Prioritizing and Really Kind Friends

This week has been a good example of having to prioritize.  It's something I haven't known how to do but I've had to learn (at work and at home).

Dad had a hip replacement on Monday at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.  Molly Anne was teething and had a minor fever which she does get with teething sometimes.  I wasn't sure if I should get on the plane Monday morning but I did and knew Kevin could hold down the fort in Charlotte (even though he has no one at his office right now).  Yup, good times.  I was needed in Baltimore more.  And this was the art of tag-teaming like Kevin and I do often.  

So I flew right up there, Ubered right to the hospital and met up with my parents in Pre-Op, suitcase and all ha.  Dad went back about 12:30pm and we saw him in recovery at 4:30pm (actual surgery only took 1.5 hours).  He had just woken up and looked perfectly normal.  Unreal.  He was up in his room by 5pm and out of his bed walking down the hall at 5:45pm.  Can you believe that?

He felt better than he did 6 hours prior!  Crazy.  

Mom and I ended up leaving around 7:30pm after he was settled.  We dumped my bags at the hotel then went to The Boathouse and sat out on the water for a fun dinner.  We toasted Dad's new hip and wished he was with us drinking a gin and tonic!  

Crab cake sandwich.  

Mom and I spent the night in downtown Baltimore near the Inner Harbor.  Basically I was her babysitter for the couple days (!!!!) because remember she just had major neck surgery a few weeks ago.  Yes, my parents are getting old!  Dad had a geriatric doctor come see him the second day so I got a kick out of calling them geriatric parents!  Hey, ya gotta laugh in times like this.

We zipped back over to the hospital via Uber the next morning with all of our luggage in tow (they had parked at the hospital).  Dad was going home!  

We found out that Dad had been up all night strolling through the halls.  Overachiever.  He had a couple physical therapy sessions on Tuesday where he walked up and down two flights up stairs unassisted.  Oh, with no pain medicine the whole time...he only took Tylenol his entire stay.  Unbelievable right.  Plus, you have to know my Dad but NOTHING bothers him.  He's a champ.  He doesn't complain.  He's easy. 

That afternoon we got out of there and I drove them the 2.5 hours home.  Crossing the Choptank River...so pretty.  

We got home and within 10 minutes, two of our neighbors were outside, one with food who carried suitcases in and one demanding to take me to the airport the next morning.  

The entire time I was in Baltimore and back at my parents house, their friends were texting and calling to check in on how he was.  They offered to meet me at home when we arrived to help us in.  Neither of my parents can drive right now.  So they have offered to take them places and doc appointments.  To grocery shop for them.  To pick up food for them.  To bring them dinner.  To come keep them company.  

SO NICE.  

And really, it made me feel a gazillion times better about coming back to Charlotte yesterday.  It meant more to me then any of them know and I cannot thank them enough.  

We had a big talk about asking for help and when people offer to take them up on it.  So I hope my parents will do that.  If they don't, then I'll talk to their friends and ask them to help them.  The joys of living 8 hours away from your "geriatric" parents.  It isn't fun!  

So thank you to Kevin for doing such a good job holding the fort down at our house, at work and everything else.  And thank you to my work friends for being understanding.

I'm back in biz in Charlotte today knowing I can go to the airport and jump on a flight anytime if they really need something and that gives me comfort.  :)