It's been a pretty nice day today. The weather has not been to hot and nice breeze has been blowing. Mom took the boys to trumpet & piano lessons this morning. They were gone for a good portion of the morning & early afternoon. Faith & I stayed home with Dad. While Mom was gone, I took some laundry off the line for her. It was a slow process as I could only carry a few garments at a time. When Mom got back home she looked at the clothes line and said "What happened to my laundry?!? Did someone take some clothes of the line? I am sure I hung more laundry then that!" I informed her that yes, I had taken clothes of the line & they were laying on the couch in the back room. It was rather funny because she couldn't figure out where her laundry had went to. She didn't think that I would have taken it off. Surprise! Slow & steady wins the race in my case.
Dad is over at the neighbor's bailing hay. I was waiting for Bob to get home then we were going to head over there. Bob was going to help, while I "look important" supervising. haha Since it's a nice day, and I had a nap this afternoon I felt up to going over there with them and sitting down and watching them all work.
I was doing alittle more, but my chest (sternum) got to bothering me again. It got to be rather uncomfortable at night. I was needing tylenol again. So, we decided I was doing to much. I was using my arms more to help myself get out of chairs, bed etc. I was also lifting more than I should have been. While I was staying under my 5lbs limit, whatever I was doing was to much.
I think everyone is about ready to go over to put up hay so I'd better run. Until next time.......

Saturday Bob & I decided to take off and spend the day in Des Moines. We had to go to the bank and needed to return some sandels I'd gotten for Faith. It was nice to get out and spend the day with just our "little family". Bob has been a trooper about staying with my parents for the last month. It's a blessing he gets along with his in-laws! Saturday night he stayed up until 2am helping Mom get cherries in the freezer. We have been debating about when we'll go back home, and we're still planning the week (or weekend) after the 4th of July. The only concern is that while I should be able to drive by then, I still won't be able to lift more than 5lbs. That means no laundry etc. (My brother just suggested I push the laundry basket down the stairs. How would I get it back up, Peter? Oh, he says attach a pully...well, I can't pull 5lbs either! Oh, excuse me, he says if I have enough pullys it would decrease the weight. Or I could hook a motor up to it. Yes, we're carrying on a conversation as I type this!) Anyway, we will see when we actually go home, but we're talking possibly next week if I think I can manage well enough on my own. The biggest problem I see is keeping Faith occupied. She's had so much to do here at Grandma & Grandpa's that when we go home she is going to be so board! I don't know what I am going to do with her! She helps milk the cows, bottle feed the baby calves, feed chickens, check for eggs, pick flowers, pick berries, green beans, lettuce, radishes and the list goes on. She's going to find her swing set rather dull after all this!
I think I posted a note about my DR. appt on Friday. It went well. The doctor was pleased and impressed with my progress. They took me off 1 medication, and it could have possibly effected my energy level. Saturday & Sunday I wasn't feeling as well as I had been. It's hard to say if it was being off the meds (which is a good thing), lack of sleep or something I ate. But today I am doing much better. Oh, I hear Mom coming in from the garden. I am suppose to be checking something for her on ebay. I'd better run.......

Dr. Report

Despite it being Peter's birthday, I had to go to the doctor. I guess better me than the birthday boy. I was very curious to see what Dr. Law would say about my walking and his assessment on how I was doing. I was not to be disappointed! His words were "You are our poster child for this surgery!" I have losted 7lbs of fluid since my last dr. appt about 2wks ago. I don't think I've ever lost 7lbs in 2wks before! It's nice that is gone, but I still have more to lose. I will be glad when I can wear something non-elastic again. (I suppose I could go out and buy bigger jeans, but to me that seems very wasteful when I won't wear them but a month or two longer.) Anyway....Dr. Law also told me that it was amazing that I had started walking 2miles/day this week. He was very impressed and told me that I was doing even better than he thought I would be doing by this point! Isn't that amazing? How about that's GOD!!! He told me motivation was doing great things for me and was just pleased with my progress. He sees me again in 1 month. I know the Lord has given me a great recovery after a very intensive surgery. I am healing nicely. I was never really sick (no appetite etc) like was expected. The Lord is good! It is humbling to think of the times I let my flesh doubt his goodness/faithfulness to get me through surgery & recovery. If you are facing a daunting situation or you are going through one, may I just encourage you to keep your eyes on the Lord. Things may look scary, but remember He will never fail you!! Prov 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart....."

