Pictures

Natalie is growing in so many ways. She initially tried this dress on shortly after she came home. It was a gift and I wanted to send a thank you note with her wearing the dress. It was too big at that time. She wore it this past Sunday to church. What a difference in just 4 months.

Medals and Heroes

Believe it or not, I have managed to catch a little of the Olympics and just like everyone else, I have been cheering for Michael Phelps to win his 8 gold medals. Congratulations to him!! Michael and the other team members who have won the medals make it look so easy. But I know that there were great sacrifices by each team member and his/her family members, not to mention the hours and hours of training. It is easy to focus in on those who have the media attention and who accomplish great goals. But what about all those other athlete who have made the Olympic teams for their country only to be eliminated in all the competitions before the medal events? Their sacrifices and hours of training are just important.

I share all of that as an introduction to recognizing the heroes and medal winners in my life these last several weeks. All of the following deserve the gold medal for their actions, sacrifices and time spent in helping my mom on the road to recovery.

First my sister Diana. She took the week off from work while my mother was in the hospital. She spent every day there. As a nurse at that hospital (and the fact that her husband is a nurse on the floor my mom was on) she had insight into the care, medical needs and personnel involved in my mom's recovery. She made sure she was getting the care she needed both physically and medically. Her pastor was also very kind in being there the day of surgery, during the 10 days my mom was there and following up with a home visit. Diana also made sure that every thing was in place for her discharge home and home health services.

Next as my sister Susan who also took time off from work and drove over 4 hours after work to be available to pick up my mom on the day of discharge. Unfortunately she didn't get discharged until a day later, but Susan spent that day with her. She also helped me move furniture and get my mom's place ready for her to arrive home. Her daughter Heather also came with her. Heather played with Natalie and was a huge help. Susan picked my mom up from the hospital, dropped off her new prescriptions and laid the foundation for the schedule for her medications, blood pressure, weight and temperature checks and overall schedule for my mom to begin her recovery. She also was there for the beginning of the home health services. Spent 5 days away from her husband and home.

My brother Ron arrived from Alaska the day before Susan went home. He spent 11 days away from his wife and 2 daughters to be with my mom. He was the task master as he diligently had her follow the schedule, take her daily walks, perform her exercises, keep her feet elevated. He did laundry, cooked meals, did dishes, cleaned the cat box, made her bed and changed her sheets. He also fixed my toilet, my mom's blinds, Natalie's pool and made Natalie a peg board to practice some fine motor exercises. He also read my mom's manual from the hospital and followed all of their recommendations as well as took her to an appointment at the hospital. He was faithful to weigh her every day, make sure she took her medications and record her temperature as well as interact with the home health personnel. He also spent time playing with Natalie who just loved her Uncle Ronk.

My sister Kathy arrived several days before my brother arrived. She gets only 2 weeks of vacation a year and used one week to come and care for my mother. She took my mom to her doctor's appointment, for blood work and a chest x-ray. After the initial doctor's appointment my mom had to return to the hospital on Friday (the 15th) for a procedure to have excess fluid removed. Kathy took her there and stayed with her throughout the procedure. She also cooked and cared for my mom. Probably one of the highlights for my mom was the day Kathy did an in depth housecleaning as well as all the laundry. Kathy also spent time away from her husband and daughter. She left for home yesterday.

The next gold winner is Natalie. She endured 9 straight days at the hospital visiting my mom. That often meant very long days for her and little time to play once we got home from the hospital. Up at 6:00 AM to return home by 7-7:30 to eat and head to bed. A lot of my time when I was home from work was spent also assisting my siblings with my mom. So Natalie lost some mommy time. Every night she would pray for Bashka to get better. She also developed a sinus infection and cough during this time, but was such a trooper. Last night we went for a walk with Bashka. My mom walked the furthest she has since returning home. Her legs have been so swollen and her breathing labored due to fluid in the lung (which was removed on Friday) She has had difficult putting on shoes to walk and last night we were able to fasten one shoe completely and the other shoe on the first hole. Once we returned from the walk, my mom sat down. Natalie (without a word from me) immediately walked over to my mom, took off my mom's shoes and placed my mom's slippers on her feet. Today after church Natalie was given some candy. She had 3 packs of Smarties. She gave me one and said one was for Bashka. She really is such a loving and giving child and at times I am humbled by her heart and desire to look out for others first.

Lastly my mom gets a gold medal for pressing on through all the 3 steps forward and 2 steps back journey of her recovery. She is making progress. Today while Natalie and I went to church, she followed her schedule (first day on her own) and got her walk in before we got home. Even though she is not one to show a lot of emotion or to express her feelings, I know she is grateful for all her children, their sacrifices and their labor of love in caring for her during this time.

