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A very pleasant weekend has come and gone
March 31, 2003 by Adam in Family
A very pleasant weekend has come and gone. Sunday was beautiful, with Sam and I going for a hike at Hendrick's Park. The flowers were in bloom and we ran along the paths like maniacs. Later on, Jamie, Sam, Josh, and I all went to see the Two Towers in the theater. Amazingly, Sam watched the entire thing without any breaks. That's tough even for me at times. Of course he thought it was a great movie and even Jamie seemed to like it.
I'm not sure what the week ahead holds. Hopefully I can package up the taxes and get them out the door. We have a doctor's appointment Wednesday. I'm starting to feel that we're going to be having a baby sooner than we think.
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We got a lot done yesterday
March 30, 2003 by Adam in Family
 We got a lot done yesterday. I woke up, had a short time to myself, then Sam came down at the crack of dawn. We played about until Jamie made us breakfast and I expressed my frustration and the long list of things I had to do. Somehow we managed to wash our cars, do all the laundry, finish our taxes, power wash the driveway, clean my bathroom, mow the lawns, go food shopping, and have Dave, Kirsten, and Josh over for dinner. Whew!
Sam really loved having Josh over again, especially as he'd been gone for a week. Josh is slowly moving into the "I'm too old to play with a four-year-old" phase, but Sam still thinks he's the best cousin ever. Today we're all headed for the Two Towers in the theaters if the weather is marginal as promised. Even Jamie is going, as long as I get her popcorn. Personally I think that she's there for Aragorn.
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It's Saturday morning in the Miller household...
March 29, 2003 by Adam in Family
It's Saturday morning in the Miller household, quiet and peaceful before Jamie and Sam awake. We went over to have dinner with mom and Dick yesterday, who were both looking quite tan from their trip to Belize. They brought back all sorts of goodies, including a t-shirt with a skeletal pirate for me. Sam insisted that I put it on immediately, as well as wear it the next day.
No exciting plans for the weekend. Jamie offered up "washing her car" as a fun-filled family activity, but that seems a bit of a stretch. Perhaps I can get to some of the projects that have been waiting around.
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Jamie passed out this morning while on the ph...
March 26, 2003 by Adam in Family
Jamie passed out this morning while on the phone with Seraph. She started to feel dizzy while sitting at the table and calmly announced that she was going to pass out. The next thing she knew the phone was somewhere under her chair, still connected to a freaked out Seraph. When she relayed the story, I made her promise to call her doctor. It's not that surprising - she has low blood pressure and similar issues when she was pregnant with Sam and earlier with this pregnancy. Still, this is the first time she's lost consciousness, which is not something encouraging.
Dick visited the doctor this morning, getting somewhat good news. He's more comfortable than he was, so hopefully those two days on his back at the hospital have helped. Also, the progression of the cancer isn't as rapid as feared, so it looks like he'll have time to go back to Chicago.
It's been mostly rainy the last couple days, so there's been lots of staying at home and watching movies. Yesterday Jamie called, bored and immobile on a rainy day with a four-year-old. I asked around work for advice and the best answer I got was "rub her feet." So, I went home early and washed her feet and rubbed them. It helped some.
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Mom and Dick return home today, if all is well
March 25, 2003 by Adam in Family
Mom and Dick return home today, if all is well. I've been hearing from Seraph and Sadie, who are also back in their respective abodes.
Jamie's extremely pregnant and still sick, but doing better as each day passes. She discovered Afrin, which is evidently safe for women over 12 weeks pregnant. I think it's the only way she's been able to sleep the last few nights. It was sadly funny trying to watch her eat dinner last night. Her lungs are squished up, so she's not able to breathe well, plus her nose is plugged up. So, she'll take a few deep breaths, eat a small bite, then catch her breath again. Poor woman. I think she's very much looking forward to giving birth and getting her body back.
Sam's the one who's been exceptionally friendly and pleasant the last few days, even with two sick parents. His sense of humor is also top-notch. He was watching Raiders of the Lost Ark and I was trying to explain that one of the characters was an evil archeologist and Sam replied, "I guess that makes him an arche-evil-ologist." Not bad for a four-year-old.
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Another weekend draws to a close
March 24, 2003 by Adam in Family
Another weekend draws to a close. I'm off to work in a few minutes, my stuffy nose not enough to keep me away.
I haven't been able to keep away from news of the war. On a positive note, Salam seems to be posting again, after a two day absence. He's in Bagdad, so that's about as eyewitness as it gets. I've also been reading the agonist daily, and sometimes even opening up a window on my computer with tv and have that going in the background. Crazy times.
Seraph and Robbie are back in the states, with mom and Dick returning Tuesday. I think Sadie's gone back to school, then coming back again. I'm not sure how that's all going to work.