Happy Birthday, Peter!

Today, my little brother is 11. Yep, we kids are spred out, but we don't mind. Like I tell people when they ask if I liked having "lots" of sibings...."I was never board! There was always someone to fight or play with depending on your mood." An added blessing is Faith adores her uncles and has some entertainment while she's at Grandma & Grandpas. So Peter, Happy Birthday! Hope you have a great day!!! (And enjoy whatever pranks Earnie & I think to pull on you! LOL)

Today's 'Hello'

Not to much news since yesterday. Mom & I got up about 6:30am and went on our walk for the day. We walked 2miles again. This morning I kept up with Mom better than I had yesterday. Peter went with us, but rode on his bike. It looked like it was going to cut loose & rain any minute. Thankfully it did not! - Tomorrow I have a doctor's appointment. I am curious to see what they say when I tell them I've started walking again. I don't see them saying telling me to stop, but they might be surprised. - Peter's 11th birthday is tomorrow. Earnie & I are trying to think of something ornery to pull on him. lol See, I am doing better...my ornery bug just keeps thinking of things to do! -
Bob & I have started talking about going back home. I don't know for sure when we will. Bob wants me to be able to drive before I am home alone. He doesn't want me to be stranded should something happen. (Of course if something happened, I'd throw Dr. orders to the wind and drive anyway...Bob knows that so is not going to take me home until I can drive per Dr. orders) Unless Mom & Dad kick us out sooner, we'll probably head home sometime right after the 4th of July. I have another dr. appt. July 6th with the surgeon. At that appointment, they are planning to give me the clearance to drive if I am doing well. So, if we haven't seen you in a month or better, maybe we'll be able to meet up with you in a few more weeks.
Have a good day, and enjoy this heat, if you are getting what we are getting. (During the heat of the day, I'm inside enjoying the air conditioner Dad brought home!) Until next time....

HOT HOT

Yesterday (Tuesday) was a very hot day here! Mom took the boys to trumpet & piano lessons. She was gone from 10:30-2:30. Dad got home shortly after Mom left so Faith & I were not alone very long. By noon I was ready to melt & not feeling the best. After Dad went to bed, Faith & I laid in front of a fan & watched a Strawberry Shortcake movie. Faith watched the movie, I took a short nap! We ate a very small lunch and then we both laid down & took a nap. It was so hot & humid, it wore me out! When Mom got home I still wasn't feeling well. So, Mom decided we would go to town and go "shopping" then we could get cooled off. About 1/2 way to town the clouds turned dark & green. The radio station was warning of terrible storms with hail & high winds. The temperature had dropped significantly. We turned around & went back home. It did rain last night & cooled things off. There was discussion as to the forcasted temperature for today. So, when Dad came home this morning he came toting in a large window A/C unit. He just got done installing it in the living room, right by the chair I like to sit in. If you ask any of my siblings they would tell you he's always spoiled me. I'd say this was just taken care of me so the heat didn't get to me again! (But it wasn't just for me! Rebekah, my pregnant sister, is coming up for a visit next week. We're looking forward to seeing her! )
Mom & I have decided that we needed alittle more exercise. I have been doing well unless it hits those high temps. We got up at 6:30 this morning and went on a 2 mile walk! It was the first real "walk" I've had since surgery. I'm sorry, except for the zoo trip last week. I got winded quickly, and had to stop now & then. But I made 2 miles up & down low grade hills! Pretty good accomplishment as 4wks ago today was my surgery! The Lord has been very good to me!
Please pray for our adoption. We are waiting on a document that should have been here several weeks ago. The longer we wait the more apt we are to have to redo something. We are still moving forward, although alittle slower right now. Lord willing we'll receive that document and the few others we need before to much longer.
Until next time......

