#nelsendays2014 Week 50: hospital visits, birthdays, and Christmas

We had a bit of a scare this week that I am so happy to say ended (or is in the process of ending) well.

On Wednesday, Ryan and I went to visit my uncle in the hospital before he went in for a heart catheterization to check to make sure he didn't have any blockages. A physical he had a few weeks earlier showed that there may be some blockage, so the heart cath was scheduled to make sure everything looked okay. Worst case, the doctors were going to insert a stint and take care of any blockages they discovered.

So Ryan and I thought it would be fun to surprise Uncle Riley before he went in for his procedure, cleared it with my aunt, and brought my mom along for the fun.

Uncle Riley was so excited to see Ryan. It was so sweet!

Three hours after we left, we got a call from my aunt and things were not going well at all. After some pretty serious complications and three separate surgeries, my uncle ended up with 6 stints and and something on one of his arteries to help with the blood flow. He was moved to ICU and the doctor was not sounding very positive about his condition.

But praise the Lord, I am happy to say he is doing SO much better already and has miraculously bounced back much faster than any of us were expecting. Based on the last report, he is going to be released on Sunday!

Looking back at the pictures on my phone after receiving the news that things were not looking good made me step back and appreciate the family and friends that we have, knowing that life can be taken away so quickly. Needless to say, I am so thankful that my uncle is recovering and that we'll get to see him again soon!

Here's a look at the rest of our week:

Day 344: My second day in a row eating at the Nordstom Bistro Cafe. The first day, Ryan and I stumbled upon it on our way to the women's lounge and decided to have a date there after I fed him his meal. And it was so delicious that we went back the next day with Matt and his mom! So since I we ate there twice in two days, I made it one of my favorite finds for December.

Day 345: Celebrating my sweet friend Laura's 30th birthday at the Swan Coach House

Day 346: Getting this buddy out of his crib in the morning is one of my favorite parts to the day :)

Day 347: Celebrating Christmas in Monroe!

Day 348: Ryan was working on making a new friend when he let out his velociraptor squeal and scared poor Henry! I love the look on Ryan's face in the second picture, like "What happened? Did I do something?!" These two are almost exactly one year apart and will have lots of fun play dates in their future!

Day 349: Another one of my favorite parts of the day is the naked walk (on Ryan's end ;)) to the bath every night. We usually let him wiggle on the changing table for a while before we take him into the bathroom and that's where he gives the biggest smiles and squeals and the occasional short-lived laugh. ;)

Day 350: It's so fun to watch Tally and Ryan together now that Ryan recognizes him and reaches for his face. Tally is so sweet with him- always laying by his side, licking his feet (and occasionally his face... but we try to catch him when he does that!), and letting Ryan grab his fur. I can't wait to see them together as Ryan gets older!