Surgery admission tomorrow!

It has been a few months since I wrote, and of course, much has happened. I finished two more semesters, joined an art group, and until lately walked every morning for a few miles. Benjamin restarted his lawn service job, finished 10th grade, and had a pre-admit at the hospital in July. Jeremy is doing well at MCC, working two jobs, and discovering being a grown-up has its challenges, not the least of which is budgeting. Preston is really hitting his stride, and ADHD meds are a precious thing(this pleasant behavior brought to you by... ). His reading has opened great horizons for him. Melissa Grace is staying with Jeremy and Zach and Angela while we are gone and Vicki is watching Starla and Preston. Alan has their menus and schedules all planned for the evenings. MG is just doing great, as is Starla who will be turning three this month.
The biggest thing right now is admitting to shriner's hospital in Chicago tomorrow. His surgery is scheduled for Monday morning. He will be in ICU the first day. His top jaw is to be moved forward, if the surgeon's plans don't change. The plans have changed from bottom jaw back, to both jaws, to just top jaw forward. He will be hospitalized until Friday, and his jaw fixed closed and on liquids for two weeks. Soft foods for 6 weeks. He could lose as much as 20 pounds.
We beg your prayers. His email is:
qapla_x@yahoo.com


Benjamin's before picture. We'll send post-surgery pictures as well.



I have also for the first time grown real vegetables in my very small garden. A dozen tomatoes are the fruits of my labors.

Off to get a good night's sleep!

A surgery date in Chicago

After years of searching for an option, then nearly two years of braces, we have a surgery date! August 10th, Benjamin is to have jaw surgery. His discharge date is the 14th. We will have pre-admit July 20th.
Wow, now I have the worries over the actual surgery and Benjamin's healing up. Up until now, my worry seemed to be having it happen at all.
Orthagnathic surgery encompasses a number of jaw problems. One problem is an upper jaw that is smaller than adequate for the lower jaw. Another is having a lower jaw too small. There are also many bite and symetry problems as well.
Though Benjamin didn't know the difference, I was shocked when I found that he had to tear his food with his teeth, and could never bite into anything. No orthodintist would put him in braces to correct the problem without surgery because of the severity of his bite. And we could not afford the surgery.
We are very thankful for Shriner's hospitals. I can't imagine how frustrated I would be, had they not taken care of Benjamin. Every person there that we have dealt with, and there have been dozens, from surgeons to social workers to the bite engineer fellow with all the gadgetry, everyone has been amazingly good and kind and helpful to us.
Because we will be gone a week, Alan is gnawing his nails off. 7, 6, and almost 3. Those are the ages the little ones will be by then, and they'll be all his all week. Why do I feel a smirk coming on? I think we will try to have plenty of help for him by then.
Benjamin is going to be on a liquid diet for several weeks after surgery. Anybody know any recipes for pureed fried chicken, or a good liquid roast beef?


Do other people's 2 year old's constantly find ways to escape to the outside? She's going to make me crazy. (Okay, crazier. Accuracy police, be satified.)
That coment had nothing to do with the topic, but everything to do with what I have been doing all afternoon.

Fear and Following the Father

Ash is raining down on my little town. Smoke billows over my house and as far as the eye can see from west to east. Where is the fire? Is there a new wildfire nearby again? Will I lose my home like the lady did just two days ago about 6 miles from me? That fire was miles away but with thirty mile an hour winds blowing our way, who knew what would happen? Now, just two days later, where is the fire? The news mentioned two- one to the south 30 miles and one to the west about 30 miles as well. But is there a new one close by?
So many questions, and a little gnawing anxiety sits heavy in my chest.
Am I casting all my care on Jesus? Do I remember he cares for me?
Deep breath. Pray. Trust. Yes, I remember. Yes, I cast this care about fires and evacuations and uncertainty on my Savior. He knows. He has never once failed me, not in forty years.
If I lost all this, this stuff, what have I really lost? Stuff.
I have my Lord, my family.


And the sheriff's department said (yes, I called)that the ash is falling all over two counties from the fire to the west. Freaky. But the fire is in an unpopulated area. People are safe right now.


We are only living in "right now" anyway. Sufficient unto the day...
And we can thank the Lord for that, too!

Chicago

Benjamin and I are back from Chicago after his clinic appointment at Shriners Hospital. His surgeon said his models and tooth movement look good but that he isn't sure he is finished growing. They don't want to operate while he is still growing so he doesn't outgrow the surgery. We will know in a couple of weeks. If we have to wait, he'll have another checkup with x-rays in about 6 months. We also learned that instead of moving his bottom jaw, it is more likely that they will move his top jaw out more and if absolutely necessary, move his bottom in just a little.
The weather was better this time up north, and our trip was fine.
The children at home did well, and Alan survived with minimal hand-wringing.

Why wetlands don't have royalty

In the Okefenokee Swamp

Without any hokey pomp

A king thumped out a low-key stomp

From a gator with a poky chomp.

Car rides home with a load of sleeping children would be great time to plan a week's menu or sing or pray or somehow be useful.

I dream up silly poems.

Jeremy is now signed up for classes, has his books, and seems poised to get his work study job. His schedule sounds quite doable.

Benjamin is scheduled for an evaluation February 2nd, in Chicago, where we will get a surgery date, probably late spring or early summer.

Preston is learning piano, Starla is using new signs and words, and Melissa Grace now loves squirrels, which used to elicit screams of terror. ("If you see any squirrels and don't scream or be scared, I will give you candy!")

Some time back, our cleaner fish 'disappeared' from the tank. I secretly think the other fish cleaned up the cleaner fish. The family was discussing the disappearance when Preston said, "Maybe he drowned."

Goodnight, all, and remember safety-- Watch your fish around water!!

email test 2

okay, an hour's worth of fun looking through pictures for posting just got ... annoying... after all the ones I found disappeared. I understand the email posting alerts gave an error message. So I am trying again.

Hey, look. I found part of the lost post! Wanna see?

I'm really enjoying just looking through pictures for this site. What a fun time this blogging thing is.


One of my favorite pictures. This is Starla at about a month old, back in September of '06.

Do this many people ever get still all at once? Jeremy's 18th birthday picture, the one where everyone has their eyes open, anyway!