Fathers, Grandfathers and Fun

I know, I know... I was supposed to blog on Sunday, and I know I promised to be better. I would like to blame my not doing this sooner on my final this last week, but I know I could have found the time. It has been a great 12 days since my last post, and a lot has happened. Last Saturday night, Emily's father came to visit us. Now, I say he came to visit us, but we all know who he came to visit... Himaya (thought I would spell it out for any slow readers). It is always great to have family visit, and it was particularly great to introduce Bob to his newest granddaughter. She had him wrapped around her tiny finger almost as fast as she had me. While here, we experienced the farmers market, one of the best BBQ places in the country (according to The Complete Idiot's Guide to Grilling) and many other places. Bob taught us a fun card game, and though I won 2 of the 3 games, he won the last one "for all the glory".

Bob's timing couldn't have been better for Himaya. In the week preceding his arrival, Maya started sleeping 6-7 hours at a stretch (about freekin time), she also started to goo and ga a lot. There were still a few times when she was really unhappy, and required a lot of bouncing; so Bob made us take him to Toys R Us where he bought a swing to placate Himaya. So, I want to take the time to thank Bob for coming to visit, for the food, the advice and the swing.

Father's Day: I had experienced 25 Father's days before this year, but this one was really special (being my first as a father). Emily and Himaya got me a matching shirt and hat, identifying me as family property 24/7/365; they gave me a new wallet; and an apron. For those who don't know, I love to cook, so Em thought that would be a great thing to get me. I have always wanted to get to the "family man" part of life, and I have to say that it is better than I had ever thought it would be.

Other things going on around here: As mentioned earlier, I had some finals this week for upper-extremity orthotics (bracing). Rather than taking arm orthotics and prosthetic concurrently, we had 6 weeks of one class (24 class hours per week) and next week we start 6 weeks of arm prosthetics (same 24 hours per week). I have to say, I really liked upper-extremity orthotics... the different orthoses (braces) we made were fun and interesting; and Mike is a great teacher, which helps a lot. The first year here flew by so fast my head almost spun, and the first 6 weeks into my 2nd year only seem to be picking up speed. We will be closer to home again in no time. Speaking of "closer to home", Emily will be making an impromptu visit to Wyoming and Utah late Jul through early Aug, so hopefully you will get to see Himaya while she is there. Alright...Maya is finally asleep, so I am going to post this so we can both get some sleep. Thanks for stopping by, and I hope things are well with you and your families.

Branch