LGR is being very paternal towards his teddy bear (aka Tommy). He makes sure Tommy has enough food and drink, is kept warm, gets medical care (from Dr LGR), gets tucked into bed at night, has friends to play with during the day etc etc. It is very, very sweet and interesting to see how gentle he is when this is all happening.
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Sport. Watched State of Origin last night and enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. It probably helps that the good guys won but the game itself was quite interesting; if not a wee bit underskilled. I think I enjoyed the physicallity of the game - in many ways it was every bit as physical as the Origin games I remember from my much younger days.
And if Steve Menzies is not playing the best footy he has every played then I'm not typing this stuff out. Fantastic footballer and getting better as he gets older.
I've just finished watching the soccer - Australia vs Greece. By the time this is read everyone knows Australia won the game; which is a good effort considering up to 1/3 of the potential run on side was injured. For all that however it was a deadset boring game and I ended up spending most of the second half doing the ironing. I think the sport has got a way to go in Australia - but it's definitely getting there.
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I can now walk without a limp. There is still some pain, my vastus medialis oblongatus has atrophied to a degree that I have trouble comprehending and my Iliotibial Band is quite tight; but the limp is gone. When I concentrate on making it be gone.
I saw the surgeon the other day and he was quite happy with my progress. He said he would expect it to be 6 weeks between operation and running; so I have about 4 weeks to go. He also advised me not to do anything stupid - which I guess means don't run before the knee is ready.
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Monday, May 22, 2006
The Chicken Dance
Hayzey has discovered that she can do the chicken dance, and she does it at the weirdest times. Last week she did whilst eating a chicken McNugget (a nice touch of irony) and apparently also did one for a statue of Ronald McDonald. I personally have seen her do it in the middle of a restaurant full of people.
I've also seen her make train noises while reading Thomas the Tank Engine stories.
Mimicry is also becoming a skill. It is more and more frequent that Hayzey hears someone say a word or a phrase and tries to copy. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't but it's almost always cute.
LGR has discovered the sublime thrill of running - he's nuts for it right now and is particularly fascinated by the idea of racing. I think he likes the idea of being able to run faster than me. For the time being ......
Mrs G is finished her study for a while - all 10 assignments were handed in last week and a massive sense of release ensued. We have about two months before the next bout of study; but the next lot should be a little more sensibly paced.
My knee is getting better. I've been able to work comfortably for a couple of days now but have developed a limp. This is partly habit and partly muscular. I've been using a 'special' straight legged technique to try to get rid of it and this appears to be working.
I'm also allowed back in the pool and can do gentle cycling on an exercise bike. I might be allowed to ride on the road next week but still no sign of running.
I've also seen her make train noises while reading Thomas the Tank Engine stories.
Mimicry is also becoming a skill. It is more and more frequent that Hayzey hears someone say a word or a phrase and tries to copy. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't but it's almost always cute.
LGR has discovered the sublime thrill of running - he's nuts for it right now and is particularly fascinated by the idea of racing. I think he likes the idea of being able to run faster than me. For the time being ......
Mrs G is finished her study for a while - all 10 assignments were handed in last week and a massive sense of release ensued. We have about two months before the next bout of study; but the next lot should be a little more sensibly paced.
My knee is getting better. I've been able to work comfortably for a couple of days now but have developed a limp. This is partly habit and partly muscular. I've been using a 'special' straight legged technique to try to get rid of it and this appears to be working.
I'm also allowed back in the pool and can do gentle cycling on an exercise bike. I might be allowed to ride on the road next week but still no sign of running.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Where Have My Bandages Gone?
As I sit and type I am without bandage, or tape, or anything else on my knee. I finally got to remove the covering over the incisions and was very surprised at the size of them - each of the three is just over 0.5 cm long. I am also quite surprised at the fully revealed size of my patella and it's immediate surrounds, and at the extent of the bruising around my knee.
No bloody wonder it hurt so much!!!
