Pics from Dad's Birthday

The birthday boy himself- always ready for

a party!!

Dad with his "girls"- Mom, Liz, & Aunt Sue


Dad and Mom with the "60" cake Mom baked for him- chocolate,

with white frosting, as requested. :)
Dad showing off the Iowa Bird House from the

Espinoza family. It will look great hanging

in front of the Michigan stuga.

The sweets table! Chocolate cake, Blueberry pie,

and cupcakes from Sweet Mandy B's!
Up close of the cake- the candles say "Oh No,

The Big 6-0!" You can see we have already been

enjoying the cake.
Balloons and banner behind the bed.





Here are some pictures from the big birthday party yesterday!

These pictures show the room decorations.

To the left, you can see the decorations on his door. The signs say "60.... the party continues." The big 60 at the bottom is a sign-in for all his doctors and nurses to write him a birthday message!

What a Great Birthday!!!

Well everyone, the cards were a hit!!! We are still opening them up and enjoying each and every one! Thank you, thank you, thank you, to all our wonderful friends!!! You mean so much to us.

Bob's room is decorated with a party atmosphere. He has enjoyed family and friends visiting, phone calls, gifts, cake and more good news from his doctors. His trach is out and they are looking for a bed for him at RIC. (Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago) This is just down the street from Northwestern Hospital and Prentice Hospital which means that his wonderful oncologist will be able to check in on him. He has been a fantastic advocate for Bob throughout this entire journey.

It was suggested that we get a flip video camera so Bob can see all of the progress he is making. So, today I recorded him exercising and standing. Bob still doesn't realize how far he has come so this video camera can show him his progress. Great suggestion!

Elizabeth will be posting pictures from the birthday. Bob is looking great!

Speaking is much easier for Bob because today they put a cap on his trach and now he only gets a bit of oxygen through his nose. He sat in a chair most of the day and when his physical therapist came they practiced pushing up from a chair and with her help, standing. This takes a great deal of energy. Bob's feet, ankles and legs are very weak. She gave him a few exercises to practice throughout the day. Bob is very eager to practice so he'll be walking before we know it. She felt he had made great progress since Friday. For supper he ordered meatloaf, mashed potatoes and carrots. Yesterday he thought he needed a few snacks in his room! His appetite has returned!

Tomorrow is the big birthday. Bob got a card from our niece today that he opened and we hung up. I said we wouldn't be able to hang up all of his cards and he said he probably wouldn't get that many! Little does he know! Tonight I wrapped up a box of 67 cards! It will be fun to see his face when he opens up that present. We will enjoy chocolate cake and blueberry pie! Will post some pictures tomorrow night!

Updated Photo!

Mike and I are hanging out with Dad today at Prentice. He had grown quite the mustache so Mike helped him shave it, and afterwards we took a picture of his new look. Starting to look like the same ol' Bob again. :) He can't wait to be able to wear his own clothes!

Spaghetti and Pears for Dinner??!!

Wow, has Bob's appetite improved. Saturday he ate an omelet and blueberry muffin for breakfast, spaghetti, pears and broth for a late lunch and yogurt and cereal to hold him over until Sunday morning! What a way to build up his energy! There is no physical therapy over the weekend but Bob is sitting in a chair, sitting up for meals, and eating meals! He still wants to know what's next and I'm reminding him that practicing the above is his work for the weekend. He wants to be ready for Monday. The doctors are so surprised how Bob is able to speak so clearly over the trach. They are thinking about capping that on Monday so speaking will be even easier for him. Bob continues to amaze everyone!! We know he is God's miracle!

Don't Forget- Birthday Cards for Dad!!!

This is Liz again. Dad's birthday is fast approaching but there still is time to send a card! We would love to collect 60 cards for him to celebrate his 60th birthday. You can mail them to either my mom's address or mine. If you need an address, email me at etespinoza@gmail.com and I will be happy to send it to you!! We know he will be surprised to receive so many cards and well wishes. He has already decided he would like a pie for his birthday dessert!!

When I came to the hospital on Friday, Bob was very tired. They said he had had a good night sleep. It seemed like he was more tired than he had been all week. I think maybe he was just relaxed now that he was over at Prentice. He had cereal for breakfast, soup and jello for lunch, but this time he ate it all and for dinner he ordered a baked potato and soup and jello. Again he eagerly ate the soup and jello but didn't think the potato was so good. By night time he felt that his energy was coming back.

Physical therapy worked with Bob. He already new the therapists from when he had been at Prentice and they were thrilled to be helping him again. They were impressed that he already could sit at the edge of his bed on his own. So now it was time to try and stand up. Bob did well, but he realized it was a lot harder than he thought. In fact, it really was a BIG deal!! Two times they helped him stand by putting a belt around his middle and then he pivoted his feet to a near by chair. This was a lot of work! He was able to sit in the chair for four hours which was fantastic! He thought it was really comfortable and a great way to spend the day. PROGRESS!!

When I left last night Bob was completing another breathing treatment. Everyone can't believe how well he is doing. These therapists also saw him in the ICU! Bob is able to speak a little over the trach so communication is much easier. He told me he had had a great day. He also said, "When it is easier to speak, I've got a story to tell you!" I'll keep you posted!!!!

Big Day!

Bob passed the swallowing test and was transferred out of ICU. Five weeks to the day! This certainly was progress and he was satisfied! Hopefully he will be able to sleep better tonight. He is back on the 15th floor of Prentice Hospital, across the street from Northwestern Memorial Hospital. His lungs had improved with the treatments yesterday so they continued with a few more today and again tomorrow. You should have seen how excited he was when he was able to drink some water! For dinner he ate a few spoonfuls of chicken broth, a little red jello (Bob never liked plain jello but it became a favorite when he was there for the transplant) and a teaspoon of chocolate pudding. This was really his first meal in six weeks! You can only imagine how much weight he has lost. Boy will he enjoy those chocolate shakes! I heard about a place close to the hospital that is suppose to have the best shakes. That might be a fun birthday treat. Tomorrow he is eager to get going with the physical therapy. A new day, so much to be thankful forl