I have family coming to visit me today. They're flying in from another state and staying for six days. I'm going to pick them up at the airport in about 2 hours. I have mixed feelings about this visit.

I'll bet you're wondering why I'm showing a picture of an amputee in physical therapy? Well, my dad is an amputee, as of last January. He had a series of strokes that landed him in ICU on a venilator and ultimately resulted in having to have a leg amputated. We honestly didn't think he'd survive and I flew back home with Snuggle Bug, who was less than a month old, fearing that my dad wouldn't live long enough to meet him!

This is part of my stress with the upcoming family visit. At first, it was going to be just my younger sister and her 2 year old son. I was excited about that! I have a guest room and they would've had some privacy. They could join Oronzo and Snuggle Bug for all their baby activities on the days that I have to work. I was looking forward to watching Snuggle Bug play with his cousin (only 8 months older) and to having some girl time with my sister after we got the boys to bed.

Then, my sister called and asked if our dad could join her for the visit as well. My dad and I aren't close. We don't see eye to eye on a lot of things. He had a mean streak as we kids grew up. He chain smokes (I hate it). He and my mom are in the process of divorcing and I'm not pleased with how things are being handled. So, as you can tell, there's a lot of baggage associated with my dad. Still, I do love him and I didn't have the heart to say no, especially when my sister (and later my dad) tells me how he'd really appreciate a break from his life. So, I say, "Sure. He can come too."

Now, I'm stressing. I only have one spare room with a spare bed and logic dictates that my dad should have it. I can't very well ask an amputee to sleep on an air mattress or the couch, now can I? So, now I have to figure out where to put my sister and her 2 year old son, without giving her our bedroom or displacing Snuggle Bug from his crib. Oronzo insists that we do not get turned out of our beds if we're having family staying. I can't put them in the office because Oronzo works from home in the evenings. I guess I'm going to see if having them share Snuggle Bug's nursery (without removing Snuggle Bug from his crib) will work. How is it that my 4 BR, 2 BA home suddenly seems small to me. It's not, it just seems that way.

Back to my concerns with my dad. He's doing great with his disability, he really is. He's got a pretty positive attitude about having to wear a prosthetic leg and walking with crutches or a walker and using a wheelchair when he gets too tired. But I truly didn't realize all that is involved with this disability until now. I have to find a shower chair for him. I'm trying to rent a wheel chair. I'm worried about the width of my doorways. I'm worried about Snuggle Bug leaving toys out that might trip him up (I've spent the last few days cleaning my house from top to bottom in preparation for the visit). We're going to be restricted in the activities that we do this week because he now has physical limitations that he didn't have before.

I'm saddened by the thought that, before his disability, he'd get a kick out of helping us with some of our remodeling projects but now he won't be able to do much more than offer suggestions. I know he hates being pitied, so I'll have to be careful not to act that way towards him. He just wants to be treated normally. My dad turns 61 this August but with all he's been through, he seems much older all of a sudden. He's not the vibrant, active man he once used to be. It'll be interesting to see what his daily life is like now and how much he's willing to let us help him. There's just a whole new dynamic to our relationship that I have yet to learn and this visit brings that to the forefront.

Well, time to get some work done before I head to the airport. Wish me luck with my family visit! I'm going to need it!