I CAN'T BELIEVE SHE IS FOURTEEN!

Our sweetie is growing up so fast!   Erika started her day with the traditional favorite breakfast and present hunt. Sarah and Anna did a great job of organizing the clues.

She picked Eggs with pizza sauce and bacon bits.

 Present hunting

 Me working on putting Sarah's pictures up.

 sorry dear, Alli used that box for her gift. :)

She did receive her much wanted rash guard for boating. :)

A our friend came over to go boating and finish celebrating Erika's birthday.  It was her first time on a boat, and she did great!

 Erika took a spill and got a bloody lip.

 I think A had a fun time knee boarding.

 Anna is doing great on skis now.

 Erika picked cheese cake for her cake.

and we are finishing off with a movie.
Good night all! I think she liked her birthday. :)

Sarah is 13!

We had a really nice birthday yesterday with Sarah.  After the traditional present hunt, organized by Anna and Erika,

 we headed for the Lake with 7 girls!  

 All went well until the oil light on the van came on.  Being a mechanic's wife, I have learned that red means STOP!
I pulled right into another auto shoppe that suggested I could drive home another 5 miles. NOT! I know better than that.   I called Mike who was at a house painting, and he said, "Call a tow truck", DO NOT DRIVE. 

 While we were waiting for the tow truck we took silly pictures to pass the time. :)

 My friend showed up and took 6 of the girls back with her.

 Erika stayed with me . Here she is in the back seat of the tow truck.

The party resumed after daddy came home with the movie "Super Man", pizza and chocolate cake with strawberries. 

It was a really fun Sarah sort of day! :)

The Thrilling Thirteens! And A TWELVE Too! :)

Today, 3 out of 4 of our girlies are 13! :)

Sarah, Why Are You Hiding....

under the table?  I turned in my chair and saw this:

And then, when she didn't answer, I saw a more complete picture..... just a less complete Sarah.  LOL

Apparently somebody has sore leg.

Tim's Surgery Done

Well, phase one of Tim's surgery is done.  The first thing was to remove plates and pins from his surgery when he was  little boy, to ensure that they are not the real problem. They then injected his hip with cortisone.  Hopefully, HOPEFULLY this will help.  Dr. Sucato was very helpful in explaining why the hip is hurting today.  (Em's I'll tell you what he said later when we talk)  It made perfect sense, and is certainly related to Tim's Cerebral Palsy.

If the procedure this time does not work,  the next surgery will be a much longer recuperation time and much more involved. 
The doctor was very good, but the hospital was NOT Scottish Rite. I was not impressed.   I think we are spoiled at Texas Scottish Rite OR in reality, we aren't and THEY SHOULD be the standard. 
I have to say, if I were to get sick, I would not want to wind up at the hospital that handled Tim's post op. That said, we had a nice visit and Ilse even got to stay with us for the afternoon! :)

 

 She smiled and laughed all day long!
 Marcus came last night and we all had a really good time visiting.




Tim was feeling pretty good this a.m.  and ready to have breakfast.  The doctor came in right after this and said he could go home.  Walking will be a little difficult, but he'll be fine.

A Time to Remember A Time to Forget

Tomorrow, I will be going to the hospital for our son Tim.
Tim has Cerebral Palsy, and underwent some major surgery as a young child.  All of those surgeries except one, took place when I was a single mom.  I was ALONE.  I felt ALONE.
My precious mom in law, Dabba, my mom.... took care of the other boys while Tim had surgery.

That day, that awful day.... when he was just 6 years old.... I can still remember like it was yesterday.
TEN hours of surgery.... a bilateral femoral osteotomy and aducter release.... happened at the University of New Mexico hospital.  I remember sitting in the general waiting area nervously sewing Christmas Ornaments. I didn't DARE allow myself to feel.
Then, I could hear him. "You cut my legs off!"  That was not just in recovery! That was heard in the WAITING AREA! I saw that line that forbid me to cross..... and I was not allowed to go to be with him.  Then, they finally called me.  He was still screaming in pain.
They put him in an ambulance and transported him back to the hospital for kids with special needs.
The nurses looked at his chart and freaked out.  His orthopedist FORGOT to put in an order for pain meds.  NO KIDDING.... So they woke him with NOTHING!  NOTHING  after hammering and sawing and screwing my baby's legs.... NOTHING.
It took over 4 hours to find the doctor to get orders for pain meds.
FINALLY they were given and they were the WRONG DOSAGE. It was a NIGHTMARE.
3 days later, I went and found the director of the small hospital he was staying at.  I asked him to come to my sons room where if I even touched his HAIR he'd say, "Tt hurt mama for you to touch my hair."  That doctor "got it!" and a few hours later, he was on the PROPER dose of medicine to where he could actually rest.

No, I will NEVER forget it.

Every time he heard a siren he would cry.  They sent him home from the hospital too soon, so I demanded that they take him back. I called a pediatrician and explained that he had suffered severe pain and neglect at the hands of these "professionals" and he agreed that he needed to go back into the hospital for a "good experience".
The nightmares were AWFUL.

We both got over it over the years.... and then not.  All those feelings are raw tonight. I'm barely keeping it together. I think Tim is doing WAY better than me. :)

Tomorrow, I will conquer my fear, and spend the night with my precious son, to MAKE SURE that NOBODY treats him like they did when he was 6.  I'm older and MUCH braver and don't mind using my mouth now. :)  Tim WILL have his pain managed. :)

Pray for me.....and especially pray for Tim.  I pray this surgery alleviates the pain he has been in.
Thankfully, his doctor is somebody I respect and KNOW. He was the first doctor Erika saw at Texas Scottish Rite, and is now the director of surgery there. :)
I KNOW that he truly cares about Tim.   

When Erika had her last surgery, I was shocked when our new pastor came and sat with me almost ALL day!   It was WONDERFUL to NOT be alone!    It was actually the first time in a long time.
Only one other time did somebody sit with me. That was an associate pastor when Mike had surgery.

If you are a pastor reading this, please KNOW that your presence when somebody has surgery is MUCH APPRECIATED!  It is definitely NOT time wasted.  I remember....

My Little Women

This week started out HUGE.  I assessed the week on Sunday Night and pulled the covers over my head and decided to watch a brainless movie, "What About Bob".
After our fun trip yesterday, we got home and it was time to birthday shoppe for 2 girls. I haven't even thought about shopping for grand girls and grandsons too!   That has to be done like YESTERDAY!  I am getting more documents notarized today and then taking them to the new translator. Tomorrow, our son Tim is having MAJOR HIP SURGERY.  Because his little baby girl has many special needs and is on a feeding tube, she really cannot be left.   So, Em's will have to stay home.   I will be on pain watch for a couple of days.  At the same time we are getting a rent house ready for inspection on the 21st, and then we will be needing to go to Houston.  We have appts next week for Sarah at Scottish Rite because she has a bump on her arm we can't figure out.   And the list goes on.

So today, my little women woke up and became WOMEN for me. :)  I am not allowed to do anything today; not even fold a towel.  :)  They have taken over the house.  I just love their team work. :)

Anna even braided everybody's hair. :)

Way to go girls! :)
THANK YOU! :)

Alli Has Kitchen Duty

She takes wasted dishes very seriously! LOL
(Anna helped her come up with an idea)

A New Talent

Erika is so creative. She decided to try out clay.... and came up with a bird sitting on a top hat. :)
She just brings me joy. :)