I went back to work and it was ok - as luck would have it we had the fire alarms go off. I work on the 3rd level so was potentially faced with a very painful walk down 4 flights of stairs. I copped a nice break however. I was just getting onto a lift when the alarms sounded so I calmly rode it down to Ground and meandered on out through reception. A big no-no according to evacuation procedures but much better on sore knees.
I also had to a lot of walking between buildings. My knee felt great up to lunch; but after sitting down for 45 minutes it tightened up considerably.
All in all though it held up nicely and, as I keep saying, the recovery is coming along quite nicely.
No bloody wonder it hurt so much!!!
I went back to work and it was ok - as luck would have it we had the fire alarms go off. I work on the 3rd level so was potentially faced with a very painful walk down 4 flights of stairs. I copped a nice break however. I was just getting onto a lift when the alarms sounded so I calmly rode it down to Ground and meandered on out through reception. A big no-no according to evacuation procedures but much better on sore knees.
I also had to a lot of walking between buildings. My knee felt great up to lunch; but after sitting down for 45 minutes it tightened up considerably.
All in all though it held up nicely and, as I keep saying, the recovery is coming along quite nicely.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Surprise Visit
Rumour has it I'm headed back to work tomorrow. I saw the physio today and he requested I have one more day of rest. Maybe it was for the best. I have a sore back, sore left leg and some tightness in my righ calf and ITB - all because I am overcompensating for my less than optimal right knee. I'm quite sure I'll feel worse in 24 hours ....
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We went up the Mountains again yesterday to see our respective Mum's for Mothers Day - but only after we had breakfast. LGR was introduced to croissants (aka Cloud Bread) which he initially claimed to like but ultimately decided he didn't. At least he gave it a go.
The Mountains were quite pleasant, but unfortunately the kids got pretty tired towards the end of it and we ended up making a rushed exit. It was nice to see our Mum's and to spend a bit of time with them.
Apart from the physio not much happened today - Hayzey had a very big sleep, LGR watched some TV through eyes that were more asleep than awake and I alternated icing my knee with trying to help out and playing games on the PC.
And Aunt LJ came around for a visit!! This was a very nice surprise and much appreciated. Hayzey put on quite a show of allround cuteness so from LJ's POV it was probably worth the effort.
---
We went up the Mountains again yesterday to see our respective Mum's for Mothers Day - but only after we had breakfast. LGR was introduced to croissants (aka Cloud Bread) which he initially claimed to like but ultimately decided he didn't. At least he gave it a go.
The Mountains were quite pleasant, but unfortunately the kids got pretty tired towards the end of it and we ended up making a rushed exit. It was nice to see our Mum's and to spend a bit of time with them.
Apart from the physio not much happened today - Hayzey had a very big sleep, LGR watched some TV through eyes that were more asleep than awake and I alternated icing my knee with trying to help out and playing games on the PC.
And Aunt LJ came around for a visit!! This was a very nice surprise and much appreciated. Hayzey put on quite a show of allround cuteness so from LJ's POV it was probably worth the effort.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Cooking
This afternoon LGR and I cooked some food. We started with a cake for Mothers Day, and then progressed to some meatballs. This caused some discussion. Our meatballs contained chicken, and apparently meatballs don't have to any sort of meat in them at all to be called meatballs - they just need to be ball shaped.
Regardless it was all fun. We made some mess and did some mixing, stirring, cutting, cleaning and used exciting tools like knives, electric blenders and food processors. LGR even had a go at putting ingredients in the processor. One thing he did do which surprised was make perfect little ball shapes with the meatball (aka chicken ball) mix. In hindsight this shouldn't have surprised - he's made plenty of biscuits with Mrs G and has many hours experience with Play Doh.
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The knee is coming along nicely now. We did a 2.5 hour stint at the shops today and it held up pretty well - although I did start to slow down a little towards the end. It also survived the marathon cooking/dinner/dishes session this evening. The swelling has decreased a little and there is an increased range of movement. My rehab exercises don't hurt too much any more.
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Just before LGR went to bed this evening he helped me wrap Mrs G's Mothers Day pressies. Sort of. He was in the same room. We decided it would be very nice to hide them under his bed so he could surprise her with them in the morning. This won't work though - while Mrs G was putting him to bed LGR pointed at the presents and said "I can't tell you these are here." I would imagine it was said without the slightest bit of irony ...
