Hello all of you,
first of all I hope you all had a nice thanksgiving and ate and ate and ate and drank and drank and drank ( that is what Alex says what Thanksgiving is all about 🙂 so we have also tried to do it here last night, however Alex refused to order desert, so that makes me think is it really true – the whole concept of eating till you can not
anymore. Despite everything i do hope that Alex did enjoy it at least a little bit. Going on and on about the thanksgiving, that is probably because there is not much to tell from the hospital and Todd. It was a very tired day, and Todd was asleep almost the whole day, so we did not get much reaction, although every time Alex leaves his bedside (can be for just a moment) he does tend to wake up or at least open his eyes. so I guess he is pretty aware of the things going on around him.. let us see. We are hoping today to see a happier Todd than yesterday. Yuksel.

Yes, as Yuksel just mentioned, Todd lingers at the edge of consciousness, groggy at best. This is alarming, in that it could point to the need for the second shunt without question. Time moves so slow here…. and we are so anxious for Todd to improve for his own sake. Today will be telling, is it merely recovery period from the surgery or does the pressure remain consistent hampering his recovery? Are we moving straight into his next surgery? He was aware enough to hold my hand tighter when I made any motions to leave the bedside at which point he would open his eyes. We stuck by his side the entire afternoon. The doctors performed another lumbar puncture in the early part of the day, and removed quite a bit of additional fluid but the pressure itself was at a good number. He again has brief spells of pain, during these few moments he squeezes my hand so tight it hurts. Normally after a lumbar puncture is performed you see signs of increased awareness. Today this has not been the case. We just wish comfort and forward steps for him, with all our might. This whole situation is much, much bigger than us, and not in our control. This is one of those bloody difficult things that we confront on a daily basis, feeling at times so helpless. I do know that we all together make a difference, bring him comfort, and inspire him to keep on fighting……

Yuksel and I wrapped up the evening with a skype call to the BIG HouSE, There the Kooks had set up an isight (or something of that ilk), the kids front and center, it was so nice to see so many friends in one place. I was definitely choked up and a bit homesick…… and Yuksel got to see and speak to, literally, a few of our friends back home in the states. So Todd, pumpkin pie, fondue and lovely friends………not bad for a day. Todd has his pumpkin pie in the frig…..if he improves he will also enjoy a nice slice. Umm sweet but not tooo.

Love.
T&A

p.s. The “invite” for the blue and green ball is totally amazing! It totally incorporates all that is us and Todd! It is really really great. Super nice job folks. Liisa and I were talking, I can’t believe the event is in a week. I was always so sure we would be home by now……. Maybe not there specifcally but close by, maybe even watching. Liisa and talked about perhaps recording the event and messages, by video or something, so Todd and I can watch it and y’all!