On the homefront, things have been fairly quiet. We did a little gardening yesterday, pulling weeds and generally cleaning up. Jamie and I were still pretty sick, so poor Sam was stuck with boring parents. He's a great kid, though, and kept a stiff upper lip. Last night, I let him read Dr. Seuss's Fox in Socks book, which he was really excited about. We slowly made it through the first few pages, carefully sounding out words. He was so excited, but it was late and the book got increasingly more difficult. Time to get new reading books for Sam.
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Everyone's feeling a bit better today
March 22, 2003 by Adam in Family
Everyone's feeling a bit better today. I think all the headaches are under control and now we're merely stuffed up and tired. Sam and I played a bunch this morning, including some Neverwinter Nights. After lunch, we we hiking out in the woods.
It's been raining off and on the last few days, so everything is really muddy. Sam's latest favorite thing is going off the trails and hiking through the undergrowth. It's a bit crazy, sliding through the mud and climbing over logs and such. Still, he had a good time, though I did make him strip down and put on clean clothes one we got home.
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What a crazy day
March 22, 2003 by Adam in Family
What a crazy day. I'm sick. Really sick. I went to the doctor this morning and remembered the time wrong, so I showed up an hour early, getting increasingly frustrated as the minutes ticked by. After that got straightened out, it wasn't so bad. They gave me a chest x-ray, which I felt was a bit much, but they get a little worried about a recurring cough. Personally, I just think it's a new one. The joys of living with a disease vector named Sam.
I've been spending a lot of time looking at www.agonist.com, which is updated incredibly frequently. The guy takes very short breaks for eating and sleeping, but that's about it.
Jamie's really sick too, sporting a fever at the moment. She went to her baby checkup and all was good, but the doctor said she'd probably be sick for a week like everyone else.
Sam has somehow escaped it all. I picked up three movies at Flicks and Picks, hoping to entertain him for the weekend and Jamie and I blah about. Ah well, now he's calling me, wanting to reinact scenes from the movie. Best wishes to all.
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Here's another link for you:
an Israeli's mo...
March 21, 2003 by Adam in Family
Here's another link for you:
an Israeli's mother's blog
I'm fascinated by Salam from Dear Raed below. This site seems to be getting linked to from all sorts of places, some questioning whether or not he's real. He updated again this morning - worried about the reports of B52 bombers flying towards Iraq.
The general news seems to be a bit one-sided and just plain odd at times. The informal Blogs seem far more interesting to me, though some are way too militaristic for me. I prefer the personal approaches, people reporting what they experience without too much commentary as to right and wrong.
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For those of you who were interested in war n...
March 20, 2003 by Adam in Family
For those of you who were interested in war news, I thought I'd collect some sources that you might not run across otherwise:
dear_raed.blogspot.com, a Bagdad resident's blog
BBC reporters' blog. Interesting stuff.
www.agonist.org, a blog that summarizes news. Updates regularly.
Washington Post
On the home front, I had tea with Jamie this morning. She's got the pregnant woman glow, though getting around is a bit exciting. My cough has returned. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow.
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I misses St
March 18, 2003 by Adam in Family
I misses St. Patrick's day somewhere along the way, completley forgetting to wear green. I had to explain to Sam that my lack of color wasn't an excuse for him to pinch tiny bruises across my body. Work was a bit easier. I explained to a coworker that while I could pinch him for not wearing green, I'd probably be sued for sexual harrassment.
No exciting news other than that. Sam was all smiles and giggles last night for some reason. He was being sweet and funny, which is always nice.
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The weekend is coming to a close
March 17, 2003 by Adam in Family
 The weekend is coming to a close. I'm not quite sure where it all went, though we did accomplish a few things along the way.
Saturday was project day, including replacing the wax rings in two of the upstairs toilets. Any day where I can claim to have siphoned out toilet water is a memorable day for me! Jamie got Sam's new car seat in place and put up a magnetic knife rack. We also climbed over the hill to take care of some things at mom and Dick's house. Later that night, I went to Jason's 30th birthday party.
I brought Sam along, his first surprise party. It was BYOB, which translates in this case to Bring Your Own Baby. Rachel and Gabe were there with their two girls and Caleb and his wife were there with their new baby. All but one of Jason's friends had their offspring in tow. Must be that time in one's life.
Sam and I also played lots of Neverwinter Nights on Saturday, as I was completely sick of Star Wars. He had a great time, fighting off evil goblins with his massive Fighter as I meekly followed around occasionally healing him. I haven't had that much fun playing a computer game in awhile and Sam did surprisingly well.
