Saturday, February 21, 2009, Nashville, TN., 10:23 a.m., C.S.T.~

Dear Journal~

Howdy!  Louie here; hope this finds y'all in fine fettle!  I am happy to say our family is well; no sickness to be found here (thank goodness!), other than Roberto getting over another sinus infection.  He's feeling a lot better; he's been a pistol the last few days!  Hopefully now that the medicine is working, he'll calm down somewhat.  Seems he's always at his worst when he's sick, the poor dear!

Roberto is sixteen, but he acts more like five or so.  He can't help it:  he has Down syndrome and autistic-like behavioral patterns, plus he has spastic cerebral palsy in his lower limbs.  I need to be patient, loving with him, which I am; however, at times, he makes it hard!

I am writing in here before I get breakfast ready for the troops.  Bill and some of the older children are up; however, most of the others continue to slumber away in their beds.  It's relatively quiet, peaceful, which is a rare commodity around Casa Sandusky.  Might as well enjoy it while it lasts! LOL

Today is a fairly busy day.  Once we get up, we have to stop at the drive-through at CVS pharmacy, pick up some of the children's meds; meant to do that yesterday, but time was severely constrained; things have a way of popping up when you least expect it, and by the time you realize you had something to do, it's too late to get it done.  Arrghhh!!  Very frustrating, that!!

Then, after that, we have to get Johnathon and Ronee' ready for their performance tonight at the Grand Ole Opry.  We have to have them dressed in their stage clothes, get their instruments packed, and get them into the van, and to the Opry house by five; they perform during the seven thirty set with Jimmy C. Newman and "Cajun Country".  They've been practicing hard the last few days, and they really sounded terrific!  I hope they do a great job tonight at the Opry!

We will be right there, in the front row, rootin' for 'em.  It's always a big deal when they sing there; they truly feel like stars, and in my eyes they already are!  :)

Tonight, for their performance, Johnathon is wearing a red-and-blue western shirt with black fringe, black jeans, and blue-and-red boots, topped off with a black cowboy hat. 

Ronee', meanwhile, is wearing a white pantsuit combination with red crawfish emblazoned on the sleeves, front, and pants; the crawfish, in kind, are surrounded by rhinestones.  She will also have on red boots and a red cowboy hat sitting atop her head. 

They will look nice for their Opry performance; I just pray they don't get anything on their outfits while we eat at Appleby's prior to that!   I will be very annoyed if that happens!  LOL

I know the staff at Appleby's won't be very happy with a party of over seventy coming in, but hey, we have to eat sometime while we can!  LOL

I've been working hard at Nashville Mem (Memorial); been working the Medical ICU (MICU) this week.  I'm taking care of a patient who is recovering from nec-fac (necrotizing fasciitis, a nasty bacterial infection that can easily kill; the fact that this woman survived is nothing but a miracle in itself!).  She's still got a very long recovery ahead of her, but we feel she's turned the corner; Dr. Tadashi, her attending physician, says she's probably going to make it.  I pray that holds true !

I've taken care of several patients who had it; out of the 20 or so people who have had it, only about ten have survived; most still face lingering health issues as a direct result of the nec-fac.

I've also been taking care of a woman who was injured in the storms we had earlier this week:  the trailer she was in flipped, flinging her out; it then fell right on top of her.  She suffered a broken back and other injuries as a direct result; she's going to be hurting for a while! 

The weather has turned chilly again:  it seemed we flirted with spring; now it's back to reality:  windy, with temperatures in the forties or fifties, wind chill values in the twenties to thirties.  Brrr!!  I hate cold weather; I can't wait until June, when it will be in the seventies or eighties! 

I 've finally answered my e-mails; i'm just waiting to hear from Sarah and Gayle.  One lives in Iowa (Sarah); the other one lives here in Georgia, in Titusville. 

Sarah's doing great; Gayle, meanwhile, is not.  She still can't get over the death of her baby son, who only lived for three hours.  He had a severe brain malformation called anencephaly; he would never have a viable life.  Just about all babies born with this defect die within a few hours to days or even months after birth; it is one of the most horrific birth defects known to mankind; it's always heartbreaking when dealing with it.

Well, I hear Bill calling.  Guess some of the other kids are awakening from their slumber.  I hear Jodie singing in her off-key way, and I also hear the twins crying; they must either be hungry or in need of a diaper change.  I will write in here again with a full report on the Opry show tonight, and other news!  Until then, take care, and God bless you mightily!  This is Louisiana signing off!

~Love, your friend, Louie.  :D