On Sending Her Off to Camp

 Every once in a while I'm allowed to catch a glimpse into why I kept on doing something that was uncomfortable. For the last 4 years we have attended the Wednesday evening activities at Immanuel Baptist Church. Until COVID we had supper at the church before the children's and adult classes. I found the suppers to be rather lonely times while I generally sat alone and Jeremy came late when he got off work. I never felt like it was the right thing to do to stop going just because it was uncomfortable. I always had the sense that it was good for all of the children to have a social outlet and the prospect of friends. Interestingly, it was during quarantine that several friendships solidified and have very much enhanced my life as well as the children.

Aliza went to a week long camp with the youth group and it was in sending her off that I saw why I stuck with this for so long. She was SO excited. This group of friends has been the biggest gift. The leaders are not just there to provide a good time. They are calling these kids up to make commitments to Jesus and to follow Him in all of their decisions. So when it was time for Aliza to go and she could barely make time to say good bye, I held her face, looked her straight in the eyes and told her to have so much fun. I could only smile.

 Every picture I've seen she has the biggest smile. The girls did stay up until 1am the second night...there weren't as many pictures from that day!

Meanwhile, on the home front, the house is a little quieter. Anna is missing her sister. Anna got to be with her friend one day and we went to the cove. It was a really pretty day.

Aliza was doing the zip line....

....and swimming. This is seriously my favorite picture. Joy. Security. Freedom.

 

All the Fun Stuff

 This month our social calendar has been full. Today is the first day in several weeks where there is nothing on the calendar and I couldn't be happier about it. I love people and doing fun things and then I love coming home and having a day to catch up. I blame COVID for making me a full fledged introvert.

We had an afternoon at Pemberton Park hiking with friends.

Isaiah had his first follow up appointment with orthopedic. I was surprised and beyond thrilled when they fitted him with an Exos cast. It is REMOVEABLE and WASHABLE. Do you know what that means?! It can get wet! He takes it off to take a bath. The weekend after he got it we went to the beach. Jeremy is the master of problem solving so I wanted him with me the first go around at the beach with a cast. It went great. Isaiah played in the water. When we got home we washed and dried his cast while he took a bath and put it back on again.

Meanwhile, Aliza had Driver's Ed for 10 nights. She was the youngest in her class but it made so much sense for her take it with three of her friends from youth group. This was Aliza's first classroom experience. She adjusted and did great. I knew she would pass the test but I was anxiously waiting for her to get home that night to tell that she had, indeed, passed. One night the Moms of these kids went out to supper. Jeremy and I did a date night swap with another couple whose daughter was in the class.

Janell invited us to go to a Maui Jack's water park with her and girls. The water a bit chilly, but it was a really nice day to be out in the sun.

While we were there, Aliza was at a pool party with her dance class.

Josiah and Anna were all kinds of adventurous (for them) and went down the water slides. They LOVED it. Isaiah was pretty bummed that they didn't want to play with him the whole time.

Josiah, Renee and Lydia did the fast slides. Josiah went down more than once!

I hung out with Isaiah in the kids pool. He did have fun. Everyone wants to go back soon. Isaiah says, though, that he wants to wait until his arm is healed and he grows another inch to be able to go on the big slides.

Yesterday afternoon and evening Aliza was at the beach with her friends celebrating Alena's birthday. She had so much fun. I'm so grateful that she has this group to do life with.

 

 

Foundation

 I found it fascinating to watch the precision that the mason's used to lay the foundation perfectly square and straight. Aliza thought it was pretty creepy, but I kept peeking out the boys window to check on progress.

This will be the porch to the new back door.

It is fun to see the space defined.

And it was all finished in one day.
 

