The Puddles

Over the last few weeks, life has been a little crazy. I finally had surgery on my elbow. And what we thought would hopefully be a surgery to screw the broken bones together ended up being a total replacement of The radial head of my radius. We haven’t seen the x-rays yet. I go in next week to the doctor and I have requested to see the before and after x-rays. Chris and I are in a contest to see who has more metal in their right arm. I never wanted to be in this contest, but since I am, I really want to win.
Ben and I have been hanging out a lot together. I can’t drive so I don’t get to go anywhere. And he can’t leave and be with groups of people, so he doesn’t get to go anywhere. We are two peas in a pod. The sweet thing has been that he has taken to sleeping in the living room with me just in case I need someone. Like Chris after his accident, I have been regulated to the La-Z-Boy to sleep at night. One, so I keep my arm elevated. And two, so that I don’t rollover on my arm at night. Ben has been doing a great job of taking care of me. My other children have done a great job too! When Ainsley and Chris went to church camp, Maddie was home and took pride in taking charge. I was very proud of her. When Ainsley got home from church camp, she didn’t want to feel left out so she would come and sit on my good side and snuggle with me. Instant medicine! 

I am finally at the point in my recovery where I feel really good. So good, that I think I can get back to regular routine. I think, “I don’t need medicine. I’m OK to not elevate my arm. “Of course then I pay for it later that evening. My arm swells up, I am in a lot of pain, and it takes several hours of patience, ice, and propping up my arm to finally get on top of the pain. I need a new mantra. Instead of “suck it up! “I need to say, “slow and steady! ” Remember it is a marathon, And not a sprint. 

Poor Chris, he can’t wait for life to get normal again. Trying to work, be a chauffeur, and take care of his family, is a huge burden. But he is doing an excellent job.

 The positives of me being down and out is the following:

1. Maddie is learning to do the laundry. I have been reluctant for years to allow her to do this, but she has been wanting to learn for a long time.
2. Ainsley is learning how to braid and fix her own hair. 
3. She is also learning how to unload the dishwasher and put all the dishes away. It requires her to climb on top of the counter due to her small stature, but she’s doing great!
4. Ben has learned how to dose out his medicine. Since I can’t unscrew the lids, he puts all his medicine in a cup and then I check it. He is also learning how to help me take his blood pressure. Since this is a two handed job, he puts the stethoscope in my ears and holds it in place while I pump the blood pressure cuff. We are certainly a sight!
5. All of the kids are learning to be independent at fixing their own lunches and snacks. 
6. We are cutting down on our outside activities, allowing the kids and I to spend more time together.

I think we will look back on The summer of 2015 as a time where we as parents let go of a little and allowed our children to grow up a lot. Of course, I will look forward to the time a year from now where I will get to reflect on this summer as a memory and that I will pray to never repeat it!!!