Well, so the in-laws left on Monday morning. I was absolutely WHIPPED for the rest of the day. Gretchen came over and helped me tidy up a bit while I vented and bitched nonstop. She is a friend to end all friends... I am SO lucky.
Monday night one of my dearest friends (Denise) was passing through town with her husband and kids, on the way to D.C., so of course I had them stay too. Denise was the first friend I made when we moved back to Michigan in 2000. Her son Brandon was essentially Hannah's little brother -- we met when Hannah was just two, and Brandon 3 months old. He was just shy of four years old when Hannah died, and it hit him very, very hard.
Her daughter Elaina is very close in age to Emily -- we were pregnant together for a while -- and the two of them had a blast. Brandon was great too -- I think on some level it comforts him to be around Emily, because she is a lot like Hannah and he is old enough that he probably has a few memories of Hannah.
Denise is one of the most cherished friends I have. Apart from her trying to turn my kids Canadian (getting them hooked on Mr. Dressup, buying ketchup chips) she was like a mother to them -- still is, except we don't get to see her as often.
So we had a blast Monday night and Tuesday morning, but then Tuesday afternoon we came up to beautiful East Lansing, Michigan, so we could be with my family when my sister had her surgery (to repair the aneurysm).
PROFOUND relief
Anyway, she had the surgery today (well, yesterday -- Friday, August 12). I am not a medical person and know nothing about the procedure they did, but apparently they went in through an artery in her leg, and inserted both a stent (or is it stint?) AND some kind of coil so that it essentially blocked off the segment of vessel that had the aneurysm, and the coil supposedly helps hold the blockers in place. We were all scared shitless, because the surgery is a bit risky, but if she didn't have it, this aneurysm bursting would probably kill her instantly, due to its size. But for now she is out of danger. She has had such a complete shit-fest of a summer. I really hope this is it for her and she can finally get her life back.
I think I was more frightened than I realized -- I just felt drained today after I knew she had come out of the surgery successfully. The idea of losing her was so unthinkable that I really didn't even pay much attention to what was going on -- I simply didn't face it - but the tension was there somehow, because when it was relieved today I felt like a wet rag.
What a long, strange trip it's been
So it's been a long couple of weeks. I haven't had my space to myself, or been in my own space, for close to two weeks. Emily's routine is all fucked up, although she's had a great time with my mom -- I think now that she's out of diapers and more independent, my mom enjoys taking her out places -- they spent eight hours playing at the lake yesterday. But the constant attention and indulgence from the grandparents is taking its toll -- she's gotten quite defiant and occasionally rude (in a testing kind of way) and we are definitely going to have to detox a bit from that when we get home, so that she's back to normal by the time school starts (YAAAY!!!).
In other news...
Well, it looks like we have a settlement deal inked with both insurance companies involved in our accident. Emily will be nicely fixed -- not fabulously wealthy, but college will be covered and she can get a hell of a head start on retirement. I get some too, but could not care less.
Then we have to make a decision about pursuing a product-liability suit with the car manufacturer. I really don't want to do it. Jon would like to do it but I know if I was dead-set against it, categorically refused to do it, he would respect my feelings about it. It's too complicated. I wish I could hash out more about it in here, but I really can't. This is the downside of a blog.
A few other tidbits: I seem to be gaining back a little weight (haven't exercised, and am eating some crap due to stress, boredom, and my mother's culinary incompetence); my roots are grown out about an inch and the rest of my hair is beginning to look like Ted Nugent's; and I am sick and fucking tired of summer.
