Wednesday, March 30, 2011

It's Time to RUN ... JUMP ... PLAY

Today marks 4 week post-op WOOOHOO!!!  Yes, I have survived (most of) the recovery process ... or I should say MY FAMILY has survived! I knew even in the decision-making process what aspect of this whole surgery-thing I dreaded most:  the operation itself?  Eh, no big deal.  Not able to lift or carry sweet little Lucy? Yeah, that was the big deal. So ...

Over the past 4 weeks, Granny has been a very good patient (if I must say so myself).  I've even surprised my family!  My rational has been this:  I could either be a good patient now (4 weeks) and heal with no set-backs, or I could risk something going wrong and possibly more recovery time -- or even more surgery.  Yeah, it was a no-brainer. 

In celebration of the 4-week milestone, Lucy & Granny sent her parents down the road ... well, to run their errands & get some lunch. This was the first time that I hung out with my girl alone since surgery!  So, we made a batch of Lucy's most favorite cinnamon muffins! AND special mini-cornbread muffins (this is the smallest muffin pan I've ever seen).  We watched movies (too cold & rainy to go outside) while we ate lunch, and we did a lot of "RUN ... JUMP ... PLAY" too.  Ahhhhh, it feels good to be back (I'm not officially 'released' for another 3 weeks, but Granny's back now)!

I do want to share some pictures of how Lucy & her Mommy welcomed Granny home 4 weeks ago ('Joe was out of town for a few days, but he was just as protective to me as everyone else was).  

Welcome Home Granny!

Movies & TV to watch on my laptop while relaxing

Mrs Joe's lap-tray to keep on my bed w/ books & crochet items.
(The day before surgery, Lucy picked out this brand new beautiful yellow blanket for her Granny. She wanted me to have a new one since our comforter was being dry-cleaned. Don't I just have the sweetest little granddaughter ever!!!)
Lucy even gave me her special flowers from the Great Ones to enjoy

From the Great Ones when they came to visit after I came home

As much as I had wanted to delay this surgery until the Joe's were stationed, God's timing is always perfect!  When I would hear a certain little voice outside my bedroom door insisting to everyone in the house "I need to see my Granny now!" ~~~ "I need to tell my Granny something!" ~~~ or asking me "Granny, do you need anything?" ~~~ "Granny, are you feeling better now?" ...  ahhhhhhh, yes, God's timing is perfect.



My special little nurse ... whether keeping her Granny company or going out with her Mommy & Daddy ~~~ she has been quite a trooper these past 4 weeks of recovery.  




 Your Granny loves you, Lucy!!!!! 

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

A Glimpse into Granny's Younger Days

One of my goals for this blog is to give my granddaughter Lucy a background on our family history.  I hope to show her a glimpse of my childhood that I have also shared with Lucy's Mommy.  So I thought that as I still some recovery time in front of me (nothing major), I will post some of pictures of my childhood and my family that God so graciously blessed to me.

 This is Lucy's G-G (my Mother) holding little baby me! And my cousin L was like my big sister.


 
This is my Granny (Lucy) holding me and my cousin L. We were on the steps of my Aunt H's house (next door to Granny's).  Aunt H was my cousin L's Mother. 


 I was on the front steps of my Granny's house (where my parents & I lived with Granny & my Aunt K).  This picture was probably the Spring '65.
My parents with me.  I learned so much from both of them, and am very thankful to have them.  I believed that I had the coolest parents back then -- and still do!

This was at my Granny's house -- the best home for a child to ever grow up in!
With my cousins and church friends.  Front row is my cousin B, cousin L, then me, next to me is C (cousin's cousin), then D (our pastor's daughter).  Back row is cousin M, then J (our pastor's son), then cousin T and cousin K.

What a great family to grow up in! And this isn't even all of us!!  I'll post more pictures later.  But for now ... I just wanted to share some of my younger days with my granddaughter.


 

Sunday, March 13, 2011

11 Days Post-Op

I knew going in to this surgery that recovery was the #1 thing I dreaded.  And I was right. 
Eleven days and I’m ready for recovery to be over.   
(And, just between you & me – 
it really should be over, shouldn’t it?)   
But, it’s really not that easy.  Although this was not a life-depending surgery, it is still considered major surgery.

And so, I’ve wondered:

            Am I recovering the right way?  Am I supposed to feel this way in this recovery process?  Am I doing too little? (I certainly don’t think I’m doing too much)  Why do I have energy one day and hardly any the next? Should I be doing …?  Just what is the right way to recover?  Why aren’t I recovering as quickly as a friend did? (Afterall, surgery was 11 whole days ago!)  Should I feel this way?  Am I failing at this recovering thing?  What am I supposed to be doing?


