Update

My Mom was released yesterday afternoon. She continues to experience considerable pain, but we are all happy to have her at home. Her dog is especially delighted and hasn't left her side since she came into the house. Hopefully, the pain will begin to wane today and each day she will discover more comfort.  

Today, and through the weekend, will be spent keeping Mom comfortable. 

Recovery

Mom's surgery went well.  She is in pain but the surgeon feels that the new knee cap will help her maintain stability and remain more comfortable when she walks. Of course, she has to heal from the surgical pain before she will reap the benefits and right now that is the priority. She spent the night in the hospital for pain control, but hopefully she will be released today. 

Robby, Timmy and I are at my Mom's house to prepare for her return and to help her during the recovery. I'm thankful that we have the flexibility to adjust our schedules to be able to help her. Heaven knows she has spent enough time helping me recover from surgeries!

Worried

The next few days will be a bit wonky for our family. Instead of going through our normal schedule, we will be heading to Pennsylvania. We are planning to stay at least a week to help my mom recover from surgery.  She has nursed me after surgeries more times than I can remember. It is odd being on the other end of the relationship, but I vow to do my best!

Today my mom will be going into surgery to have her prosthetic kneecap replaced. Although she has been doing well since her bilateral knee replacements six years ago. Unfortunately, one of her kneecaps has shifted and needs to be replaced. The surgeon promises that both the procedure and the recovery are considered "easy," but that did little to calm our anxiety. Until my mom is fully recovered and out of pain, I am going to worry.

Please send her some good thoughts today. I know that she is going to be fine, but having her go into surgery at all is worrisome.  

Sleep Interrupted.

Yesterday morning I was up at 5 but not by choice. This time I wasn't awoken by an excited and precocious four-year-old; rather, I was roused by an uninvited phone call.  We received a robocall announcement from Scott's school, informing all staff of a credible threat made by a student. My mind immediately propelled into panic mode.

As my mind was conjuring the worst case scenarios I continued to listen to the announcement. The student who made the threat had been apprehended without incident. Talk about a whirlwind of emotions in a short period of time! I would have preferred to have been awoken by Timmy. He is far more predictable than a telephone call. 

Even though we were assured that the student was apprehended and that the school was deemed safe, and despite the assurances of an increase in police presence, it was hard for me to relax. My anxiety quickly turned to anger as I reflected upon now living in a society where school threats are becoming commonplace. 

My mood lifted through the day simply because I was distracted by work and my kids. As the night rolled around, my frustrated anger returned. Between the kids and work, I have so many good reasons to worry and fret. Worrying that my husband may be gunned down in a school should not be one of them!

Disconnected

Saturday I had to work, which was a bummer because the weather was beautiful. Sunday I was determined to spend some quality time with the family so I logged off the computer for the day. It was oddly empowering to turn the computer off and to break the electronic tether that has become my norm. Instead of working, we all headed to Pumpkinville for the day.

Timmy was ecstatic to show his brother and daddy around one of his favorite places. Robby Rotten, the snarky tween who has recently invaded my son's body, stayed away all day long. Robby and Timmy played beautifully together, giggling among the hay bales and racing each other on the giant slides. Timmy was over-the-moon to be playing with his hero all afternoon!

I thoroughly enjoyed having Scott and Robby along during this Pumpkinville visit. Typically I am Timmy's playmate because I'm usually the only one there. I don't mind going down the slides and meandering through the mazes, but I was certainly happy to relinquish the role for the day. I loved being able to relax and just watch the brothers play.  

My weekend was shortened by a day, but we definitely made the most of it. I think I'll start to disconnect more often. I certainly feel more rested, centered and happier than I have in a long time!

Accident

My poor little Hamlet.  Yesterday he was having the time of his life, riding his new bicycle with his brother when he hit a nut and veered off the road. He ended up flipping his bike and landing sliding down the embankment, thoroughly entangling himself in a thorn bush. It took Robby and me nearly 10 minutes to extract him from the thorny prison.

By the time we freed Timmy from the thorns, Timmy was a bloody mess. I could tell by the way that he was holding (and hiding) his left hand that he was injured. When I finally coaxed him into allowing me to look at his hand I knew that we needed to go to the walk-in clinic. He had huge thorns thoroughly embedded into all of his fingers and his ring finger looked to be pointed in the wrong direction.

Even though he hates blood, Robby was a big brother rockstar throughout the afternoon. Without missing a beat he crawled under the kitchen table to try to encourage Timmy to let us look at his hand. He desperately tried to keep his little brother calm throughout the visit to the doctor, although there was nothing anybody could do to quell the screams of pain that were emitted when the thorns were dug out of his hand.

Timmy had a dislocated ring ringer and eight large thorns embedded in his left hand. The finger was set and the thorns were removed. Today he continues to be protective of his hand and is reticent to use it. Hopefully it will heal soon, I hate seeing him in pain!

Bike Riding

The air is crisp, the air is dry and the sun is shining. Finally, fall is here! My little Hamlet is so happy to be able to play outside again. It feels like months since we have been able to ride our bikes, jump on the trampoline and play in the treehouse. I am relieved that the muggy rain clouds have finally lifted. My goal is to spend as much time as possible outside before the cool air turns cold and the rain turns to snow.  

While at Walmart last week Scott bought Timmy a brand new bicycle. He still loves riding his balance bike through the house, but having one with pedals like his brother has brought his enthusiasm to a new level. In one short week he has proven to be a pro at pedaling and steering, but he is not consistent braking and stopping. 

Much to his chagrin, until Timmy can demonstrate that he knows how to brake we are not allowing him to go down hills. I am forced to run next to him to physically slow his momentum when he is out riding. I'm a tad concerned that he might run me over, but I will assume the risk if it keeps him from flipping out of control on the asphalt.  

Watching a little one learn to ride a bike is not for the faint of heart. My heart quickens to aerobic levels whenever I see him pedal and cruise around the driveway. Between the anxiety and my running next to him to help him stop, I am definitely getting my work out completed!