April 2, 2006 - Early Morning

We have a picture of Mandy with Frank a few weeks ago in her kitchen. We also have the following excerpt from Christine's summary of her day with Mandy on Thursday. "Today we had an appointment with the cardiologist, which took the place of most therapy, unfortunately. We waited quite a while to be seen by the doctor, you know, in the back room (aka, second waiting area). Mandy & I went to the restroom. She said, "I figure if we left the room, the doctor would probably show up." The good news is, her heart is fine & doc doesn't need to see her for a year." [Blogger note: For those who don't know, Amanda has always had a heart murmur that requires monitoring. This is not a new complication; it's just her normal annual check-up.]

"We were late getting back to CNS for lunch, but Gene waited for us there. Sarah grabbed Mandy as soon as she finished eating & had her "walking" very well! She was so busy listening to Gene talking about old times & silly things she has done, I think she forgot about the pain! When we got back to the apartment, the 4 of us played UNO again, including Amy, Mandy's roommate. Mandy won most of the games & took great pleasure in making Gene "pick 2" or "pick 4".

And then! For the first time since October 2005, Kurt & Amanda, Gene & I, had dinner together! We went to Chili's, of course! Our thinking was that it would be a familiar place, and very "normal" to Mandy. Kurt showed Mandy a picture of a big chocolate dessert that he was considering. While us girls were away in the bathroom, Kurt ordered it. He informed her when we got back, and she smiled really big & asked "the chocolate one?" Her expression was priceless & so adorable. She was so happy about the dessert! While Kurt & I were putting the wheelchair & other things in the back of his car, Gene & Mandy were already inside talking. Mandy said "Thank you for dinner. It was f&#$%ing amazing!"