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Mrs G did something today which she was very proud of. I can't remember what it was - nothing much really except for a task that we had put off for ages. Hayzey didn't agree; and every time Mrs G started saying how good she was Hayzey interrupted with a distinct, sharp "No!".
In a separate event later on we told Hayzey she was very rough. Suddenly "Rough" became her new word and she started (continued) to charge at us as fast as she could while saying "Rough" in her toughest little voice :-)
Regardless it was all fun. We made some mess and did some mixing, stirring, cutting, cleaning and used exciting tools like knives, electric blenders and food processors. LGR even had a go at putting ingredients in the processor. One thing he did do which surprised was make perfect little ball shapes with the meatball (aka chicken ball) mix. In hindsight this shouldn't have surprised - he's made plenty of biscuits with Mrs G and has many hours experience with Play Doh.
---
The knee is coming along nicely now. We did a 2.5 hour stint at the shops today and it held up pretty well - although I did start to slow down a little towards the end. It also survived the marathon cooking/dinner/dishes session this evening. The swelling has decreased a little and there is an increased range of movement. My rehab exercises don't hurt too much any more.
---
Just before LGR went to bed this evening he helped me wrap Mrs G's Mothers Day pressies. Sort of. He was in the same room. We decided it would be very nice to hide them under his bed so he could surprise her with them in the morning. This won't work though - while Mrs G was putting him to bed LGR pointed at the presents and said "I can't tell you these are here." I would imagine it was said without the slightest bit of irony ...
---
Mrs G did something today which she was very proud of. I can't remember what it was - nothing much really except for a task that we had put off for ages. Hayzey didn't agree; and every time Mrs G started saying how good she was Hayzey interrupted with a distinct, sharp "No!".
In a separate event later on we told Hayzey she was very rough. Suddenly "Rough" became her new word and she started (continued) to charge at us as fast as she could while saying "Rough" in her toughest little voice :-)
Friday, May 12, 2006
Recovery
It's now a touch over 48 hours since my operation and I feel considerably better than I did in my last post.
I ended up going to bed about 10 minutes after my last entry and slept for close to 12 hours. Intermittently. I woke up just about every hour but was always able to get back to sleep.
In the morning I felt quite good and was even finding I could kind of lurch around the place without crutches.
I spent most of the day sitting around either playing games on the PC or watching movies - there wasn't much physical activity and resting was comfortable. Most of the time. I did my exercises and these were extremely uncomfortable.
This morning I had my first post operation physio visit. The massive swathe of bandages has been removed and replaced with some very deliberate stability taping. My knee has more or less stopped bleeding but is very, very swollen and quite unstable. I can still lurch around but am preferring to use crutches to carry some of the weight - it's far more elegant this way.
I've also begun a fairly vigorous icing regime - about 20-30 minutes every 90 minutes. I tried icing yesterday but the bandaging was just too thick to feel any effect.
In summary - it hurts to walk/lurch but general resting is ok. I can think clearly again and am taking lower strength painkillers which also contain an anti-inflammatory.
I think I'm beginning to get better :-)
I ended up going to bed about 10 minutes after my last entry and slept for close to 12 hours. Intermittently. I woke up just about every hour but was always able to get back to sleep.
In the morning I felt quite good and was even finding I could kind of lurch around the place without crutches.
I spent most of the day sitting around either playing games on the PC or watching movies - there wasn't much physical activity and resting was comfortable. Most of the time. I did my exercises and these were extremely uncomfortable.
This morning I had my first post operation physio visit. The massive swathe of bandages has been removed and replaced with some very deliberate stability taping. My knee has more or less stopped bleeding but is very, very swollen and quite unstable. I can still lurch around but am preferring to use crutches to carry some of the weight - it's far more elegant this way.
I've also begun a fairly vigorous icing regime - about 20-30 minutes every 90 minutes. I tried icing yesterday but the bandaging was just too thick to feel any effect.
