I would say that all of my Dad's speech difficulties have gone away. His mind is as sharp as ever. Though his right leg improves every day, it is still painful and weak. We have an appointment with his doctor later in the week to get his stitches removed. I hope by then his leg will be considerably stronger, but if not, we'll explore options with the doctor.

My husband and children have arrived! It is wonderful to see them, and wonderful to have their support. My son worked last semester in the physical therapy department at a hospital. He has been invaluable in showing us how to operate the wheelchair and how to get my Dad safely in and out of it.

In addition to their enthusiasm they brought favorite Christmas movies. Tonight we sat around the tree - including my Dad in his wheelchair - and opened presents.

While it was just my Mom, Dad & me in the house, we ate a Type O diet - vegetables and meat. Now that the rest of my family is here, my Mom is bringing out the treats: pizza, fried oysters, cherry pie, cheese cake, turkey & dressing. I said no to pizza, but I ate a ton of oysters. As I did on the cruise, I'm limiting myself to one dessert a day.

We walked two and a quarter miles briskly tonight. I wrapped my husband's leg weights around my wrists to make the walk a little more strenuous. Some of our talk was serious, but most of it was optimistic and cheerful.