So, here’s a few answers I’ve come up with …

 ~~~  This surgery may be a “routine” surgery, but it’s not routine for me.  Yes, I’ve read that it’s one of the “safest” surgeries that doctors & surgeons perform.  Yes, there are various methods of performing this surgery & my doctor used the less invasive method.  Yes, I was only in the hospital for one night.  But I’ve never had this surgery before … so it wasn’t “routine” for me. ~~~

~~~ There are various circumstances for having this surgery. Some for lesser reasons, some for more serious reasons. Mine was more middle of the road, but for issues that I’ve dealt with for many years & some current issues from the past couple of years. Some procedures last as short as an hour, some last longer. Mine was not anticipated to last as long as it did (about 2 ½ hours) … even to the surprise of my doctor. ~~~

 ~~~It’s okay … 
I’m recovering as I should … 
not how anyone else should … 
but how I should recover. ~~~


I am blessed. 
Granddad … Mrs. 'Joe (yeah, my daughter's the best --- I'll have a post later) … ‘Joe … Lucy … the Great Ones … family … friends … church … prayers … a special gift bag to help keep me occupied ... wonderful meals that have been prepared & brought to our family … 
my list goes on. 

I praise God for His many blessings in my life … 
I am grateful for recovery ... 
And now ~~~ rest.


Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Happy Birthday, Granddad!

Today is a special day in our household ~~~ 
it's Granddad's birthday! 
 
So, Lucy got up bright & early to help her Mommy
make Granddad a special birthday breakfast ...


Stuffed panini french toast with a cinnamon twist & orange juice ... and Lucy's special homemade card!
The special birthday card!

Say "cheese"!

Granddad "just happened" to be on the same side of town as one of Lucy's most 
favorite restaurants around lunchtime.  
So ... 

The Cheesecake Factory!



Lucy had to "test" Granddad's french fries (and he got a hug too!)


Lucy loved playing with the Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake
 
 
Looks like Lucy made Granddad's birthday a very special one!
 
 
 
Happy Birthday to my dear Husband ... 
Thank you for sharing your past 27 birthdays with me ... 
I love you very much!
 
 


(Granny's one week post-surgery & doing very good ... even being a good patient if I must say so myself. I'll post later with some pictures of my special nurse who is making my recovery easier)

Friday, March 4, 2011

On Being Blessed

This past Wednesday I had a surgery that was 30+ years in the making. I admit that I was a little nervous about it. Mostly because it will be several weeks before I can resume my Granny-activities with Lucy. However, this surgery was for my best health reasons. I had wanted to put this off until the 'Joes were posted somewhere, but it just couldn't wait any longer. So, I knew that I would be leaving our household in the hands of a very capable young lady who already has her hands full --- my wonderful daughter Mrs. 'Joe. Granddad is in his busy season at work, and 'Joe is in & out of town during this time. So, Mrs. 'Joe truly has a lot on her plate right now.  But she is taking care of every little & not-so-little detail around here.  And Granddad brings work home with him every evening in order to stay steady with his workload.  I am blessed.

The Great Ones came over to our house Wednesday morning to hang out with the 'Joe family during surgery time.  Then came to the hospital to see me after my recovery-time.  (I'm so thankful to have my parents who will go completely out of their way, drop whatever they're in the middle of, no concern over their own health --- but to come and be with our family during this time.) Our out-of-state family checked on us throughout the day. (It really doesn't matter how many miles of black-top lay between family, we're still very close-knit. And I love them for everything.) Yes, my whole family is wonderful! 

And I stand speechless to our friends & church family. The love, care and encouragement they have given to our family during this time has been remarkable. One of my very best friends has checked on me all week as surgery approached and the day of surgery, and even stopped by to see me today!  (I have really missed our time together.) Another great friend has been in touch with me almost daily to see if I've needed anything.  (Looking forward to getting together with her again.)  One of our pastors came to sit with Granddad during my surgery (which lasted a bit longer than anticipated).  Our Care Team is even providing meals for our family over the next couple of weeks.  Family, friends & our whole church body ... text messages, Facebook posts/messages, phone calls ... yes, I'm just speechless at the support we've been shown.
We are truly blessed.

Below is a link to the post Mrs 'Joe made Wednesday morning. Granddad & I left for the hospital before 7am so that Lucy wouldn't see us leaving with my overnight bags. This definitely is the hardest part of recovery for me, but I sure do not want to prolong recovery time or have a glitch somewhere that I could have prevented. So, I am really trying to be a good patient. And Lucy has even come in to "Granny's bedroom" to check on me today and to help her Mommy take care of me.  Although she may not understand everything, she knows that Granny has sore "ouwies" that need to get better.
I  just melt with her smiles, giggles, and non-stop energy. 
I have the best medicine I could ever need ... my relationships.




Hope you stop by to check out the Mrs. Joe's blog:



Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Feel Better Mommy!

This is Mrs. G.I. Joe borrowing my mom's blog for a bit :) She had surgery this morning and is now out and starting her nice little "mandatory vacation." Eat your heart out Charlie Sheen because her vacation starts with pain killers!

Mom, you did awesome today like I knew you would! Now you can just kick back and let other people wait on you hand and foot. That will probably be worse than the surgery for you, I know. But you deserve a break. And soon you'll be swinging Lucy around Disney World and chasing her through our "forest." Love you and miss you!

Back later to post some pictures :P