Joy Dare::May

8079. Jeremy got to go golfing
8080. Janell willing to help me pick out an outfit
8081. Aliza and Anna approved of my dress
8082. The most beautiful day to be outside
8083. Time with Jeremy
8084. Proposal story, engagement pictures and all the wedding talk
8085. School is finished!
8086. A trip to the store with all the kids (hadn't done that in a very long time!)
8087. Walking in the quiet this morning
8088. Mowed and trimmed yard
8089. Pink cheeked and sweaty kids
8090. Foundation that matches my skin
8091. Car time with Aliza
8092. Sitting around Mom's table
8093. Changing the supper plan on a whim
8094. Testing complete; officially summer vacation
8095. Safe trip
8096. Evelyn and Florence so excited to see their cousins
8097. Aliza and Anna willing to reach out to make a friend
8098. Sun at the right moments
8099. The happiest of couple
8100. A perfect succulent
8101. The 3 Heslop boys with their Mom on Mother's Day
8102. The opportunity to really visit with Sarah
8103. Looking at pictures with Florence
8104. The drive home was so smooth
8105. Anna's heart
8106. I slept all night.
8107. Home.
8108. Sore muscles
8109. Quiet evening
8110. Finished a book
8111. It's feeling like summer vacation has started
8112. Wednesday evening hour sitting beside Jeremy
8113. Perfect strawberry picking morning
8114. Hugging Grandad
8115. Anna being so helpful
8116. My barn sign bench made with love
8117. Perfectly roasted marshmallows
8118. Isaiah wanted to sit close to me and talk
8119. Gorgeous spring days
8120. Going into a store without a mask
8121. Bible studying
8122. Painting project
8123. Fire pit burning
8124. The call I wasn't sure would ever come
8125. Family work evening
8126. Some time with Josiah
8127. Aliza baking for book club
8128. Cleaning day
8129. Time to talk to Maria
8130. Jeremy made it possible or me to away most of the day
8131. Lines painted on the ground
8132. A beautiful day by the water
8133. Jeremy was with me when Isaiah got hurt
8134. Aliza, Josiah and Anna with wonderful friends
8135. Isaiah was so brave
8136. A warm blanket
8137. Mom willing to pick up the oldest 3 and get them settled
8138. Everyone pitching in to help Isaiah and make him comfortable
8139. My spirit encouraged and strengthened
8140. My family and friends
8141. Feeling all my feelings to the fullest
8142. Just enough strength to do the next thing
8143. Isaiah is so very very brave
8144. His thumbs up when I look over at him
8145. Back in our safe place--HOME
8146. A pretty decent first night
8147. Our second church
8148. Sweet gestures of friendship for Isaiah

8149. In the library checking out books!
8150. The childhood tradition--library, McDonald's, movie
8151. Foundation dug and footer poured
8152. Visiting with Mom and Dad on the deck
8153. Isaiah running around enough that he made me nervous
8154. Much needed rain
8155. Isaiah woke up happy this morning!
8156. Rainy weekend calls for a long nap
8157. Enjoyed putting together a scrapbook page
8158. The drive was shorter than I had planned on
8159. Aliza proud of trying something new
8160. The kids had a day with Grandma
 

Beginnings of a Foundation

 I was on the couch with Isaiah by 5:30am the second morning after his surgery. He was still very uncomfortable and not eating right. I had drifted off to a light sleep by 6:30 and had the most bizarre dream. I dreamed that Straight Edge Construction had a weekend company campout in our backyard. They were having all kinds of fun and at some point I had had enough of watching them have fun. I finally asked why they were playing instead of working on our addition project. After some discussion they told me that the project was just too complicated and had already been delayed so long that it just wasn't worth the work involved. They were withdrawing. Next thing I knew it was 8:00 and there was a truck driving in the driveway. It was Ryan, our project manager, coming in to get the mason's set up and oversee the digging of our foundation. I knew there was a chance they would come that day, but it was not for sure until they showed up. Needless to say, the project is still on! 

We are that creepy family that watches. Since the addition is going out from our sliding door we have front row seats right now.

For all the time we've waited, it was almost disappointing that the digging only lasted an hour!

The frame was installed for the concrete footer. While they did that, the children and I went INTO the library for the first time in over a year. It felt so good! It was McDonald's for lunch...because I was willing to feed Isaiah pretty much anything he would eat. The kids thought it was really great that the mason crew pulled up right beside us in the McDonald's drive through line.

Foundation trench looking down from upstairs.

We weren't home long before the concrete mixer pulled in. That was very exciting to watch. We watched from the girls room upstairs which ended up being a great view. We could see into the mixer while water was being added and the cement turned.

