CHRONICLES OF ISLA - Those water wings look suspicious to me

I love looking through the fence in our complex at the pool inside. I keep chanting, "water, water" in the hopes Mommy and Daddy will take me inside. They did take me in one pool when visiting someone in the country for a few minutes before the skies opened up and lightning and thunder started crashing down.

Mommy tried to put water wings on me before I went in, but I was not taken in. She tried to pass them off as some helpful flotation device, but I know better. I recognize blood pressure cuffs when I see a set and I was not fooled. I screamed bloody murder, kicked and thrashed. There was no way I'd let them put those cuffs even one inch over my wrists. Mommy will have to get a life jacket for me instead. I am triumphant.

Life's Little Instruction Book - Tip #424 of 511

Sign and carry your organ donor card.

Incidentally, I finally got an 'invitation' from OHIP to get a photo card. I've had that old red and white card for donkeys' years. It has become so old and ratty, I have to point out where the version code is because it's right under some yucky plastic covering that has now curled up and is peeled back.

So I went in to get my card renewed. I was asked if I intended to donate my organs, and of course I replied 'yes'. For those of you who don't know, I've always signed my organ donor card, but am especially conscious of how important this is since my sister had a kidney transplant about 5 years ago now.

But short story long, I digress. When don't I digress? I never, ever have a short story! At any rate, I was really pleased to find out that if you wish to donate any or all of your organs, that information is placed right on the back of your card, which is so very important. Time is of the essence and lots of viable organs are lost due to hospital staff trying to verify what the person's wishes were.

Soooo, sing, er, sign and carry your donor card. Just do it!

CHRONICLES OF ISLA - no VCUG, Track Star & Alphabet Soup

Hiiiiii!!!!!!!
I love going outside. I don't walk, I run everywhere. I run across the soccer field, I run down the laneway at home, and I run AWAY from Mommy and Daddy when we're out and it's time to go home!

Mommy asked the kidney specialist if I really had to have a VCUG - an ugly test that made me scream last year; it tests to see if I have any renal reflux (urine going backwards into the kidney; risk of infection, damage and shut down) left. The doctor said that he was okay with not making me have one in the fall. He would do an ultrasound instead. But he reserved the right to change his mind when that test comes back. My reflux was really mild, so Mommy and Daddy are hoping it has gone away and at long last, my antibiotics can be stopped. I've been on them for one year now. I don't mind my medicine... it tastes like mango!

Today, Mommy and I were playing with one of my spelling toys. I picked up the following letters, and one after another named it without being prompted: D, J, M, P. I didn't say the I or the O today, but I've been identifying them as, I for Isla and O for Oval for months now.

Lately, I've been breaking into song, singing songs Mommy has taught me: "Let's Go Fly a Kite" (from Mary Poppins), The Big Ship Sails on the Alley-Alley-O (from a book Frances gave me), "Rainbow so high" (part of the lyrics from a dance song on the radio I love), the alphabet song, and more that I don't remember right now. The other day, I really startled Mommy because I started singing a song that she made up when I was in NICU. Whenever she sang it, I settled down. After I came out of hospital, but had to go back for check ups, Mommy sang it to me a couple times after an upsetting needle, blood pressure test or something else unpleasant. In the 2 years since I came home from hospital, she has sung it less than 10 times and only about 3 times in the past year. Mommy couldn't believe her ears when she heard me singing her funny song.

Well I better go before Mommy finds me using her computer. She gets really crusty when I try to play with her computer. In fact, she usually has the keyboard locked so I can't delete any more documents or send off interesting emails, but I lucked out tonight. Toodle-oo!!!