Home and Recovering

Well, you just never know what God can do. The doctor did find lots of torn up cartilage, but my ACL is intact. Don't know if God did some healing, or all the shredded cartilage masked my ACL. Still adjusting to the not so extensive surgery. After a month of thinking one thing and preparing for that, it's been a bit mind boggling to switch gears (the mind numbing pain medication doesn't help either). I will find out next week what recovery will look like, but no leg brace as had been anticipated and no CPM machine to bend my knee, I get to do that all on my own! That should be a joy ;)
I was able to stay awake for the surgery and look at the monitor of what the scope saw and what the doctor did to my knee. It was really neat to see how intricately God made our bodies, we are truly knitted together in our mother's womb.
This morning at 4 am as my soon to come "incompacitation" (sp?) was hitting me I was counting my blessings. 5 beautiful children who are all well and succeeding in school. Mr. Incredible took time off to stay with me today. He has taken on the responsibility of children that aren't even "his" AND he enjoys them. He has set aside his plans to see that I could have my knee repaired in a timely manner instead of making me wait another month (in pain). This afternoon he said he was quite tired, but still planning on attending a rehearsal with Mr. Z to help him in his role of Tom Sawyer, what a man! When I asked why he was tired, he confessed to having been very stressed over my surgery (our last two baby deliveries had some scary moments), but this whole time he has set aside his fears to comfort me and reassure me.
I am so blessed. Thank you for all the prayers.

Into Surgery

Yes, I hijacked my wife's blog and she would not approve of me posting the picture.

She went into surgery about 9:30. The doctor expected 1 to 2 hours. The doctor said Jennifer may be able to watch on the monitor.

We appreciate your prayers.

Jennifer's Note: I made the nurses laugh when I commented on how hospital gowns are the world's greatest equalizer. It's hard to take yourself seriously when a cheek hanging out :)

12 hours and counting

Surgery is tomorrow morning, hmm, not much to say about that.

But the kids have been so nice, I haven't been able to take Advil for a week now and Tylenol just doesn't do the trick.

Anytime I make a noise, Mr. Z asks if I am dying. Not encouraging, but still very thoughtful, I think.

Mr. M came up with a great joke tonight. "Why did the chicken cross the road? Because it wanted to be cute!" This was on the way home from going through the drive thru at Chick-fil-A with chicken in hand. We had wanted to do something easy for dinner and give the kids a treat. So anyway, they got our order wrong and shorted us a fry. Mr. Incredible and I discuss whether to go back through the drive thru or one of us go in... We hear from the back, "don't go through the drive thru, it was very distressing!", Mr. M's impression of the experience. I have no idea how it was distressing, but we gladly didn't go through again after such great verbalization.

Three and a half hours left to eat and drink. Why do I feel the need to gorge myself? I know I will get to eat and drink again, but my brain is in overdrive telling me eat it all, drink it all TONIGHT!!! I am also looking at my unclean house in the mode of guests are coming!! I know they are not, but the thought of not being up to cleaning for a while makes me want to clean. However, my dear body is telling me sleep, rest, pamper your knee, tomorrow will be a long day. So in trying to be in tune with my body. I am off to rest in some manner for some length of time. Ohh, just to be able to take Advil again...

You know your a mom when...

-The task of showering with antibacterial soap for the three days prior to your surgery seems like an insurmountable obstacle. I haven't had showers on consecutive days in YEARS!!!! (with the exception of my trips to China)

-Everyone tells your child how cute they are and you are just some observer to this happening.

- People say you look tired even after a good night's sleep.

- You walk outside to go somewhere and realize that though the kids are dressed, shoes on and decent looking you haven't brushed your teeth, hair and still have your slippers on. Hasn't happened recently, but unfortunately has happened.

- You with your friends and when excusing yourself to go the restroom, you say, "I gotta go pee pee".

Thank you to all the happy birthday wishers. It was my best 25th birthday yet :)
Thank you to all for all your generous offers of help after surgery. I will let you know if we need anything.

We Voted, Bare Bums and All

Oh yeah, we just thought it would be a little challenging to vote with five kids in tow. Little did we know that after "the day" we've had with Mr. M would we end up being even further humbled as parents. The setup: Ran into someone we knew at voting, so I was chatting with them. I had left Mr. M sitting on a rug about 8 ft. behind me, between Mr. Incredible and myself. The crime: Well Mr. M wasn't content to stay on the rug and ran over to a corner of the room (which happened to be a school library) to play with The Cat in The Hat doll. Mr. Incredible already embarrassed that his son was being the most disruptive one in the room (there had already been prancing on a stage as we were signing in), well he walked over to Mr. M and proceeded to take him back to the line in which the rest of the family was waiting in. The inevitable: I finish up my conversation to see Mr. M's bare backside walking back to the line. Apparently Mr. Incredible was oblivious to the fact that Mr. M's pants had fallen down in the 20 ft. walk across the room. Well, at least he had on underwear is all I could say and then proceeded to laugh till I cried because of the absurdity of the situation, we still had to yet vote! Fortunately the others present were oblivious, didn't really care or shared in our "kids do the darndest things" moment. Oh the joy of parenthood!!! :)
P.S. Once Mr. Incredible recovered from mortification he joined in my mirth. Sometimes you just gotta laugh.