In summary - it hurts to walk/lurch but general resting is ok. I can think clearly again and am taking lower strength painkillers which also contain an anti-inflammatory.
I think I'm beginning to get better :-)
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Surgery
I had my knee surgery today. Turns out my knee was a bit worse than suspected. I had two separate tears on the same lateral meniscus and required a bit of a clean up on the back of my patella also.
It's the patella bit that's caught up with me - I'm bloody sore over the whole patella and have a series of exercises to do. Only 1 out of the 5 exercises doesn't hurt. I'm on crutches and am taking two lots of painkillers. One of the medications makes me feel nauseous.
I feel quite miserable tonight. Things will get better ....
It's the patella bit that's caught up with me - I'm bloody sore over the whole patella and have a series of exercises to do. Only 1 out of the 5 exercises doesn't hurt. I'm on crutches and am taking two lots of painkillers. One of the medications makes me feel nauseous.
I feel quite miserable tonight. Things will get better ....
Monday, May 08, 2006
A Bit Better
We had a bit of a rough night with Hayzey last night. She kept us up until about 01:00 courtesy of a high temperature and some vomitting. She woke at 04:00 and put herself back to sleep but I didn't have the same luxury. I don't think Mrs G did either.
The temperature broke overnight and was only slightly high when we got her out of bed this morning. Some Panadol (for kids) was given and that's been the last of it. She had a good day at kindy and the teachers seemed quite surprised that I asked if she'd been ok today.
Maybe we'll get some sleep tonight :-)
The temperature broke overnight and was only slightly high when we got her out of bed this morning. Some Panadol (for kids) was given and that's been the last of it. She had a good day at kindy and the teachers seemed quite surprised that I asked if she'd been ok today.
Maybe we'll get some sleep tonight :-)
Sunday, May 07, 2006
An Interesting Weekend
We went to the hospital today. Katoomba Hospital.
The plan was to go up and see Nanna for Mothers Day a week early - because I don't know how my knee will be next weekend nor how well I'll be able to tolerate sitting in a car for extended periods.
The day started well but while I was out getting some lunch with Aunt LJ young Hayzey had a bit of an issue and was crying in pain for about 20 minutes. By the time we had gotten back and it all seemed ok. Not really ...
Towards the end of lunch Hayz started crying, and choking, again. After about 15 minutes she had a terrific spew and showed no signs of the pain subsidising. So Mrs G and I rushed up to the hospital while LGR joyfully volunteered to hang out with Nanna, Aunt LJ and UA for a while.
The only problem was that by the time we got to the hospital Hayzey was no longer crying. After 20 minutes in the waiting room she was running around (in a nappy) and talking to everything she saw. Typical ....
We got home without any issue but just after a bath (and a feed of grapes) the same thing happened - this time without spews. As I type dinner has been eaten and we are waiting to see if there is any post food reaction.
The rest of the weekend was good. Yesterday I took LGR and Hayzey out on separate expeditions while Mrs G stayed home with the sleeping kiddy and did some more study type things. Hayzey helped me get some groceries while LGR came out with me to get some presents for Mothers Day, lunch and a play in a park. Both kids were angels.
Last night we had party number 2. And LGR didn't go to bed until 20:30. This morning he agreed there was too much party and Grandma had to go home :-)
The plan was to go up and see Nanna for Mothers Day a week early - because I don't know how my knee will be next weekend nor how well I'll be able to tolerate sitting in a car for extended periods.
The day started well but while I was out getting some lunch with Aunt LJ young Hayzey had a bit of an issue and was crying in pain for about 20 minutes. By the time we had gotten back and it all seemed ok. Not really ...
Towards the end of lunch Hayz started crying, and choking, again. After about 15 minutes she had a terrific spew and showed no signs of the pain subsidising. So Mrs G and I rushed up to the hospital while LGR joyfully volunteered to hang out with Nanna, Aunt LJ and UA for a while.
The only problem was that by the time we got to the hospital Hayzey was no longer crying. After 20 minutes in the waiting room she was running around (in a nappy) and talking to everything she saw. Typical ....