 Today was more low key, trying to get things done as well as keeping Sam entertained. Sam and I did a really long hike at Hendrick's park while Jamie visited with Angie. We took a few crazy paths through the forest, at one point rappelling down a short cliff using a small tree as an impromptu rope. Sam thought it was the coolest thing ever. At one point, it began to pour down rain and Sam began to sing, "It's raining, it's pouring!" Great fun.
So, at the close of this Sunday, Jamie and I are pretty wiped out. The tax software is twitchy and I'm not sure I did my federal taxes right. Sam's winding down for bedtime. Another work week begins tomorrow. Such are the joys and hardships of life.
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And so another week comes to a close
March 14, 2003 by Adam in Family
And so another week comes to a close. I just noticed that my mom posted from Belize. Gotta love this Internet thingie. Glad they're all doing well.
I'm not sure if we have any big plans for the weekend. I'm hoping to unwind a bit, as the last week has been extraordinarily stressful. I have a birthday party Saturday night which should be fun. Other than that, there are assorted house projects that I'd like to start in on. New wax rings for the toilets. Yippie.
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Just a quick update
March 12, 2003 by Adam in Family
Just a quick update. I visited with Dick this morning and they released him from the hospital around 9 o'clock. He was looking better and seemed fairly comfortable, so it looks like the procedure was a success from that standpoint. They had a doctor's appointment afterwards, so I let him change and shower and my mom picked him up.
A few minutes ago, I got a call from my mom. They're at the doctor's office and he thinks they'll be able to go on their Belize trip. Seraph is taking extraordinary measures to get passports figured out. Mom said they were in Seattle trying to get hers renewed and get a new one for Isabell. Hopefully it call all be straightened out and they can have a good trip.
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For all the things going on, it was actually ...
March 12, 2003 by Adam in Family
For all the things going on, it was actually a fairly quiet day for me yesterday. I ran back and forth to the hospital visiting with Dick and trying to stay on top of work. In many ways, he seemed his normal self. I stopped by a final time before I headed home and he had finished up with his last procedure. Supposedly he gets to go home this morning and I may try to stop by before he's released.
Not much news beyond that. I have a birthday party for a friend that I'm going to on Saturday. Jamie's going to let me be a big person and go without Sam. Jamie is feeling quite pregnant as usual. I was feeling Emma kick up a storm last night.
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Poor Dick spent most of the day flat on his b...
March 11, 2003 by Adam in Family
Poor Dick spent most of the day flat on his back in the hospital, waiting for them to begin their procedure. He and my mom came in at 7:30 to get ready, but they didn't actually start until around four in the afternoon. Seraph, Marsha, and I all wandered in and out of his room, telling old stories and generally making a nusance of ourselves. People at work have been quite understanding and so I spent quite a bit of time running back and forth across the alleyway to see everyone.
The good news is that the procedure seemed to go well and his jaundice should improve. There's a second one tomorrow, so he's staying in the hospital tonight. So far, things seem to be going well. My mom is thinking they can still go to Belize, and head through Chicago to see Dick's family on the way back. They're taking it day by day, though, so we'll see how it goes.
Sadie has arranged to be here for this next term and still graduate in May. Evidently she can use her IB credit and do some project classes to get it all worked out. I think the current thought is to visit Belize with everyone, spend another week or so at school, then return to Eugene.
So, thing seem to be going as best they can. I'll try to keep everyone updated.
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Another fairly full day
March 10, 2003 by Adam in Family
Another fairly full day. After a morning of playing with Sam and hooking up a new exterior light, I headed over to brunch at my mom and Dick's house. The whole crew was there and it was a bit of a madhouse. Sam and Jamie steered clear, going to her brother's so that Sam and Josh could play together. It was nice to get the whole family together. It seemed like we spent huge amounts of time cleaning, cooking, eating, and chasing kids around. All-in-all, a fairly typical Wielesek gathering.
By the time I left, friends were coming in. Steve came to visit and by the time Jamie, Sam and I returned for dinner, he was still there, a number of beer bottles lined up against the wall. We brought over Thai food that was far too good, as well as more of Jamie's crumb cake that I made her promise not to make again. It was another of Jamie's creations that was extremely delicious. By the time we left, Ilona was coming in.
I asked my mom if we were tiring them out, but she assured me that having everyone around helped. Sam especially likes to play with Dick, but I do worry that he exhausts everyone. Heck, Sam exhausts me and I'm supposedly used to him.
Dick's going in for a procedure tomorrow morning that should hopefully make the jaundice better. It's a two-parter, so he may go back later that day or perhaps Tuesday. I'll be going to work as normal, then my mom's supposed to call. I'll let everyone know how it goes.
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Jamie was off at the play today, and is going...
