Surgery on Saturday

Well, my little patient is propped up on pillows, iced, and comfortably watching a Muppet movie, so I think I have a few minutes to tap out a blog update about our surprising and exciting weekend.  

Our after-school orthopedic appointment on Friday was very informative.  We were told that this break is not related to Delia's previous break in any way.  That first break healed beautifully and this new break just happened.  The combination of playgrounds, active children, and arm breaks is something the orthopedic department sees ALL the time, we were assured.  So, no concerns about Delia's bone health, or anything like that.

The bad news was that this time the bone did not set as well as the previous time.  In fact, it had completely separated and gone back into its broken position.  Which meant we needed to head to surgery and do it ASAP.  So they scheduled us for the next day--  Saturday.  Delia met the news with tears and fear, but after some explanation about how her arm would be made stronger and a lot of prayer, she found some peace.  She was even able to tell Ella later in the evening, "I'm not afraid!  I know that God loves me and is going to take care of me!"  

On Saturday, we packed our bags.  We're hospital experts now, so one was full of energy bars, fruits, and hearty snacks, also, movies, books and distraction.  The other was an overnight bag in case they wanted to keep us.  Ella was blessed to spend the entire day playing with her good friend Chloe.  We checked in and headed up to Pre-OP, where Delia was immediately showered with new stuffed animal friends from the nice nurses. One of her nurses, Jake, was a fellow Star Wars nerd (even wearing a Star Wars shirt under his scrubs that he showed Delia) and LOVED that that was the movie she chose to watch! 

It turns out, she could have watched the entire Star Wars trilogy!  Though we were scheduled for surgery at noon, a more urgent case came through the ER and bumped everyone back over 4 hours.  So, we waited.  We read, we talked to Grandma on the phone, we watched more movies.  I was realizing that the hospital is a lot like an airport, except, of course, no fun vacation at the end of it!

FINALLY, it was our turn!  They told me I could go into the operating room with Delia until she fell asleep, so I got this awesome body suit, hat, mask and booties to wear.  We had a lot of giggles playing hospital dress-up.  My puffy white suit had Delia calling me "Baymax"!  It was nerve-wracking, but also good, to walk with Delia to the operating room and be with her while they prepped her on the table.  A few good breaths in the "space mask" and she was out, which was my cue to leave.  The surgery took a little over 2 hours.  The doctor told us he did pretty much what he was planning on doing-- making a small incision to insert 2 pins which will line up her bones and keep them in place.  It's worth telling you that because Delia was a minor, we were allowed (actually required) to stay with her the whole time, except the 2 hours she was in surgery.  We were grateful for this. In the Post-OP room, we had our worst 2 hours of the day.  Delia woke up in A LOT of pain.  This was expected, but still hard to get through.

But, we DID get through it!  Though it was excruciating to get from the car to the bed last night, Delia, amazingly, slept through the entire night without waking up in pain!  This was a huge answer to prayer.  In fact, the whole day was!  Sure we had a good amount of waiting and a rough recovery time, but overall, everything at the hospital went great!  This morning Delia is smiling, cracking jokes and excited to tell Ella all about her adventure.   Thank you for all your thoughts, concern and prayers!  God listened and answered and we are well taken care of and doing just fine!

Cast Story...The Sequel

So...remember when I wrote this?  Remember how I ended this post "So, that's it, I HOPE AND PRAY.  The End."?

Yeah, that was pretty funny, huh?  It's funny 'cause guess what?  It was not THE END.  This week Delia fell on another new playground.  AGAIN.  And broke the bone in her left arm.  AGAIN.

We were meeting some friends at a park in town that had a brand new play structure.  We were there about 5 minutes when Delia took a very innocent-looking tumble off a swing.  She must have landed in the exact right way to re-break her radius clear through.  She knew it right away too. She was writhing on the ground screaming, "I broke my arm again!!!" I thought she was over-reacting.  But, sure enough, the arm looked kinda crooked and started swelling.

(Insert a joke here about Delia liking to christen new playgrounds with a broken arm.)

My friend called Dave to come to the park to take a look and he took Delia straight to the ER, where another 7 hours of our lives was spent waiting, x-raying, and bone setting.

Word once again got out fast and we had an army of people messaging us that they were praying.  And, like before, we experienced God holding Delia in His hand through this stressful ordeal.  She took NOTHING for pain the whole time and was a super-star patient, earning her the praise, and even presents, of the ER nurses and doctors.