We got home without any issue but just after a bath (and a feed of grapes) the same thing happened - this time without spews. As I type dinner has been eaten and we are waiting to see if there is any post food reaction.
The rest of the weekend was good. Yesterday I took LGR and Hayzey out on separate expeditions while Mrs G stayed home with the sleeping kiddy and did some more study type things. Hayzey helped me get some groceries while LGR came out with me to get some presents for Mothers Day, lunch and a play in a park. Both kids were angels.
Last night we had party number 2. And LGR didn't go to bed until 20:30. This morning he agreed there was too much party and Grandma had to go home :-)
Friday, May 05, 2006
I Don't Have a Title For This One
It's Friday night and I'm at home watching the footy. Currently Australia lead New Zealand 10-4 (according to Channel 9) and it looks as though it might be a bit of a blowout.
The kids have been very sweet this week. Both are in a nice little groove - LGR for his 'shows' that he constantly wants to put on and Hayzey for her attempts to talk.
LGR currently has shows which pay homage to The Wiggles, Hi-5, trains, church, the beach, barbecues (aka barbies) and probably about 5 other things I don't know about. They all have a central theme which consists of LGR strutting around and proclaiming "Hello everybody. Welcome to the (insert theme) show!"
Hayzey has numerous words. I think I've already written about turtle but tonight I discovered we have also got Dorothy, grandma and something else which has escaped my mind. You have to know what she is saying but everyone starts somewhere.
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Tonight we had a small birthday dinner for Grandma. The kids, and LGR in particular, were quite excited about this. LGR was even more excited because Uncle G was coming along. It was a very nice night - a good bit of chat was had and everyone appeared to have a good time. LGR led the way in singing Happy Birthday and even made the birthday cake :-)
The kids have been very sweet this week. Both are in a nice little groove - LGR for his 'shows' that he constantly wants to put on and Hayzey for her attempts to talk.
LGR currently has shows which pay homage to The Wiggles, Hi-5, trains, church, the beach, barbecues (aka barbies) and probably about 5 other things I don't know about. They all have a central theme which consists of LGR strutting around and proclaiming "Hello everybody. Welcome to the (insert theme) show!"
Hayzey has numerous words. I think I've already written about turtle but tonight I discovered we have also got Dorothy, grandma and something else which has escaped my mind. You have to know what she is saying but everyone starts somewhere.
---
Tonight we had a small birthday dinner for Grandma. The kids, and LGR in particular, were quite excited about this. LGR was even more excited because Uncle G was coming along. It was a very nice night - a good bit of chat was had and everyone appeared to have a good time. LGR led the way in singing Happy Birthday and even made the birthday cake :-)
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Happy Birthday Grandma
It's Grandma Lamb's birthday today. A bit of a milestone birthday.
LGR gave her a call a few minutes back and sang Happy Birthday over the phone. He was quite proud of himself.
Happy birthday Grandma - from all in the Jones clan.
LGR gave her a call a few minutes back and sang Happy Birthday over the phone. He was quite proud of himself.
Happy birthday Grandma - from all in the Jones clan.
Carrot Cake
Over the weekend LGR and I were having a chat about our favourite cakes and I ventured the opinion that I thought carrot cake with lemon icing was quite nice. He didn't look convinced and I thought he paid no more attention to my ramblings.
While out with Mrs G yesterday LGR piped up and suggested they should make a carrot cake for me. When I got home there was a delicious carrot cake sitting on the bench - courtesy of Mrs G and her assistant cakemaker LGR.
Hayzey is closer to talking - last night she was pointing at a cartoon picture of a turtle on Mrs G's shirt and saying over and over "Turtle". She also piped out a few "Quack quack" sounds and the obligatory yes, no and more.
---
Here's a contradiction for you:
Mal Brough believes there should be some sort of siphoning or 'vouchering' of welfare payments because there are parents who can't be trusted to ensure they look after their children.
Tony Abbott believes it is not the governments job to ban junk food advertisting because parents should be trusted to look after their children.
The baby bonus - which I have benefited from but really see as being a waste of government money - is not means tested and can be used to buy whatever people want. Even those irresponsible parents that Mal wants to protect the kids from ....