Tom Sawyer is in the house!!!

Mr. Z was able to finally audition for our local children's theater company (I've been putting him off for at least a year now) and he got Tom Sawyer in the play Tom Sawyer, think he's gonna be a lead?!
Ah the joy of having a budding actor in our home.

Elizabeth is babbling about a lot of stuff now. In church yesterday she was determined to tell me about her nose and so we went to "our" ottoman in the foyer to listen to the service once again. However, during the Sunday school hour she did go to the two's class!!!! and seemed to do really well. Baby steps.

My surgery is scheduled for March 11th. Be in prayer that my knee will heal quickly.

We are still here!!!!

I know I haven't posted in what seems like forever, been trying to settle into a schedule and do a little spring cleaning/winter clean out before having knee surgery.
God has really been placing on my heart (more so if usual, if that can be) the need to open our hearts and homes to HIS children in need. If you would like to see some great videos, go here.

Snow day- Home day

Our one appointment was canceled today and we don't have to get out and try and make up piano lessons because Mr. Incredible took our van to work. (It's a little safer than a '78 Ford pickup :)) YEAH!!!!!
I ran into someone yesterday from our foster parenting days... I've been reminded of those days a lot lately. The snow reminds me of the last "real" snow we had six years ago. Mr. M was just a wee baby and he and I stayed inside while Mr. I took Mr. Z, Mr. J and I. out. It is amazing what God does.

Six years ago

February 11, 2010
I was "done" when we had Mr. J, little did I know how God would use me/us. Eight foster placements + three homegrown + and one Chinese princess = 5 beautiful blessings.

How to Deal with Telemarketers...and Life

I was spending a few precious minutes with Mr. Incredible when the phone rang. I saw that it was a telemarketer and so I just let it ring. Unbeknownst to me, Mr. M our very literal six year old answered the phone. So anyway, I was cooking dinner and talking with Mr. I when Mr. M comes down stairs and snuggles in between us and says to me, "Somebody called for you, it was a man and they asked me to take you the phone and I told them that I couldn't, so he will call you today". Mr. M had answered our corded phone and I am so glad that he didn't try to bring me the phone. A phone jerked from the jack bouncing down the stairs is a picture that pops into my mind all too readily.

So the rest of our life that doesn't involve telemarketers is hecticly busy. I was informed today that I can live with a knee that doesn't bend all the way and doesn't straighten all the way (not fun) or I can have surgery to replace my ACL. Apparently that little fall in China not just tore my ACL, but blew it to smithereens- two frayed ends and nothing in the middle. Soooo.... trying to get surgery scheduled and figure out how all of this will work. Trying not to be depressed at the thought of NINE weekly appointments for the six weeks that I will need physical therapy three times a week!!!!! (that would be 54 appointments in a month and a half, maybe an all time record! and that's not even including the several once a month appointments that we have) It will be a two month recovery and then an additional 4 months of restricted activity. More than a bit overwhelming...

We made the choice to homeschool, but this year is filled with trying to fit school in whenever possible as quickly as we can do it, instead of enjoying the process of learning. ~sigh~

We had to have a homestudy follow up for Elizabeth's adoption. Still trying to work out how much we are going to have to pay for something that we already paid for.... What?!, your saying. Yeah, us too. I would say more, but I can't say anything nice, so I'm not saying any more.

People keep asking me to do more and I see so much need in the world around me and want to do more, but it feels like I am in the deep end of the ocean, held under by the current and only able to gasp a breath occasionally. So if you ask me to do something and I forget or I say "no", please don't be offended. I am just trying not to drown.

I can tell that God has plans for us, because the Enemy is trying so hard to get me bogged down. So at the end of each day, I give all my scheduling, appointments and failures over to HIM and rest.

Matthew 6:25-26
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

OH MY!!!!

Just got a call, the MRI is going to be almost $1000!!!! Mr. Incredible is hunting down why the family deductible, which was met, is not showing up for me!!!!! Not panicked, but just not wanting to spend that in the next 24 hrs!