It was a hot afternoon and those guys worked hard. They had to move the concrete by wheelbarrow load to reach the far side of the foundation. They were still done by 2:30.

One day of work and now we've been sitting for a week so far. At that rate....well, we won't think about that!
 

 

Orthopedic Surgery and Beyond

We made it through the weekend and by early Monday morning I was feeling pretty good about things until I got the call from orthopedic saying that Isaiah needed to be at the hospital at 6am Tuesday morning and surgery was scheduled for 7:30am. Additionally, only one parent was allowed to accompany Isaiah. Even though I knew that would be the case, the reality of taking Isaiah by myself was a heavy burden. It was a catch 22. Jeremy could have taken him and they would both have been fine. But how does a Mama not take her child and be there when he wakes up from surgery. And so for the day I battled tears and anxiety. I told Isaiah that the doctors needed to make his bones straight and strong and they would give him medicine so that it wouldn't hurt. He was fine with it. 

And so on Tuesday morning Isaiah and I were in the car at 6:30am. I was barely holding it together and he showed no signs of worry. We registered and got settled in pre op and then were told that we would be waiting until 8:30...and then 9:20. Isaiah watched YouTube videos and played with the slinky and hot wheels car they gave him. He didn't complain. The longer we waited, the more nervous I got. Close to the end of the wait, Isaiah asked what was going to happen next. I told him that he would stay in the bed he was in and the nurse would take the bed to the room. He asked if I would be with him. I said no, I would wait for him here. He didn't react. Finally, the doctor came in (who I had not met until that moment) and explained what they would be doing. My eyes were full of tears. The nurse and anesthesiologist put the ipad on his bed and he laser focused on it as they wheeled him out. They told me that he never cried, got scared or asked for me. SO BRAVE!

Since I was the parent of a minor, I was allowed to wait in the same day surgery waiting room. Those waiting for adults had to leave the building. I curled up in a chair and sobbed. There is nothing ok about a parent waiting alone for their child during surgery. Thankfully I had a tribe of people texting me and willing to talk to me while I waited. Once I could talk and not just cry I did talk on the phone. It was just about 2 hours until the surgeon came out and sat down beside me. 

Dr. Huber showed me the post op x-ray and explained that Isaiah has small incisions at his wrist and elbow and a 3cm incision on his forearm where they cleared the muscle from between the bones and straightened the bone. He told me that Isaiah has a half cast right now--plaster on top, stabilized on the bottom and wrapped in ace bandage. In 2 weeks he will get a hard cast below his elbow which he will have about 4 weeks. And then he will have a removable brace. In 3-4 months the rods will be removed at a surgery center in a short, easy procedure. And then I waited for Isaiah to wake up enough for him to come back to me.

It seemed like a long time until recovery called me. They had to give him pain medicine and decided that he should go up to the pediatric floor for a few hours to recover and make sure his pain was under control. I was given a room number and headed up there. When I walked into the pediatric floor I was greeted and introduced to the nurses. The secretary ordered lunch for me and snacks for Isaiah. The nurse took me to the room and made sure I had everything I needed. I have never been so happy or relieved to be in a hospital room. We had privacy. I had a more comfortable chair to sit on. I could use the bathroom without making sure a nurse was with Isaiah. And then they brought Isaiah. When he recognized my voice was the only time his chin quivered. The pediatric floor did not seem very busy and his nurse was accessible and attentive. She relieved my anxiety with her expertise and obvious experience. The discharge process was started when Isaiah went downhill and was nauseous. At this point I was so very very tired. We had been in the hospital for 10 hours. I was physically and emotionally exhausted. So when the nurse asked me if I wanted to give him zofran  and stay longer or wait out the nausea, I could not make the decision. She suggested that we wait about 25 minutes and then decide how to proceed. After 20 minutes Isaiah handed me the bowl and said he felt better. Once Isaiah was told that he could go home he REALLY perked up. The last hurdle was that Isaiah had to stay with the wheelchair transport guy while I went to the parking garage and got the van. Once again Isaiah rose to the occasion. He didn't worry at all. He and the young guy pushing the wheelchair talked about Minecraft while I was gone.

