Two Months Later

Yes!  It's been over two months since my last post and such a whirlwind of events that I've not had the time to write.  Actually, I probably could have squeezed something in sometime, but everything was sad. :-(  I'm finally feeling a bit of a cloudbreak.  Hopefully those clouds will just blow away!  So, because I feel like we've been barraged enough to be at least a little interesting, here's what kept me away........

On November 9th, I last posted about Annika's freedom from the feeding tube.  It had been over a week since her last feed, and now it's been over 2 1/2 months since her last hook up to the tube.  Yippee!!!

On November 11th, Annika's leg was broken.  It was such a sadness to see this little girl who's been through so much have to face yet another ordeal.  All my newfound time (from not dealing with a feeding tube) was taken (and more!) because of the broken leg.  The first week was very painful for her and I spent a lot of time comforting, medicating, and distracting.  The next couple weeks I carried her around everywhere.  That took care of November.

On December 4th, my husband received an injection in his spine in an attempt to help relieve some chronic pain.  I don't know how much I've mentioned this issue, but not a moment or day goes by when James is not in pain.  We were hopeful for some reprieve.  It didn't work.

On December 10th, James and I left for a trip to Florida-a conference, not a vacation.  The whole week leading up to it was insane with all the preparations needed to leave the kids behind, on top of the fact that James was sore and in more pain (oh ironies) from his injection.  That trip brought us emotionally low and than high.  It was not an easy trip, but definitely a positive one.  We returned home on the 15th.

On December 17th, James started having some stomach pain.
On December 18th, he came home early from work and noted that the pain seemed to be mostly focused on the right side of his abdomen.  He could not sleep or find any way to relieve the pain.  His kind father came over in the middle of the night to sit with the kids and we were off to the ER.  We arrived at 1:15 in the morning...
On December 19th by 6:25 in the morning, James was on the operating table having his appendix removed.  Fortunately, the procedure was laparoscopic, so the recovery window was 2 weeks rather than 6.  He came home from the hospital that day.  Our poor kids, had to spend a bit more time away from Mommy and Daddy.

On December 22nd Annika got her cast off of her leg.  She couldn't walk well so I had to be nurse to both her and James.

On December 25th.  Christmas, of course!  :-)  It was a wonderful day celebrating the birth of Jesus.

On December 26th Annika turned 2.  I praise Jesus for the gift of this little one.

 Sometime in the beginning of January, we discovered that Isaac had a broken toe.  It had happened around the 17th of December, but was overshadowed by James' emergency appendectomy.  Poor Isaac.  :-(  This news was the cherry on top of the bittersweet cupcake of our year.

AND THUS ENDED 2014!!!!!!!!!!

On January 5th James went back to work, but was still in too much pain to make it the whole day.

On January 11th, we had a birthday party for Adela.  A Wedding Party....ha ha!  (As a side note, birthday parties are not my first love.  Nor my family's.  I am an unpleasant person for days before I have to run a birthday party.....)

On January 13th Adela turned 6.  What a beautiful little encouraging heart she is starting to show!

On January 17th I sat down to write this blog while James died in Mariokart, over and over again.  Rainbow road.....

On January 21st we look forward to Annika getting her tube out!!!!  There's going to be a celebration at our house on Wednesday if it happens!

That's it.  And here I sit in this chair. A whirlwind of life has happened in just two short months.  It's almost ridiculous.  I just sit here, and it doesn't all seem real.  I'm feeling a little detached.  When a week of peace passes by, I feel like it's been peaceful forever around here.  "How are you?" you ask.  "GREAT!" I say!  Really, I feel we are doing fine.  I don't know if I'm experiencing some sort of disorder OR is this the peace that passes all understanding that I've wondered about?

But people have loved on us with meals and prayers and words of encouragement.  I didn't cook dinner for the entire two weeks of James' recovery.  God's love shining through His people enabled me to focus on my family through yet another trial.  People have so faithfully supported us these past two years.  It's been a witness and a testimony to me.

Thanks, guys.  You know who you are.