Give the Chain a Tug

Tamara dashed over after work today to meet her new sister. In no time at all, they became fast friends. It is hard not to fall for this lovable, hairy creature. She smothers everyone she meets with love and affection.

Gilly walked her by himself last night and he held the leash on his own today on a few occasions. He declared himself ready and able to handle her independently. However, the last trip around the block this afternoon was a bit tense. She heard some birds and dashed into the bushes to investigate. Tamara was there at the time, and worried about Gilly falling. He himself admitted that she pulls just a bit too hard at times. We'll have to see how things go. I am anxious for the ground to thaw so Yaron can build a fence to allow her to roam freely around the backyard during the day. Gilly plans to help with the construction.

Lila (I think the kids have decided to shorten her name) is an amazing dog; so gentle. I stop to pet her whenever we cross paths, and even call her over now and again for a cuddle. Did I say that? Randee can attest to this. I wouldn't have believed it myself.

Our new dog is a symbol for hope and comfort. She stimulates Gilly's natural motivation to "give the chain a tug." [This expression stems from a story told by Richard Lavoie at a workshop on Learning Disabilities. I wrote an article about it for the LDAQ newsletter. I quote myself here to explain the expression: He emphasized that children who feel helpless need to be encouraged to “give the chain a tug” (a metaphor related to a story he told to illustrate how ‘learned helplessness’ develops: An elephant as a baby is tied to a post in the zoo, and tugs and tugs to free himself. Eventually the elephant stops: The situation is perceived as hopeless. Even as a full grown elephant, who could easily break free, he walk circles around it, not attempting to use his ample strength to pull it out). ]

She sticks to Gilly like glue, and he is truly in his glory. As Noam says, "Now this is a real dog."

We received a call from the MNI today, and an appointment to see Dr. Kavan, the radio-oncologist who works with Dr. Souhami has been arranged for Wednesday. This will follow tomorrow's appointment with the radio-oncologist at the Jewish. Then I guess we'll compare notes.

I plan to call Dr. Wise's office first thing in the mnorning to try to arrange for him to see about prisms for Gilly's glasses. I left a message already, but it doesn't hurt to call. Anything we can do to improve Gilly's eyesight is well worth pursuing; it's amazing how much of daily life depends on sight.

Our family physician, Dr. Amdursky returned today and called to get the scoop; I called the day the shunt was to be installed, and then he left town for a few weeks vacation. I filled him in, concluding with the information from the Tropical Disease specialist on Vitamin B12 and Folate deficiencies. He suggested that Gilly come in and get an injection rather than take a pill by mouth everyday. We will follow up on this as soon as possible.

Man and dog have settled down for a snooze. Our bellies are full of delicious offerings (thanks to so many who feel the need to feed us; I'm not sure which is more full; our hearts or our freezer!) A demain.