For all of you who have prayed, called or sent cards or emails, thank you so much for caring and being there during this time. Mostly I want to express my gratitude to the Lord for being with my mom and the doctors during the surgery and for giving the doctors wisdom during her recovery time. I know He will continue to sustain my mom and help her in the healing process.

To my brother and sisters I want to publicly thank you and acknowledge your sacrifices and labor of love in caring for mom. You are all gold medal winners in my eyes!!

Mom Update

Just wanted to drop a quick note to those who have been following the blog and let you know that my mom is doing great. She ended up having a valve replaced instead of just a repair and spent an extra day in ICU. But she is a trooper and hard worker. Yesterday she walked a 1/2 loop near her room and it was the "longest" walk she had ever taken. Today she walked 3 full loops. I am quite proud of her and her determination to do what is asked of her and her willingness to push herself. Can't wait until she is home and I know she feels the same way!!
Natalie has been the center of attention on our many trips to the hospital and she just loves it!! Me, I'm just tired and at times feel stretched beyond measure. But God is good and faithful and continues to give me the strength to push through during this time!

Normal????

I remember saying that I couldn't wait until my life was "normal." People laughed at me and said my life would never be normal again. I guess what I was trying to say was that I longed for the days when there would be some sort of a normal routine and I did not wake up every day wondering what new document I would need or if I would get a call. My life always felt like it was on hold in so many aspects. But here it is 3 1/2 months after returning and I think in some aspects my life is normal :) About a month ago I began attending a new church that I really like. I do feel like this is where we are supposed to go. It is closer to home, they have a great children's program, a senior citizen's program, it is a very strong evangelical church and I am really blessed by the Sunday School class I am attending.
Work has settled into a normal routine and the effects of being gone for 2 months have all disappeared.
Natalie loves her new day care and I am also so pleased by the care she gets there. It has been great to leave work and in 5 minutes I am there to pick her up and we have the best times in the car together. At one point I was some what concerned about her attaching to too many people and being overly friendly. So we have worked on this and she has made great gains. The other day, the day care worker told me (after I picked up Natalie and she was having a rough day) that Natalie was in the bathroom and kept saying, I want my mommy. Today I went to work and she told me she wanted me to stay home with her and she was crying. This has never happened before. There have been other things that have happened that have reinforced the attachment. She continues to be a loving child and I do honestly feel that she feels very safe and secure here. I see some "normal" 4 year old behavior coming out and yet I see her respond to love and boundaries. Tonight I measured her height and weighed her. I haven't done this for several weeks, so I was surprised to see that she has now grown almost 2 inches in less than 4 months and has gained about 1 1/2 pounds. It is amazing to me how much this child eats. She has a good appetite. Someone asked me today what her favorite food was. I think yogurt still holds the number one spot, but sadly bananas have been replaced by chips as the second favorite.
We are preparing this week for my mom to have heart surgery. She is having a valve that is leaking severely repaired. Your prayers are greatly appreciated.
So in so many ways my life has taken on a "normalcy" yet as my wise friends said, my life will never be normal again. And I am all the more blessed because it will never be normal again!

Pictures

1) Natalie wearing a birthday dress!

2)Natalie heading into Day Care on her birthday.

3) Natalie eating a birthday cupcake at Day Care.

4) Natalie with Mommy getting ready to blow out the candles.

5) Listening to everyone sing Happy Birthday!!

Happy Birthday Natalie!!

It has been awhile since I posted, but there just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day to write. Yesterday was Natalie's 4th birthday. I had a little party for her at Day Care and at home it was just the two of us, Babushka and a friend who stopped by on her way home from work. Initially I was going to have a party for her and invite a lot of people. But my mom has had some health issues and I just felt this was not the time to do a party. I'm glad it was low key since by time we got around to lighting the candles she was already worn out from being excited all day. Next year I will plan a party when she is more settled in and everything is not so overwhelming.
She seems to be enjoying the new day care and everyone there is very kind to her. Her English continues to improve and she has changed so much in the 3 months that she has been home.
We have "found" a new church that is local that I really like and we have been there for 3 weeks now.
Work has been really busy but has slowed down this past week. I have also managed to finally get all the bushes trimmed in the yard and am slowly plowing through months of papers that need to be filed in the square or circular file.
My mom is going to have heart surgery on the 24th of this month so I ask all of you to be in prayer that everything goes well and that she recovers quickly!!
Enjoy some updated pictures of Natalie!!