replay

if you haven't read pete's post about maggie peeing in the floor,
then i recommend you read it here so you will know why this is considered a replay.
pete put maggie down for a nap this afternoon while i was laying in bed.
he took he boys to the library for the african drum & dance presentation.
they weren't gone 2 minutes before maggie started singing to herself.
she does this often,
and i think she enjoys it,
never crying,
just cooing, talking, and throwing everything out of her crib,
content.
after about 30 minutes of this i decided i should go get her.
i wasn't prepared for what i was about to see!
she was totally naked, no diaper.
she was straddling the crib slats with her feet hanging out.
when i opened her door, i burst out laughing,
and so did she.
the smart baby that she is,
i asked her if she took off her diaper.
she shook her head yes.
i asked where it was, and she pointed to the end of her crib.
(it was actually there.)
the point of the story...
i got her out of her crib;
that's funny to watch, hopping on one leg,
and she ran off.
i slowly scooted after her on my scooter.
i found her peeing in the kitchen floor.
she was laughing trying to get away and slipped in it.
i knew she would need a bath.
once i corralled her there and got her clean,
i let her loose again while i tried to diaper her.
she's faster than i am now that my transportation mode is crutches or a scooter.
i caught her in the front room,
peeing in the floor.

so, the moral of the story?
we all blunder when our kids want to pee in the floor.

oh, and a total pee side note...
sam and will decided to pee in tupperware bowls tonight in the bath and put a lid on it to save it.
that went right in the garbage.
such a fascination with pee over here it's no wonder maggie pees so freely!

letting go

(my first project post surgery)
relaxing does not come easily for me;

i wish it did.

i'm a doer and would prefer to be doing something all the time.

moving all the time at least.

while i am all for embracing how you are,

i can very much see the value in expanding your capacities.

so, that is my mission for the next 6 weeks.

i will calm down,

give focus to the slower aspects of my life that still need attention that often get neglected because it feels like i'm not doing anything when i'm not moving on my feet.

some things on my relaxing list include...

*learn to not hate tv and how to use it as a tool

*filling photo albums

*scanning old photos & making electronic backups of all my digital files

*update baby books

*learn how to use all the features of our new camera

*reading for pleasure

*hand embroidery projects

*sitting outside in the early mornings or late evenings

*sitting with my children, watching them, and letting them lead me through the activities they want

*reading the 3 binders of jr. high & high school writings by me (now that will be a treat; if you are lucky, then i'll share a few little gems here from time to time. :) )

i'm tempted to make this list longer & longer.

i will fight that urge, so i can give focus & savor to the activities listed.

and hopefully by the end of 6 weeks, i will not only have a new foot but hopefully a calmer self, too.

this is a happy place to be.

i know how lucky i am to have a husband who takes care of me and can hold down the fort,

so i'd be crazy to not be happy in this place and in this time.

the good and the not so good

the good part of the day...

feeling much better than i did yesterday.

feeling so much better in fact, i sat outside and finger painted with the children in the driveway.

boy, was that fun!

sam was very into painting scenes of summer... swimming pools, motorcycles, & popsicles.

will did a few handprints and was then more interested in riding his bike.

and maggie, oh maggie! she loved every bit of it.

especially the parts where she rubbed the paint all over her body and used the mixing spoon to eat the paint.

the not so good part of the day...

over-doing it by finger painting with the children and then feeling pretty wiped out the rest of the day.

bloody toe

i have been laid up most of the day with just enough concentration to stare at my big toe propped up in the air.

i havent been able to figure out why having a pin screwed into your bloody toe hurts so bad,

but it sure does.

needing some advice...

can someone please inform me why so many people are addicted to lortab?

i feel like a doped up fool and can't wait to shake this feeling.

i must admit that i would almost rather feel the pain.

on another note... i am in desperate need of movie suggestions.

i will watch anything but prefer something that makes you feel a little smarter after watching or like you have been somewhat inspired.

i need something to help pass time while my brain is still so cloudy.

i'm not quite to the focus on a book stage.

please pass along any suggestions.

im having a hard time waking up

i am rather impressed with this surgery so far.

in and out of the hospital in 6 hours,

and i hadn't felt a thing until about 2 hours ago when the nerve block started wearing off.

wait, i take that back,

when i woke in recovery it felt as if someone cut off my big toe and scratched up my throat.

they instantly dosed me with some good ol' lortab.

it killed the pain, my stability, and ability to stay awake.

oh, and apparently it relaxed all my facial muscles as well.

