
November was a month to be thankful.
December was Mom’s knee replacement and a very Merry Christmas!
Lots of happy memories to be had this year mixed in with the challenges.
December 2023 !!
Mom had a total knee replacement on December 18. She came home on December 19 and started physical therapy at home on December 20th! She is a rock star !! Then we all got rsv. But she kept on doing her exercises with the physical therapist and on her own!! She is the strongest person I know!!!
I was off from work for SEVENTEEN days and it went by in a flash. It worked out that I had the time off to help out after Mom’s surgery.
December was super busy putting up the tree, the lights and decorating the shed. It really is a cozy feeling to be home with the Christmas lights on or to come home and see the lights on.
We went on so many Christmas light rides through the neighborhoods in our town and Braintree. I love how so many neighborhoods were into the Christmas spirit and even had Santa outside on Saturday nights!
After Thanksgiving and up to right after Christmas I watched THIRTY FOUR Christmas movies!! Some were re-watches but many (like the Hallmark movies) were new to us! I loved them all !
We are all still getting over RSV but otherwise we are hanging in there. Billy goes to his oncologist in January after getting some more PET scans. Praying for good results.
Thank you December 2023 for being very good to us!
Christmas 2023 was much better than I thought it would be !!!
Mom had her knee replaced on 12/18 and luckily came home the next day. She has been doing AWESOME with her knee.
But, of course the twins got sick and had RSV. Mom and me went to urgent care on Christmas Eve morning and we both have RSV. The doctor gave her three prescriptions and nothing for me! UGH!!! This was worse than covid we had in October of 2022. It’s dangerous for Mom since she just had surgery, because of her age and she is wheezing. :(
It’s dangerous too for Billy with his Stage four lung cancer. So we are trying to isolate him and wear masks.
We all rallied for Christmas though! (we are still sick but made the best out of it!)
We started with our stockings ! Always some great chocolate treats in there.
We opened presents for an hour. Everyone was happy with their Christmas loot!!
After breakfast we started making meatballs, Italian sausages and brajolla. A few hours later it was time to start the lasagna.
Everything was so delicious!!!!
After dinner Mom wanted to take a ride to the cemetery. She does so well getting in and out of my jeep so I couldn’t say no, so off we went.
We ended the day by watching The Holiday.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.
It feels like it was just Halloween!!
November was peaceful here.
I was off for Thanksgiving week.
Our Thanksgiving was very nice. Joe’s stuffing is awesome! He did ok this year especially since his stomach surgery. Small portion.
Mom had a few pre-op appointments for her knee replacement in December.
After Thanksgiving we all worked together to put up the outside lights, wreaths in the window and decorate the shed for Christmas! I have to say it looks awesome coming home at night!
October really just flew !
Went to Maine for a few nights with Billy. We got some delicious food, went to our favorite places and even had nice weather for October!
I love how Maine decorates for Fall and Halloween !! So many beautiful displays!!
The rest of October flew by too fast!
It was the twin’s Birthday. We had cake and chinese food!
October 14th was Dad’s 40th anniversary. Forty years. Too sad.
Mom started going to some pre-op appointments for her knee replacement in December. Hope her pain goes away! Fingers crossed!
Joe had his six month follow-up appointment after his stomach surgery and everyone was very happy with how he is doing!!
We had some warmer days at the end of the month that felt like summer!
Can’t believe that tomorrow is November!
September 2023.
Still Summer and then suddenly Fall.
How weird is it that I used my AC more in September than I did in July?!
It feels like September flew by. We had a long labor day weekend.
Billy had his PET scan and oncologist appointment. He doesn’t have to go back until the end of the year!
Mom went to see her surgeon about having her knee replaced. She’s been in pain for awhile, but has been taking care of everyone else first. Fingers crossed all goes well.
Joe is still doing awesome after his stomach surgery!!!
I only read two books in September: One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid and Summer Stage by Meg Mitchell Moore. Loved both of them. It feels like I read less once Summer is over though.
We got the patio decorated for fall after a few garden shop visits. Mums, pumpkins, little scarecrows and indian corn too!
Got my hair colored and fixed, no more greys for awhile !
It’s the last day of August 2023.
Labor Day long Weekend is here!
August was good to us.
Billy went to Maine with me and we had lots of great seafood. He is doing ok and going to his oncologist in September
Mom stayed home and took care of the twins.
Rob is back to work and doing ok.
Joe is down over 100 pounds. He went to his cardiologist and they took him off some of his medications!
A local restaurant is doing $19.99 lobster and lobster rolls so Mom and I went to lunch there on a few summer fridays!
The weather was weird this August. So much rain that the lawns are still green. Didn’t need air conditioning in Maine and have only used it a few days at home. Cool nights are a good thing.
I read four books this month and loved them all !
Vacationlad by Meg Mitchell Moore, Happy Place by Emily Henry, Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune and Friends & Strangers by J.Courtney Sullivan.
Goodbye August 2023, thank you for being kind to all of us !
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