When we got her last cast removed and strolled out of Orthopedics in November, I would have NEVER imagined that we'd be right back here 4 months later.  Hopefully at next week's appointment, we can get some of our big questions answered about why this happened again.

In the meantime we pray for peace and strength to endure this long journey all over again.  We work hard to keep our active girl still so she can heal.  We add lots of calcium to her diet.  We laugh at the absurdity of this happening again.  And we search for this present for Delia, in a kid size! :)

(This picture was taken when she was waking up from the sedative they gave her while yanking the bone back into place.  She kept this smile the whole time she was in the ER and entertained Dave with all the funny, post-drug, things she said!)

All About Ella

After months of learning songs, and weeks of special practice days during school, this weekend Ella and her class performed in their big Peter Pan musical.  The 4th/5th grade musical is a long-standing tradition at our school.  The 5th graders get the acting parts on stage and the 4th graders are the all-important choir.  This year a small group of 4th grade girls, including Ella, was also picked to be "cloud dancers" for the flying scenes.  The play was great fun and we spent the night laughing at bumbling pirates and the tick-tock croc rolling around on a scooter and humming along to the catchy tunes, which Ella and her class sang enthusiastically!  Getting to see how a stage production comes together has been something Ella has really enjoyed.  Guess who just CAN'T WAIT for her shot at a big speaking part next year? :)

I actually wasn't sure I was going to blog about this.  It was a great night and a great memory, but my pictures are not great.  It was dark and we were far back and there was a lot of movement on the stage while Ella danced.  Thank you to my friend Amy, who reminds me that memory preservation is not about perfect pictures and that I'll never regret blogging too much, only not enough!

And since I'm writing about Ella, may as well tell you a few more things going on in her life.  I've mentioned before that 4th grade is a big year for projects at our school.  Well, now that the musical is done, it is time for the Classroom City.  For a week, the 4th grade is setting up a real city in their classroom and inviting parents and all the other grades to come visit.  Ella and each of her classmates had to apply for a job and get recommendation forms filled out (Ella had her Sunday School teacher do hers).  They will do their jobs (which include things like police officers, pastors, mayors, and business owners), make money, and have to pay taxes and tithes.  It sounds like a super fun lesson in some real life skills!  Ella is pumped that she got the job she wanted most-- newspaper reporter!  This is the perfect job for our gal who loves to interview, write and draw.  Even though the city doesn't go up for a few more weeks, she's already started getting advertisements and has drafted several issues of her newspaper on our computer publishing program.  Also, she's put this press hat outfit together (above).  Because you know it's all about the outfit. :)

Perhaps she's got advertisements on her mind, because this weekend I found this one, taped up on the wall outside my bedroom.  Made me laugh out loud.  You might not want to call her for any spelling needs you may have! 

Finally, a funny quote to end the Ella Post with: In a recent discussion about the value (which I believe is little to no) of using school day hours to play video games like Mario Kart, Ella argued, in all seriousness, that she's investing in her future as a driver.  "Mom, I'm gonna be an AWESOME driver some day because of all the practice I get playing this game!"  Ha!

My Job Is Way Too Much Fun!

Even though my job has become a major part of my life, I don't post about school very often.  I take pictures in my class constantly, but don't feel right putting them on my personal blog site.  Lately, though, we've just been having too much fun to not share!  This week we're learning about Signs of Spring and our Character Trait for March is "Patience".  I tie these things together by doing a big day of snail science lessons, stories, and songs. (Remember that old Music Machine song "Have Patience"?  That's where this idea came from!)  And this year we tried something new-- painting with real, live snails!   Ella and Delia rounded up 2 mason jars full of snails from the garden.  Then at school I had them crawl through some watercolor paint pots and plopped them on the students' art papers.  What delight we shared while watching them make colored slime trails!  It was such a cool art project!  I must admit that not all the snails survived this experience, but since they are intent on munching up my flowers and vegetable garden, I don't feel too bad. :)

Today's fun comes right on heels of 2 weeks we've spent learning about Community Helpers.  Almost every day we've had a special visitor, firemen, sheriffs, paramedics, librarians, etc., teaching the kids about how they do their job and how to stay safe.  With these types of real-life experience comes THE BEST imaginative play!  I get such a kick out of watching my kids become 911 rescue teams and transform our classroom (with the props I provide) into a post office and a doctor/veterinarian office during play time. 

Speaking of Community Helpers, I just want to record this too since it captures the fun we have in Preschool.  The Garbage Man comes to dramatically empty the dumpster outside our playground every Wednesday.  And each week, you better believe we are running to line up at the fence for front-row seats to this exciting show.  He always rewards our enthusiasm with lots of honks and waves!

