Saturday, August 1, 2020

The Golden Age

This is the year John turned 50.  The year he began his Golden Age--not that I'm sure what that means, but it's the new milestone he's hit.  Though we knew it was coming, 50 still felt like a surprise for us.  How is it that John is 50?  The passing of time and all that it encompasses continues to stupefy me.  In any case, here we are...John is 50 (that will take time for all of us to get used to).
With the limitations of Covid (which we are all SO over!) and his lame leg, the plans I had for celebrating this major moment had to be scrubbed.  Plus, any plans of marking this moment had to be worked around job schedules--both John's and the boys'.  This time of year s the annual season wrap up for John and it is not only intense but very time consuming.  On this occasion, John's birthday fell on the last full day of company wide meetings.  The choice was made to delay all birthday activities until Saturday after work for the boys so that we could all be free of work commitments.  What most people feel should be a really big deal, we quietly celebrated at home with dinner, cake, gifts, and a double feature of movies we had all been waiting to see.  
John enjoyed his three day birthday celebration.  Having a little extra birthday love over several days proved to be an appreciated extended celebration even though it was a different plan than John had originally.  Lately it seems that there is a vast portion of life that is turning out to be quite different than we had anticipated.  Maybe that is what the Golden Age assists one in--being able to readily accept that life is fuller and slower in ways that you could not even have conceived of.  I suppose we'll find out.  :)
Since John is frequently on work calls and meetings, Jozsef found the perfect item to help us have a heads up so that we can help improve his work environment and communication for us all.


Welcome to 50 John!  May the year ahead serve you well and may you flourish in this new stage of life! :)

 



 

Ankle Progress

July was an exciting month for John.  After spending approximately three months in bed elevating and icing his ankle day in and day out, we received good news from the doctor.  The x-ray that was done just before Independence day showed that, although the bones were not completely healed yet, there was enough rebuilding of the bone that the doctor gave John the green light for beginning to bear weight on his leg.  Even though there was still a boot and crutches involved, John was very excited to be able to feel like he could make some progress.  The doctor told him to, over the next month, work towards the goal of ditching the crutches but keeping the boot on for support.  What a huge milestone!  And so it began--the quest to walk again. 
John still has a long road ahead.  His break was really severe--the doctor reminds us of that every time we see him.  Likely, it will take a full year or more for the bones to finally become solid.  We've been told swelling could be an issue for a year or more and that even the shoes John is accustomed to may have to change.  The journey is long.  But even baby steps are worth noting.  So today we celebrate retiring the scooter and the crutches and we embrace the boot for a bit longer.  Walking surely is a gift that is not for taking for granted.  

Sunday, July 19, 2020

Paint Party

As Covid culture continues to consume our society, Sonja was paying attention to adjustments we've had to make for birthday celebrations and was holding tight to her dream celebration ideas.  Thankfully, we were able to help her mark her milestone in a satisfying way.  All that Sonja really wanted to do was to have a painting session in studio and just in time, the studio opened up for class sessions.  We signed up and held our breath that the class would not be canceled.  Thankfully, though we were the only two to sign up, the studio never shut down the class--whew! 

With the class booked, Sonja easily enjoyed the rest of her day.  I made waffles for her breakfast, she got a birthday shake at Chick fil A while visiting the boys at work,
It was a treat to have Jozsef serve Sonja one of his Birthday Cake milkshake creations--it was a filling sweet treat
and we had a special shrimp salad at home for dinner before we headed out to put paint to our canvases.  The teacher for the evening was a sweet girl who was both talented and friendly.  She was encouraging and patient even though she could have rushed us through seen as we were the only patrons.  We had a great time chatting, learning, and creating. 
This was the teacher's example of what we were going to paint in class



Sonja did a fabulous job and took her painting very seriously.  I think we were all impressed and pleased with her final outcome (and me with mine as well). 
We got home very late but with one happy little girl and her masterpiece that she could not wait to hang. 

The next day, after the boys returned from work, we had cake and gifts for Sonja.  She enjoyed telling stories of her paint night and showing off her handiwork. 
According to her, she had the perfect birthday.  :-)

We've so enjoyed our time thus far with our little artist.  We love to see how she's branching out in different crafty areas and are stunned with her self-taught results.  May your creativity ever flourish as you grow as a person and a woman, Sonja!  We love you!  Happy 11th birthday!

