Friday, January 4, 2008

Happy New Year!

Let's start this by reporting that my husband is doing well. It will take weeks for him to fully recover but I look at each day as one step closer to being healed. I'm so, so glad the surgery is over. Todd's face looks so much healthier, so handsome. I have been dreading the surgery for so long that it is hard to let go of it. I don't have to think about it anymore, I can breathe deeply again.

Now, on the down side ... we got home Saturday night. I had all day Sunday to try and get things unpacked, washed, etc. Plus help my husband. And then Monday, my daughter and oldest son woke up with fevers over 102! My daughter gets very ill when she has a fever, so I spent the whole day taking care of her, trying to help my son, assisting my husband and trying to keep my middle son from driving me nuts because he was bored. Didn't get much laundry done that day! Tuesday and Wednesday, things got a little better, thankfully, but now my middle son has the 102 fever. Three sick kids! I thought I was going mad a few days ago but the Lord is good. By His strength I am surviving. I am praying that the kids will recover soon and God will keep both Todd and me healthy. Carmen was a lot better today. It's amazing to remember that we were supposed to be at the hotel until New Year's Eve - and if we had of stayed that long, we would have had sick kids at the hotel. Praise the Lord we were able to get home before that.

My husband has asked that we take down all the Christmas stuff but, like, when? Who will help me? And who has time or energy at the moment!! I want it all down, too, but it'll have to wait its turn. It seems like we only had about 2 weeks of Christmas this year. We normally decorate right after Thanksgiving and remove everything on New Year's Day. With Todd's work schedule, the bad storm and blackout week, our trip to Leavenworth, Todd's surgery - after all that, there wasn't much left of Christmas. My poor little daughter was walking around today, going from room to room, bored. She's feeling well enough to play but her brothers and father aren't well enough yet. She leaned against me and said, "Our whole world has changed." I know what she means and it breaks my heart. She's nearly 7 and, of course, I want her life to be seamless but that's not realistic. She'll make it through this time in our lives and be stronger for it. She keeps asking me how many days ago was Christmas. None of us can remember what day it is. I've taken to marking the days off on the calendar to keep me straight. Pathetic, huh?

I thought about writing the details from our trip but I think I'll skip that. None of it really matters. My kids and I bonded more deeply through our days at the hotel without Dad. We missed him so much. I managed to hurt myself in many ways (nearly broke a toe on the day we left - it turned so purple I thought it would fall off. Still hurts.) I think I was trying to sympathize with my husband. I wanted to take the pain for him. I thought I packed earrings for our trip (I know, SO important) but never found them. (I still haven't.) I wore the same pair all week - made it easier to get ready. (Travel tip #15: Only pack one pair of earrings.)

On the Saturday that we left, I had told the kids we could swim that night. But that was before I knew we were going home. Briefly, my kids struggled with wanting to stay at the hotel and swim or have Daddy get out of the hospital. After being sternly eyed by me, they relented and agreed that it was better to have Daddy come home. Very good, kiddos! While Todd was in the hospital, Alec (middle son) slept with me at the hotel. He wanted to get my husband a stuffed armadillo he had seen in the hospital gift shop. I said it was too much money - Daddy might not want him to spend that much on a gift. Alec said that he'd spend all his Christmas money on Daddy, if it would make him well. Needless to say, we bought the armadillo. Lord, I love my kids.

2 comments:

Cat said...

Oh my - you have had a rough time of it my friend!

Am so glad that the family is coming through all of the various illnesses now. Make sure you get some rest time after all of this though!

Also, (just adding my 2 cents worth here..)try not to focus on what you didn't have over Christmas, but instead, maybe you could start planning ahead & generating excitement for something special to do as a family in spring or summer when Todd is completely recovered?

Hang in there!
Cate

Mama Self said...

Gifts from kids can be pretty strange, but they are so well-meaning, aren't they? My husband even got a "Marshall of Tombstone" badge for Christmas one year. Too funny!