As I was walking to the car, Isaiah's surgeon passed me on the sidewalk. I didn't recognize him, but he recognized me and took a moment to ask me how Isaiah was doing and if he was going home. We had a couple rough nights and a couple days of sitting on the couch and watching videos most of the day. Isaiah did feel good enough the next day to walk around outside for a bit and give me a thumbs up for a picture. The sling is his best friend. He keeps it on all the time even at night.

The morning after surgery was so early that I told Isaiah he had to take a nap. He slept very soundly and woke up miserable as I expected.

A get well soon balloon made him very happy.

As I'm writing this we are 6 days past surgery. Isaiah is back to his normal self. He is running, jumping, kicking soccer balls, wrestling with his brother and only wearing his sling when I tell him he has to. Through it all this little boy has been much braver than his Mama.
 

Not Your Average Broken Arm

This story is proving hard to write. It's hard to write about the hard things, but I have learned that, for me, writing the story allows me to let it go and stop going over it in my mind. I'm trusting that will prove true with this one. 

We were having supper with friends and were planning on an evening together. The children ate outside while the adults ate inside. Isaiah had finished eating first and was playing around while the other kids finished. He was siting like this (picture below). The other kids had suggested that he jump off, but Isaiah thought it was too high. So he sat down and was going to slide off. When he did, his foot caught on the first rung and that flipped him forward. He landed on his right arm.

Somehow he managed to walk in to me. As soon as I saw his arm I knew it was severely broken. Jeremy took one look at it and we were headed to ER. It wasn't far to the hospital, but it felt like a long ride. Jeremy carried him in and got him settled in a wheelchair. Slouched down a little and with his legs up, he could support his arm. He kept his left hand under his chin the whole time. Somehow he never cried. His breaking was heavy and he face was a picture of pain. He didn't want me to touch him so I stood right beside him for several hours.

Thankfully, Jeremy and I were both allowed to be in ER with him and I was able to go to X-ray with him. Isaiah was SO BRAVE. It had to have been excruciating to put his arm on the plate and position it just right.  The breaks were very obvious. At this point, we were told that they would have to set the bones (a procedure called reduction) under sedation.

Meanwhile, the other three children stayed at our friends' house and were enjoying their evening. I'm so thankful for these friends who were willing to keep the children as long as necessary and sent us off quickly with ice and a bowl...just in case.

Eventually we moved out of the ER hallway into a triage room where Isaiah got an IV. That was a bit of an ordeal, but Isaiah did great. It was the only time that he cried out. He was in a bed and got comfortable enough that he watched a some videos with Jeremy while we waited for a room for the procedure. 

It was getting late by this time. We had already had a busy day and I was getting pretty tired. My heart rate was still high and when I had a moment when Jeremy was occupying Isaiah I started shivering. When the doctor checked on Isaiah, he saw me sitting there, and decided that I needed a warm blanket. He was right. That warm blanket felt really good and by the time it had cooled off, there was a room ready for Isaiah.

While we were there with the team getting Isaiah prepped, we were told that these kinds of breaks almost always require orthopedic surgery. Not exactly what I was prepared to hear! Somehow Isaiah was able to remain calm while they got him ready. He didn't like the oxygen on his nose. I held his face until the medicine took affect and Jeremy and I waited in the hallway. As I'm sitting there crying a staff member pushes a wheelchair in and yells for nurses. Apparently the guy was coding...there were all shouts of "find a pulse", "get a bag," and "he's turning blue." That didn't help my level of anxiety. lol I'm pretty sure the guy was in the room beside Isaiah and he was sitting up and alert by the time we left.

The reduction was a quick procedure. It took much longer for Isaiah to wake up enough to go home. The doctors showed up the post reduction x-rays. One bone lined up very well. The other was not perfect. And so we were told that we would be scheduled for surgery on Tuesday. (This was on Friday.)

As the evening got later, I decided that Mom should pick up the older children and take them home. She graciously agreed after she had worked all day. Jeremy, Isaiah and I got home at midnight. Isaiah was beyond exhausted and he fell asleep right away. I, on the other hand, could not fall asleep. I did not sleep much at all. Isaiah woke up several times. It was very early in the morning when he and I moved downstairs and still much too early when I allowed him to start watching YouTube. That day Isaiah still had his hand under his chin. That hand kinda broke my heart.