Monday, June 8, 2020

Welcome to 20

The years between 18 and 21 are such a grey area.  A boy is still a boy in some regards and yet a man in others.  While not a full fledged adult at 20, I'd say that it's the official age of manhood (at lease by number if not in conduct) since there is no longer a "teen" in the age label.  Jozsef recently reached that numerical bar (and I'd argue that his character has been manly for much longer), 

As Covid still largely rules the day, the outing that Jozsef had hoped for (a retry at tubing the river or an afternoon at a retro arcade) were out of reach and kept on the wish list for another time.  Instead, he reported to work as usual to make some money.  However, his birthday was not forgotten there either and his coworkers gave him wonderful birthday wishes and even had a cake and a song for him as they helped him celebrate his day.  It was an unexpected and much appreciated gesture by his company--one that I every day count as a huge blessing in his life.  And as a celebratory side note, Jozsef received a much deserved promotion just days before his birthday.  He was celebrating a couple of milestones this week.  :-)
After a hot day at work,  the  boys returned home to clean up and then we headed out to dinner.  It was a huge treat for us.  We went to a Japanese Steak House--the kind where they cook on the hot hibachi table right in front of you. 
Most of the kids had never seen such a thing and the staff was wonderful as was the food.  We had such a great experience and the food was delicious!  Jozsef was very happy with his evening. 
Though it was late by the time we returned home, we still had cake and gifts before we just sat for a while relaxing before bed.  Thankfully the boys did not have work the next morning.  We all closed out the night with another great memory for us to store. 
Jozsef is twenty.  Part of me can't believe that he's so grown.  The other part of me is so happy to see him developing into a wonderful man and to think of what is still ahead of him.  We have been so greatly blessed by having Jozsef in our lives and we are thankful for him.  Happy Birthday Jozsef!  And welcome to 20!

Butterflies and Birthdays

With Covid still shadowing our lives, we step slowly forward making adjustments as we go while we are eager to open the gates and run into the wonderful weather of spring,  Birthdays are still a challenge to mark well as much of what we'd like to do in celebration is compromised with social restrictions.  Hannah had ideas of lunch date, bowling parties, and soaking up the sun by the pool, but we settled for something much more simplistic--a girls' day. 
The afternoon was simply beautiful in both appearance and feel as it was sunny with a pleasant breeze and not yet hot and humid. 

Being the youngest, Hannah had been out of the house the least during this whole lock down, so for our girls' day, I set out to tour the town with her.  She was thrilled that her favorite birthday lunch location was actually open for service so we started there and had a wonderful buffalo wing lunch.
After eating, we set out to do a bit of shopping at locations of Hannah's choice.  She found a few things that caught her attention like beautifully crafted doll houses and Cabbage Patch babies which she apparently cannot get enough of. 
She was hoping she would get a boy and she did!


She said this house was the best because it was a farmhouse with a porch swing.  Ah yes--the good life! 
Dinner was had at home followed by cake and gifts.  Hannah had asked me to make her a cake with lots of colors and butterflies she could eat.  Thankfully I found pretty little edible butterflies on Amazon and our birthday girl was thrilled with the results. 

The report at the end of the day was that she had a wonderful birthday--that's what I wanted to hear.  :-)  It's hard to be so limited and to still find ways to help them feel celebrated.  Happy Birthday Hannah!  We've loved our with years with you and we look forward to many more!<3 p="">

Monday, April 27, 2020

The Follow Up

John broke his ankle on Thursday night.  On Monday morning we went to see the Orthopedic Surgeon to get an assessment for the healing process.  It was rather quickly apparent that John's situation was not going to remedy itself with a cast and 6-8 weeks of time.  John needed surgery.  The doctor said he would make the arrangements for Thursday or Friday. 

Wow!  John was a bit stunned.  I was saddened.  I had hoped we would skip this step and now there was no getting around the reality of the necessity.  Time was short and there were many details to arrange. 