What a blessing to have a job that brings such joy!  I continue to thank God for it each day!

Birthday Science

Last week we got to attend an awesome birthday party for our friend Zane.  It was awesome because it was at a science museum, which was totally unique and fun!

The kids and parents were given lots of time to roam around exploring all the hands-on exhibits.

Then we were ushered into a private room, given lab coats and goggles, and walked through the steps for making slime.  We learned all about polymers, and the forms and movement of molecules in general, through this experiment.  And as the kids mixed their slime concoctions, I reflected on how this was an hour unlike any I've ever experienced-- its own crazy mix of chemistry lessons, cupcakes and presents!

   

The girls had a blast while learning and we were excited to celebrate one of our favorite friends with his wonderful family!

February = Spring

Yes, you read that title right.  Even after 12 years here in California's Central Valley, the fact that Spring comes in February still takes me by surprise each year!  Especially when I talk to family and hear about record-setting low temps, "cold weather days" off school, and home water pipes freezing in the middle of the day!  So, here is my attempt to share some sunshine and warmth and send you a little encouragement-- Spring is just around the corner for you too! :)

(The girls were cracking me up this year.  I asked if they thought they were getting too old for an almond blossom photo shoot.  They not only assured me they WERE NOT, they took control of things, inventing poses and deciding which trees made for the best for backgrounds!)

Recharging at the Coast

This weekend we were given a wonderful gift.  And it was given to us by complete strangers!  With a tip from Dorina, we discovered this incredible website that connects pastors, missionaries and chaplains with Christians all over the country who own multiple homes.  After a brief application and background check, we were welcomed to stay in a GORGEOUS cottage near the coast by some brothers and sisters in the Lord, who wanted nothing from us, but to bless our family and give us rest.  We had a few days off school, so this long weekend was spent reading, hiking, stargazing, meeting friends at the aquarium, and exploring the super fun property our generous home owners shared with us.

  

The girls rode down a zip line our cottage had about 127 times...and spent a lot of time climbing and getting stuck up in the tree house.

It was so wonderful to have a whole mini-house to stay in!  The girls' room was a loft, with skylights right above each of their single beds.  They fell asleep looking out at the twinkling stars.  Ella even saw a shooting star!   We were definitely blessed!

Our first full day of this getaway was spent hiking around Point Lobos in Carmel.  The scenery here is unsurpassed in beauty.  The ocean was a dazzling turquoise color and, on this particular day, the sun was warm and the skies clear and blue.

Even the seals seem to agree that this piece of land is the place to be!

With some binoculars, we were even able to watch a couple gray whales spouting and lumbering by!

 I love that they still hold hands!

In one park and in one day of hiking, you get the whole coastal experience.  We saw dramatic coastline, we played in the sand on the beach, we strolled through an other-worldly cypress grove, and we explored tide-pools teeming with little creatures while huge waves crashed on the rocks behind us.  As we walked, Dave and I talked about the surprise and delight we still feel that we get to live near such an incredible area!

The next day we had big plans to meet our good friends Jeff, Amy, Jonathan, Grace and Benjamin at the aquarium.  We are very thankful that they made the drive just to hang out with us!  We shared a wonderful aquarium day with our friends, once again marveling over the dancing octopuses, the graceful jellies, the lurking hammerhead sharks, and the splashy bat rays.

The scuba diver feeding fish in the Kelp Forest was dressed up for Valentine's Day and posing for pictures.

Girl selfie in the wave cave!

After the aquarium, we spent the afternoon visiting our Monarch butterfly grove and doing more tide-pooling/rock climbing/playing at the beach.  It's February, so I did not even think to pack bathing suits, but the day was so warm and pretty, the girls actually wanted to cool off in the ocean!  This adventure started as toe-dipping, and of course, led to fully soaked clothing.  And also, a big bummer of a parking ticket.  (Just so you don't think our weekend was too perfect! :)  Oh well!

We all have that warm, happy feeling of being rested and recharged now.  And it's thanks to some new friends who gave us the gift of hospitality, some old friends who made a big effort to spend quality time with us, and a great Creator who makes and shares beautiful things just for His glory and our pleasure! 

Stroopwafels and Star Wars

These are the valentines the girls came up with to give their classmates this year.  Delia carefully and thoughtfully chose which friend would receive which character and Ella stood by my side for an hour rolling dough balls and spreading caramel filling for her fancy Dutch cookies.  Love seeing their passion and personality shine through even little stuff like this!