:: The Car Lot ::

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

I have a wonderful wife & twin boys. Things were never clear for me. Confused & wide-eyed for most of my life. I always knew the destination but never how to get there.
On February 16, 2007 all that changed. As Hunter lay in his incubator slowly learning how strong he had to be just to breathe, I was doing the same. Dayday was alright, although he too was on a continuous infusion pump, receiving fluids, antibiotics, & glucose. We thought we had done everything right. All we could do was pray.
Today Hunter & Holiday are a year & seven months old. Hunter kisses anyone who scolds him, lets out a joyous yelp, then claps his hands ecstatic. Dayday started swinging a sand wedge with two hands this week.
We do our best to take care of them, provide, plan. It's about them now. Your every smile hanging on the little boy things that they do. Hunter apparently always in a hurry & busy as can be. Dayday with his funny faces, tilting his head to the right & giving you his best boy-next-door smile, or blessing then giving you his "maligno" stare down. Your heart jumping everytime they fall or stand precariously on the edge of the bed or over a flight of stairs, toy in one hand.
I hope the direction I'm leading them in is the right one. I pray for their health & that if any sacrifices have to be made they'll be made by me. The roads in Kokopo are rough, rugged, & dusty, but it's the path I chose & even though things aren't ideal at the moment they are looking up. Flowers bloom where they are planted.
I still don't know what it takes to be a good husband & father. All I know is that you love your wife & your kids as much as you can. And spoil them as much as you can.

Dr. Jayson Arellano Left the Car Lot @ 6:29 PM 0 Honks

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Tuesday, September 04, 2007

It's taking a while, but all in God's time. Leslie was finally cleared for surgery. She had her gall bladder successfully removed & she is doing well. What we thought was a simple case of gastric or duodenal ulcers turned out to be a case of multiple gallstones, caused most probably by her recent pregnancy. A not so routine ultrasound revealed gallstones, & prior to her surgery a not so routine liver enzyme analysis revealed severe hepatic inflammation. Our doctors have not yet decided whether it was drug-induced or an extension of her inflamed gall bladder. The good thing about the liver is that it has a great capacity to heal itself. All's well that ends well. It has been a difficult past couple of months, taking care of my 3 babies. I have tried the best I can, but I am only human. Our baby sitter has been a God-send & my sister & Leslie's cousins have helped out more than I can thank them. A few minutes to just lie down, check my mail, or play a video game undisturbed goes a long way. This week our visa may come out & with everyone staying healthy it may finally be time to go. I'm glad things have fallen into their proper places, I even got to attend my best friend's wedding. It finally feels like things are going our way.

Dr. Jayson Arellano Left the Car Lot @ 6:54 PM 0 Honks

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Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Today my babies are 2 months and a day old. They got their immunizations yesterday and their mum was crying during their routine physical, even before the needles had been brought out. Hunter is 9 lbs 14 ounces and Holiday is 9 lbs 4 ounces. Hunter's stint in the Neonatal ICU feels like a distant bad dream. I have so much to think about, to worry about, to plan for. But I am glad that these are the bumps in my road. I thank Him everytime I remember how good He's been to us. The past 2 months have been filled with my greatest fears, but I have also experienced my greatest joys. I know it only gets harder from here, but I also know that it gets even better. Thank you to all our friends and relatives who visited us in the hospital and at home. I know I cannot repay the strength and prayers that you have given my boys, Leslie, & I. I can only promise that I will do no less for you and know that you are loved, cherished, & remembered by this family. Their baptism is on the 22nd of April at the Church of the Heart of Jesus & Mary on West Triangle. Once again thank you for all your whispered prayers, we heard them all, loud & clear.

Dr. Jayson Arellano Left the Car Lot @ 8:53 AM 1 Honks

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Monday, January 08, 2007

Curtains
2 weeks to go and I will be back in Manila where my babies are. I'm glad nothing exciting happened while I was away. And I hope nothing happens while I'm there. My task is almost complete. Until the registration is with us though its hard to be complacent, but I'm pretty confident we won't be found lacking. My dad and Bruno and his workers have done a great job. Better than I expected. My Mum and Ka Odeng and her taylors have done more than their fair share. It's amazing what curtains can do. Back home Joey and Flor And Assmucker have been so helpful and supportive, negating some of the effects of me leaving. And I know Leslie's Mum and Dad are doing what they do best, taking care of their little girl. I'm just glad its something I won't regret doing. I haven't done as well as I hoped, but that's to be expected. I'm just grateful I didn't lose anything I already had. I can't wait to be back, because the celebrations and tragedies will bring out the important people in your life, but it's the life in-between that you will always cherish and remember. The quiet moments, the mundane, when there's nothing to do. The space between.

Dr. Jayson Arellano Left the Car Lot @ 9:39 PM 0 Honks

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Saturday, December 23, 2006

Ho! Ho! Ho!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Drive safely you bastards! Ho! Ho! Ho!

Dr. Jayson Arellano Left the Car Lot @ 10:04 PM 0 Honks

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Friday, December 01, 2006

Background.
Leslie's doing great and so are the boys. I worry sometimes that I left her all alone, but I know I left her in good hands. People who I trust and who love her. And I have my boys to pick her up when she's blue. The paperwork for the clinic isn't going as perfectly as I hoped but we've found ways around it. There will always be problems, fortunately there will also always be solutions. I'm glad we've found most of our solutions, and those we haven't managed to find, we've managed to laugh ourselves out of. The clinics nearing completion, its made out of scrap lumber and hardware on sale. I couldn't be anymore proud. Our lives have always been without shine or luster, and looking back, it was alright. I look forward to my 2 superstar sons and their superstar mom, and probably their superstar lolos and lolas. And I will be content just watching them all grow from the sidelines.

Dr. Jayson Arellano Left the Car Lot @ 7:22 PM 0 Honks

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Friday, October 13, 2006

xy2
We had our regular ultrasound the other day, and it still amazes me that I feel nothing but elation when I see those two images on the screen. A is breech while B is transverse. A is always moving around, actively kicking or waving his arms. Maybe trying to wake up his sleepy brother. Our sonologist won't sign it off yet but it looks like two boys, she said 60% probability. Leslie heard her saying to her resident that it looks to be both xy's. Just trying to be safe I guess. Deep down I just hope they're healthy and grow up to be big and strong. But I can't deny that boys would be a bonus. Most dads would love a son as their first born, including me. I guess our luck may be changing and God gave us two. I'll be leaving soon but I hope to be back even sooner. I pray everything goes well with our clinic in Kokopo and that its finally approved. Mouths to feed. We went to the embassy the other day and things went off without a hitch. Come back after 3 working days to get your visa. Our luck may finally be changing or our patience and perseverance may be paying off. Either way we are grateful.

Dr. Jayson Arellano Left the Car Lot @ 10:24 AM 0 Honks

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