The next few days were filled with phone calls, paperwork, and prayers.  Too quickly, Friday was upon us and John and I were leaving the house before dawn.  When we arrived at the hospital, it was still dark and the hospital was largely empty.  Thankfully Covid did not keep me from being present with John during his care this time.  I was allowed to accompany him as though it were a business as usual day.  We checked in at the admission desk, he went thorough prep, dressing, and testing, I was able to visit him just before anesthesia was administered where the Doctor, told us what to expect and showed us the first real full look at the damage. 
When we went to the consultation we peeked at the damage, but this time with the splint fully off we saw the entirety of the leg and it was gnarly!  The swelling was so intense that the skin actually began to separate in layers and forming blisters to accommodate the swelling.  Some of those blisters were also filled with blood because of the bruising.  It was quite a shocking sight!  We discussed with the Doctor the possible implications of the blisters during surgery and what may be necessary to make stitching possible and reliable.
This was pretty much the same view we were able to see during the consultation.  Though you can see that blisters did form, it doesn't look horrendous.

But without the splint on, the full view of the blisters almost hurt to even look at.  You can also see the bruising on his heel at the point of impact.

These blisters were the worst, which makes sense when you consider that these bones were the most broken--partly shattered even.
After our discussion, I went to the waiting room as John went into surgery.  I waited four hours for the surgeon to pin John's ankle back together. 
My waiting room view
John's new hardware for life.

Then after three hours in recovery, we were able to leave for home. 
This splint doesn't look much different than the first one he had, but the internal status is much different.  He'll have this splint for 6-8 weeks before we move on to the next phase of healng

Though he was still out of sorts, John was amiable as we left the hospital.  I have to compliment the staff--they were all really wonderful.  John doesn't remember all of our conversations but overall he did well in transitioning from hospital to home
We had taken the second step in the journey towards healing John's ankle. The pain John has endured so far has been immense.  This has truly been the toughest physical endurance test John has withstood thus far in his life.  We have been told that he will require six months to a year to return to regular ambulatory status.  There is much work ahead.  We are tired.  But we are hopeful.  God has brought us this far, and we trust He will continue to lead us forward. 
Ice, elevation, and rest pretty define John's life right now
We are thankful for the older boys who are stepping up to help around the house, for the kids being willing to adapt, for the many who are covering us in prayer, and for those who have been generous thus far.  With such a long road ahead, the stresses of interrupted sleep and the the juggling of regular life with healing tasks, we are stretched and needing grace as much as we are needing to give it.  Only by God's grace will we complete this stretch of the journey ahead. 







Sunday, April 26, 2020

Tree Trauma

The morning after Easter, just after the sun was rising and the rain was subsiding, John and I were jolted awake one more time.  This time, it was the sound of something falling that woke us.  We searched but could not find the source of the sound.  It had seemed that we had managed to escape the storm damage free.  That is, until later that afternoon when the neighbor pointed out that there was a branch in one of our trees, about 50 ft up, that had broken and that branch was now a hazard to his property. The sound we had heard upon awakening was the branch breaking.

We began gathering estimates to have the damaged tree taken down when the weight of the branch could no longer be supported and it fell from its original place on the trunk to land on the fence that divided our yard from the neighbor's.  Now that the damaged tree branch was actually reachable, the neighbor convinced John that the two of them could make short order of clearing the debris out of the way.  Now, at the close of the day, the plan of action suddenly changed. 

I had just returned from grocery shopping and began to put away the supplies when John set out to tackle the branch with the neighbor's help.  The older boys had just returned from work, and was almost ready to put dinner in the oven when Connor ran into the house calling for me to come see dad because he was hurt.  Not a good sign.

I walked out of the house to see John being supported by the neighbor with his leg bent at the knee.  John had fallen off of the ladder--the branch swept him off in an odd tension related accident--and he broke his ankle.  He knew it right away. 
As soon as we could, we left for the ER.  Thankfully the boys were home and able to complete dinner and care for the kids and dog.  We spent the next three hours at the ER--John inside receiving treatment and me sitting in the car in the parking lot because the Covid scare had changed hospital policy. 
John texted me with occasional updates and finally texted that he was ready to be picked up.  John's ankle was broken in two places which effectively left his joint unstable and his foot separated from his leg.  He said it felt odd and gross to pick up his leg and to feel his foot flop along after it. 
It was a good thing that John was accustomed to wearing and using certain equipment when working in the yard because it seems that his boots were what kept the clean break from becoming a compound break.  For that we were truly thankful. 
With no immediate surgery necessary, the on call doctor put John's leg in a splint and a follow up appointment was made.  We went home tired but hopeful. 
Elevation and ice quickly became the standard for John