And these are all policies and/or representations from a single political party.
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Interest rates - I'm quietly concerned they'll go up today. It does seem blackly ironic that the one of the stimuli to increase interest rates is the increased cost of petrol and it's associated flow on effects. Not only do we have the pleasure of paying more for petrol, groceries and anything else that uses petrol as a production or delivery input but we now face the prospect of paying more for our housing to try to curb the inflation that isn't caused by discretionary spending patterns ....
While out with Mrs G yesterday LGR piped up and suggested they should make a carrot cake for me. When I got home there was a delicious carrot cake sitting on the bench - courtesy of Mrs G and her assistant cakemaker LGR.
Hayzey is closer to talking - last night she was pointing at a cartoon picture of a turtle on Mrs G's shirt and saying over and over "Turtle". She also piped out a few "Quack quack" sounds and the obligatory yes, no and more.
---
Here's a contradiction for you:
Mal Brough believes there should be some sort of siphoning or 'vouchering' of welfare payments because there are parents who can't be trusted to ensure they look after their children.
Tony Abbott believes it is not the governments job to ban junk food advertisting because parents should be trusted to look after their children.
The baby bonus - which I have benefited from but really see as being a waste of government money - is not means tested and can be used to buy whatever people want. Even those irresponsible parents that Mal wants to protect the kids from ....
And these are all policies and/or representations from a single political party.
---
Interest rates - I'm quietly concerned they'll go up today. It does seem blackly ironic that the one of the stimuli to increase interest rates is the increased cost of petrol and it's associated flow on effects. Not only do we have the pleasure of paying more for petrol, groceries and anything else that uses petrol as a production or delivery input but we now face the prospect of paying more for our housing to try to curb the inflation that isn't caused by discretionary spending patterns ....
Monday, May 01, 2006
Church
We went to a christening yesterday and LGR has decided Church is cool. He wasn't impressed with the christening itself but found the instruments and microphones used by the church band to be eminently interesting and also thought the stained glass windows were pretty. After we got home he setup a bunch of chairs to be the pews and put on a 'Church Show'.
We also went to a 2 year olds birthday party at McDonalds over the weekend. LGR learnt a valuable life lesson here - if you climb things it is quite possible you will fall off. There was a little 'house' in the play area and LGR got onto the roof. He made sure everyone knew it too. He couldn't get off and ended up falling on the way down. It was a bit amusing and a bit concerning.
Apart from these things the weekend was pretty mellow. We spent a bit of time hanging around home, some time at the aforementioned events and even managed to get the groceries down. It was quite nice to slow down a bit and play some games with the kids. I am pretty sure Hayzey is about to begin saying real words. She gave 'quack' a fair go when she was walking around with a toy duck and also used the word 'kiss' to describe the kisses she was giving her Dorothy the Dinosaur toy.
And she is well aware of what yes and no mean and can apply these words in the most accurate sense. It's very cute to ask her if she wants a drink or some food and getting back either the word 'yes' with a little head nod or 'no' with a shake. It's also not uncommon to hear the word 'more' after she has consumed whatever she has been given.
We also went to a 2 year olds birthday party at McDonalds over the weekend. LGR learnt a valuable life lesson here - if you climb things it is quite possible you will fall off. There was a little 'house' in the play area and LGR got onto the roof. He made sure everyone knew it too. He couldn't get off and ended up falling on the way down. It was a bit amusing and a bit concerning.
Apart from these things the weekend was pretty mellow. We spent a bit of time hanging around home, some time at the aforementioned events and even managed to get the groceries down. It was quite nice to slow down a bit and play some games with the kids. I am pretty sure Hayzey is about to begin saying real words. She gave 'quack' a fair go when she was walking around with a toy duck and also used the word 'kiss' to describe the kisses she was giving her Dorothy the Dinosaur toy.
And she is well aware of what yes and no mean and can apply these words in the most accurate sense. It's very cute to ask her if she wants a drink or some food and getting back either the word 'yes' with a little head nod or 'no' with a shake. It's also not uncommon to hear the word 'more' after she has consumed whatever she has been given.
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