I'm Coming Home

Aunt Leah was so kind to make breakfast for everyone this morning. Susanne had been curious about Sweet Potato Pancakes and Leah just so happened to have a recipe for them. She decided to try a recipe from Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook, "Deceptively Delicious". They were suprisingly delicious, especially with a few slices of bacon on the side.

Paxton had an appointment this morning. Aunt Leah and Aunt Kerry were able to sit in on the therapy session. Paxton experienced a little stage fright. He did not do as well as he had the last few times. It did not seem to help that he had a gagging episode right before the therapist arrived. Paxton was becoming a pro at swatting his mother's hands away when she would attempt to work inside his mouth for anything. He had learned to predict her every move. It just did not seem natural to restrain him until he conceded, but that was what was recommended to get him to understand that once he relaxed, it wasn't threatening. After a neverending battle, Susanne suggested that they try a different approach. She was successful with getting him to suckle on his pacifier, but that was about it. He got really worked up and it wasn't worth him burning all of those calories.

Later in the day, Aunt Leah and Aunt Kerry decided to try to encourage Susanne to get some things checked off of her to do list. They went to the grocery store for her after Paxton went down for an afternoon nap. She was able to get a few things done, but the time flew by quickly. The phone calls she had to make always took much longer than she would like. Since most of the phone calls required an exhorbitant amount of patience, she could only handle a few at a time.

For dinner, the girls decided to cook another awesome meal together. They always felt so connected in the kitchen. It brought them back to some of the most memorable times from their childhood. Their motto had always been eat, drink, and be merry. Susanne decided to take on the challenge of grilling for the second night in a row. When she went outside to start the grill, she noticed that the ignitor button came loose. Susanne decided to "phone a friend" to see what to do next. Scott informed her that she would have to turn on the grill, light a match, and stick it into a hole on the side of the grill to get it started. He warned her about the loud burst of sound that would result from this process. Susanne had Kerry stand outside with her for moral support and to be on standby if she needed an ambulance. Luckily, everything turned out fine. The end result was an amazing authentic mexican chicken dish.

They watched a movie as they ate their well deserved dinner. Susanne was notorious for picking out bad movies. She certainly lived up to her name tonight. It was so horrible that by the end of the movie, everyone was up doing their own thing.

Susanne was so excited that Scott was finally moving back home. He had completed his internship. It was weird to think that an entire year had passed them by. Susanne had long awaited his arrival. She couldn't wait for him to actually be home for good. This was a day they had been looking forward to since the day he had left.

When Scott walked through the door, Susanne was shocked to find that Scott was not alone. He had managed to rescue a dog the very night he was leaving Pennsylvania. This would be his fourth rescue of the year. His name was Fluffy Diaz and he was a Schnoodle, which is a mixture of a miniature Schnauzer and miniature Poodle. The cutest thing about Fluffy Diaz was that one ear stood straight up while the other flopped over. The not so cute thing about Fluffy Diaz was that he was still intact and he had fleas. Susanne was going to have to take care of both problems ASAP.

Earlier in the evening, Susanne and her sisters had made Scott some celebratory sugar cookies that had personalized messages engraved in them. She thought that this would be a creative way to welcome him home. She wanted to make sure he knew how proud she was of him and all of his accomplishments. At last, he was a doctor and he deserved recognition. Susanne was so proud of him and how far he had come. Even though it was five years ago when Scott's journey began, it felt like it was just yesterday. Susanne remembered how difficult it was to live without him the first go round, which was during their first year of marriage. Susanne was finishing up veterinary school as he started his graduate program. This past year apart was much more challenging for them both due to the circumstances. They hoped to never have to live apart again. She was glad that it had all finally come to an end and they would be able to start their lives together as a family. This would be the first time since they started dating in 2001 that one of them would not be in school. What would they every do with two incomes...oh yeah, pay off student loans and don't forget Paxton's medical bills.