Over Due Post

The days have flown by and I have hardly noticed! I didn't realize it had been 5 days since I had blogged anything. As the old saying goes "No news is good news". I have continued to do very well (Despite the HOT temperatures). Last week Dad heard on the local radio station that the zoo would be open Friday at 5am. If one arrived between 5-9am zoo entrance was free. I thought Faith would love to go. We decided to take the 'kids' and enjoy a free day at the zoo. Mom knew someone that had a wheel chair we could borrow so I would not have to walk the entire way. We arrived at the zoo and decided that we would leave the wheel chair in the car & Dad would go back to get it when I got tired. Well, surprise of all surprises...we went around the zoo once and saw the exibits that were open. At 10am when the zoo opened officially we went around again. Towards the end of our 2nd round I was getting very tired. I decided though that since we were almost done I could manage the remainder of our loop. I didn't even use the wheel chair! I sat down alot & rested, but I made it! I was very tired when I got done, but it was a good tired (Like when you have just exercised). I sure slept good that night!
Saturday, I spent the day with my mother-in-law while Bob went fishing with his brother & Dad. We did make a trip up to the post office in Des Moines though. I had ordered some chickes for Peter, my brother. They arrived and we had to go get them. That was pretty neat to see the inside of a HUGE post office! Not to mention the number of boxes that contained chicks!
Sunday we went to church with Mom & Dad. Despite the message being directed towards men, the pastor had a very good sermon! We had a some what lazy afternoon after a delicious lunch of grilled T-bone. mmm... Then Peter started off a string of mishaps by dropping a jar of apple cider on the floor & breaking it over his feet. Thankfully he was not hurt, but we have been seeming to have a string of accidents since....
Today Faith dumped some plant dust all over the entry way. It was a huge mess and she had to take a shower. We had no sooner got that cleaned up when our next mess came along - There was a fan sitting on the table & Peter turned it on. It fell over backwards and shattered a bowl. The peices went flying! Mom made the comment - I'm not superstitous, but things seem to happen in 3's. We hadn't gotten the bowl mess cleaned up when Tim & Krisdyn arrived (my brother & sister-in-law). I told them "You might want to leave & come back later. We've had 2 messes and we might have a 3rd. The boys went out to the garage to weld some metal Tim brought. Not long after, here they come. Tim had one arm around Peter & was holding a wrist with the other. Peter had managed to cut his wrist on a peice of metal. Thankfully, it was not that bad. Mom, being a nurse, fixed him up. The thing that bothered Peter the most was Mom's news that he could not go swimming in the pond on his birthday (Friday). This afternoon, Dad, Peter & I went to town to get some bike parts. On the way back home we discovered the effects of todays heat. Two sections of the highway (the large 8ft sections) had buckled and were sticking up. I hollered for Dad to slow down, but he had already seen them. Neither Dad nor I had ever seen anything quite like it. It wasn't the average little buckle in the road. It was the entire 2 sections of the road! They were atleast 3ft off the ground.
With it being so hot today I decided (having not learned my lesson the first time I tried this) to cool off my dear family with water balloons. Oh, yes...a slow learner! lol Of course I had it made! No one could throw water balloons at my front. However, attempts were made to break them over my head by squeezing them. I managed to get several people wet and stayed dry myself. Although with todays high temps wet would have not been all that bad! By and by pay back will come! This evening I was sitting on the porch when my mother, as innocent as me, lol snuck up behind me and dumped my ice water down my back!!! BRRR
Thanks for your continued prayers for my recovery! Today I honestly felt like the only thing holding me back was the 5lb limit of lifting. Otherwise I believe I'm really doing great. I say that and I add this "BUT"....this heat has been alittle hard on me. It was 98 today & very humid. The last 2 days I have had more discomfort in my chest when I breath. It feels like there is a weight on my chest surpressing my breathing. I'm pretty sure it is the heat/humidity. Other than sitting under a tree and throwing water balloons at unsuspecting passers by, I didn't do much today...So pray that I would manage the humidity/heat the next few days as it's not suppose to cool down. (Bob loves this weather!!) Mom & Dad have a window A/C unit, but it's in Dad's room so he can sleep during the day. Although I can go in there if needed.
We are starting to talk about going home!! I have a dr. appt Friday so I'm eager to see what they have to say. It will probably be another week or two before we do actually go home, but I'm getting closer!
I just realized, I am the only one still awake and it is getting late. I had better run. Until next time.......