Piece Of Cake

Yesterday was a big day. Definitely a red letter day. After many days of being home-bound the boys convinced Baba on friday that he was ready for the Mahapatra family Movie Night. We went to see Iron Man. It was a really good experience. Many of Suraj & Ravi's friends (the crowd was mostly young kids) came over to shake hands with Sachi and wish him luck. I thought this evening would be the highlight of the week; But on sunday, that is yesterday, we crossed another long awaited milestone that dwarfed the happiness of the movie night.

Ravi's college was honoring the track team with a banquet at the Embassy Suites. Sachi decided we should attend this. We got all dressed up, even Ravi (and I did not have to bribe him). Ravi lettered (which in America means excelled) in track and received the honor along with many others. We were seated at a table with a senior student and his family. The grandfather turned out to be a client of NHI and had been operated for by-pass surgery by Sachi's partner (Dr. Hedderich). They were a friendly group and we were enjoying the evening. The table was laden with all sorts of food; Chicken, pasta in alfredo sauce, breads, desserts and drinks. We were all enjoying the meal. Sachi seemed to be enjoying the conversation. Then unexpectedly he reached over and made a cup of coffee for himself. I stopped eating. He gingerly took one sip, then another. No coughing, no grimace, no choking. We both looked at each other with a pleased smile in our eyes. I wanted to stand up and hand him a certificate of achievement too. He followed the few sips of coffee with a spoon of cheese cake and finished the night with a scoop of mango ice cream at home. Today he stuck to the tube feed though. Tomorrow he is scheduled for the swallow test. I am sure he will do OK on it.

I have been very busy planting the annuals in the front yard. I gave Jyoti and Jeff two pots (pink Petunias and multicolored Gerber daisies) that in a month should be full of flowers. Jeff is the gardner in their house. He is planning some elaborate projects for their landscaping this year. Today it was 81*F. Soon we will be complaining of hot weather. Ravi, due to the athletics practice of many hours everyday, already has a mid-summer's tan. Few more weeks and he will match Barrack Obama, whom he plans to vote to power this election. He is growing a beard for a Mexican festival and has promised to shave on tuesday. He had shaved his head to empathise with Baba. Since Sachi (against all odds) never lost his hair, poor Ravi is waiting for his to grow.

Jyoti and Jeff are coming over for two days tomorrow. Maybe we will be able to celebrate Sachi's re-introduction to food. He is doing quite good with daily activities. I have not heard him complain of exhaustion after bath lately. He has also been paying some bills and sorting out the medical insurance papers. It is nice to have him moving around in the house all day; occasionally we even manage to annoy each other.

We are rejoicing time spent together.

I hope your life is as full as ours seems to be to us. . . . . Ambi.