Copied this post from a Facebook Note I posted earlier this morning.  Just wanted to get it in this blog for posterity, but please don't read it and get confused because it was written about the events of Saturday night through Sunday morning (should have been posted before Aunt Teri's post on the events of Sunday morning).

I had the pleasure to spend the night with Mom in the ICU last night.  Over all, she is doing as good as can be expected.  At this point today she has received three pints of blood total, but, although there was some concern of internal bleeding, the colon/rectal surgeon who examined her said she looked good.  Last night they were worried about the bladder and her giving her extra fluid to make sure they got the results they were looking for.   Later int he night, her bladder thankfully kicked into gear and is back to doing it's job.  But the extra fluid has gotten to her lungs and caused her some coughing that they are now treating with breathing treatments.  So, slowly but surely, things are improving.  

She slept really well which was great, often dosing off mid-sentence as she tried to entertain me.  The side bonus was that I slept alright too. With the nurse coming in and out all night, it was sleep, but very much like sleep with a newborn, up and down and all hours, and for varying lengths of time.  Still, sleep is good.  My aunt and uncle are there again this morning and are updating that she is still in and out of sleep but still her usual goofy self.  Honestly she is mostly worried about whether anyone else is bored or having a good time (she can't help it; she's a born hostess).  But the doctor finally came in and scolded her that she needed to be thinking about herself, which is good, but I'm sure she probably won't anyway.

I think what we're slowly learning  is that this is a one-day-at-a-time thing and every single one of us is treating this a baby steps on the road to recovery (although we're not being naive about it either).  I am anxious to talk to her doctor again to nail down the lab results from the surgery and get some facts.  But, I also realize that this knowledge would really not change anything in our approach to our visits with Mom.  We are there to help her recover from the surgery no matter what the cancer is called.

We are also getting organized, making a schedule for who will be with her each day.  I'm so thankful for my husband who has agreed to take Isaac home and be a single dad for a week.  He will be dropping off and picking up Isaac from school each day while I stay up here with Abby.  He will also be doing our laundry and planning the meals for my two bachelors this week.  My sister lives up here but since her husband works and she has three kids, it makes sense much of the time for her to watch Abby while I spend time with Mom.  I will spend some time with her girls too while she is at the hospital.  We also have my Dad, my grandma, and my aunt and uncle rotating through the ICU, so we are well-supplied with people who want to be with mom and we will find a way day by day to make sure someone is always there.  And, we also just found out that my dad's brother will be coming for a week this Tuesday to take care of the homefront.  He'll be the grocery-buyer, errand-runner, laundry-washer, and cook here at my folk's house.  This is a big deal to me because it's a lot to juggle without our matriarch, and an extra pair of hands (grown up sized) would be so helpful! 

At this point, I am planning on coming home from Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday afternoon to attend my small group.  I could really use some time with my girls!  And I also could use some more clothes since I initially only packed for a two-day stay.  Then Adel and Isaac will join us again this weekend.  It's all a little overwhelming to think of, so, now that it's written down, I'm going back to one day at a time!