So three or four weeks ago, Grandpa Cook dropped by with an early (as in 5 months early) birthday gift for Jon: a Nintendo Wii.

(For those who don’t know, this new video game console (it’s pronounced “Wee”) has wireless remotes that require you to make motions similar to what’s going on onscreen. It comes with five sports (tennis, bowling, baseball, golf and boxing), and Grandpa had bought another disc that had more games (air hockey, pool, ping pong, targets, etc.) and came with a second controller. The second controller allows two people to play together.)

I’d been wondering about a Wii for Jon since it was released; I wasn’t sure a) whether he would take to it, and b) whether it would take to him. The answer to a) is “fish in water” and b) is “they’ll figure it out between themselves”.

Not all of Jon’s movements are the same as other people, but he figures out what works for him, as do we all (his bowling technique is odd, but see the photo below). And not everything is an equal challenge: in tennis he plays more by sound, since the ball is so tiny and quick. His favourites are bowling and boxing, but what Jon really likes are the training sessions for the sports: bowling Power Throws and Picking Up Spares, and golf (!) Target Practice. And he makes the family do their Wii Fitness Test (three random training sessions) every day.

The other addictive thing is that you’re represented by a cartoon version of yourself that you create. This “Mii” is what is taking part in the events, and it truly makes you feel like you’re part of the action. The other fun thing is that if family and friends have created Mii’s, but aren’t there or participating, they still may appear in the crowd, or on your ball team. It makes everything more personal.

He beat his own father in bowling!

We brought this thing up to the cottage last weekend, and pretty much the whole family got some measure of the addiction. It was a great social time for Jon, who played and watched delightedly, including Auntie Patti and Uncle David’s 9-hole round of golf!

David lines one up during the epic round of golf, whle the crowd looks on.

Patti nails the green again!

Grandpa has given Jon two early birthday presents in his time, and both have been out-of-the-park home runs. Thank you, Grandpa!

Well, today was the long, long awaited check-up day for Jon. Not unexpectedly, the x-rays look good, and Dr. Narayanan is very happy with how everything looks.

So Jon no longer has to wear the wedge during the day. But since we’ve done this before, we’ve been girding our loins for what were knew was coming—the announcement that he had weeks more of wearing it at night. Weeks more of heavily interrupted sleep for all.

Dr. Narayanan gave us the usual recommendation that he wear it as long as he can tolerate it, but then when he heard of the multiple wake-ups at night, he shook his head.

“We do these things to improve the quality of life. This kind of sleep deprivation is not improving quality of life for any of you.” We were able to counter-offer some wedge time during the day, for instance at video game or computer time, when Jon isn’t likely to notice much at all. So he’s wedge-free, tonight and all nights to come!

There is a lightness to the household that we haven’t felt in a while.

Now, at 10:55 in the evening, I can report that Jon is still awake, rolling around on his own in bed and cackling away, two hours after tuck-in. He’s still in his leg-length knee immoblizers, but they are nothing compared to the wedge, and he’s so happy—even full of a cold—that he just can’t sleep.

BEFORE

SURGERY

TODAY

Our bionic boy.