March 09, 2003 by Adam in Family
 Jamie was off at the play today, and is going to a concert with friends tonight. That means that I got to watch Sam for most of the day. This morning we ended up playing quite a bit, with Legos, toys, as well as dancing about for awhile. After lunch we headed over to my mom's house.
Sam spent a huge amount of time entertaining and being entertained by my mom and Dick. Dick was performing chemistry experiments for Sam, doing pH tests of various substances around the house. There was also a lengthy chess game as well as checkers. Sam was having such a good time that he preferred to play with them rather than go to the play.
I talked more with mom about everyone's plans. Dick goes in on Monday for a procedure that should take care of the jaundice. Hopefully that'll make him more comfortable. If it goes well, they're thinking about continuing on their trip to Belize, which leaves Wednesday. If not, they'll stay in Eugene.
We're all hoping for the best, wishing that things go as well as can be.
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Things are very serious with Dick
March 08, 2003 by Adam in Family
Things are very serious with Dick. It turns out that he has a form of cancer that is inoperable and he has only a few weeks to live. It seems so unreal typing those words. He may go back in to the hospital again to have a different procedure done to deal with his jaundice. The trip to Belize is up in the air, and depends in part on when the procedure can be scheduled.
Sam and I are heading over to their house. We've been trying to reach Sadie, but haven't been able to yet. I'll try to update everyone later.
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Okay, I lied about my cough
March 07, 2003 by Adam in Family
Okay, I lied about my cough. It's still annoying me. This morning I coughed up a little blood, so I think I get to go to the doctor today. My guess is that I have a bacterial infection, just like Sam had. I'll probably be popping antibiotics by the end of the day. Yippie.
Yesterday was fairly busy at work, but quiet at home. Sam and I did our usual puttering around. He decided that he wasn't taking a bath, but instead was going "swimming." He put on his swimming suit and made me be the lifeguard.
Sam's also getting quite helpful around the house. He actually got out the vaccuum cleaner from the closet, pushed it into the kitchen, and helped clean up the crumbs from his messy eating. There's hope for that boy yet.
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My cough is slowly getting better, though I'm...
March 06, 2003 by Adam in Family
My cough is slowly getting better, though I'm probably still driving my co-workers nuts with my hacking. Jamie's doing fairly well, though she's still tired most of the time. When I came home from work yesterday, she was crashed out on the couch while Sam and Josh played downstairs.
Sam and I hiked over the hill to visit mom and Dick last night. The adventure over was uneventful, except when Sam's pants fell down while running downhill. Tying drawstrings isn't a skill he has mastered quite yet. Mom and Dick seemed in fairly good spirits, though worried of course. On our way out the door, my mom handed us the book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, which we read to Sam that night.
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I managed to make it through a night without ...
March 05, 2003 by Adam in Family
I managed to make it through a night without cough syrup. I still woke up coughing, but made it back to sleep okay. It's been nice having Sam and Jamie back home again. Jamie seemed really wiped out last night, probably due to being six months pregnant.
I got a call yesterday at work from Sam announcing that his bathroom had flooded. I tried to get more details out of him. When I asked him if it were a "big emergency" or a "little emergency", he picked the little one so I didn't worry too much. He called later to let me know it was okay. Jamie informed me later that he was being overzealous with toilet paper use.
We're all fretting about Dick, hoping he's doing okay.
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I'm back at work, still coughing but hanging ...
March 03, 2003 by Adam in Family
 I'm back at work, still coughing but hanging in there. Jamie called this morning to say hello. It looks like they'll head back home today and the house won't be quite so quiet.
I got a fair amount of work done on Sunday, doing laundry, taxes, and mowing the lawn. I'm not sure I really did my taxes right - it looks like I'll be getting a big return, but I'm not sure I believe it.
I also headed over to celebrate my dad's 60th birthday. It was quite the turnout and I ended up chatting with everyone until late this afternoon. I can't believe how long it's been since I checked in with everyone. Seraph is slowly looking for a new job. Destin is doing very well in school. Jordan's scars are healing up nicely. Isabell has become quite chatty. Ah, the joys of a big family.
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Jamie and Sam made it safe and sound to the c...
March 02, 2003 by Adam in Family
Jamie and Sam made it safe and sound to the coast today. I'm still coughing and trying to take it easy, though I'm not necessarily succeeding. While the two of them were driving west, I did my Costco and food shopping, managing to spend over two hundred dollars. At least we have enough apple sauce and refried beans to last through next winter.
Sam and I spent most of the morning together while Jamie was helping out at the play. It was pretty tough as my throat hurt. I had to periodically go through a self-imposed ten minutes of silence, communicating with Sam through hand gestures and silly expressions. Around eleven we walked down to the preschool and watched the play. I'd rate it as unpretentious though lacking a certain je ne sais quoi. Well, back to folding clothes for me.
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