(see photo above.)

pete and the nurse teased me that my bottom lip was sticking out for quite some time,

and i was found muttering "i'm having a hard time waking up" about 200 hundred times.

i was also reminding them to be careful with my left leg because i just had surgery on it.

(i'm sure they needed the reminder.)

i slept most of the day yesterday and all night and some time this morning.

so, i guess you could say i'm still having a hard time waking up.

once i'm fully awake, i will be forcing myself to learn the artful skill of just relaxing.

We're Back

Pete's Post:

The Last pic of Jen's "old" foot. Excited and ready for battle.

An Enthusiastic Jen Waiting for the knife or do you think the surgeon used a sword???

First Glance at the new foot...well a splinted new foot. :)

Post Surgery doin' great! I have a more sedated photo that I not going to post because I am not prepared to spend 6 weeks on the couch. :)

The splint.

She needs to get used to this puppy. It's going to be with her for 6 weeks. During this time no weight and no water. It's going to be interesting:) I got her a shower stool to help out and to be honest it sounds kind of fun.

Since we have been home she has just rested in bed. Her first food that she just had to have since being home...Arby's beef and cheddar with curly fries and a bowl of Tillamook icecream. It's been kind of fun playing nurse. I am getting a little glimpse of what she did for me. :)

never again...

never again will i be able to bend my left so far up that it almost touches my shin.

never again will it feel like there is a bone coming out of my heel when i walk barefoot.

never again will my limp look quite like it does now.

and thank goodness i will never have to wear those gray simple shoes or miz mooz again!

while these losses will more than likely feel like upgrades after tomorrow's surgery,

it still feels like i'm losing something unique about the body that i have always known.

tonight i got out all my old braces that i wore when i was a very young baby and child.

i was using them to explain to my boys how my body has always been and about tomorrow's surgery will be changing my foot.

they were rather impressed.

so impressed they were determined to fit the molded braces onto their too big & misshapen feet.

they were even impressed with the one-piece muppet baby jumper that my grandma made me for my 1st surgery.

(that was sure a clever suit! the crotch snapped so i never had to pull down my pants over my full length cast to go to the bathroom.)

they were so impressed that they had to try it on,

and twirl around in it.

i was 6 at the time i wore it;

i must have been the same size as will is at 3;

it fit him perfectly.

i think i must have been sam's size when i was about 9. :)

perhaps in 26 more years i will look back on this night, sharing my story with the boys,

and just may not be able to remember exactly how it felt to walk this way or feel this way.

but just like i could remember the little girl of so many years ago like she never changed,

perhaps this phase won't be entirely forgotten either.

just improved.

where have i been & where will i be?

my surgery is in 12 days.

i feel confident that it will be a positive thing.

i'm only nervous that i haven't prepared my home and family enough.

so, instead of blogging or sewing or reading or anything else i love,

i will be making freezer meals, organizing my house, & playing with my family for the next 12 days

just so i will be able to sit out for 6 weeks to heal.

and scan all my photos, read a stack of books on my nightstand table, make a basket of felt food for the kids, catch up on blogging, and maybe take a nap, or watch a movie or 2.

what a busy recovery this will be!

(but don't tell anyone... if i really get to do all of those things, it will actually feel like a vacation! i guess there has to be at least one perk of such a big surgery. :) )

the hooker game

i guess may is a sinker when it comes to blog writing.

it just wasn't happening for me over here;

we were too busy trying to reel in spring,

and too busy dreaming up games like the hooker game.

all morning yesterday i could hear sam & will playing.

they kept referring to each other about the "hooker game".

knowing full well they don't know what a real hooker is,

i was curious to what their interpretation was of a hooker.

i discovered them in maggie's room with about 20 bungee cords hooked all over her room,

creating a very complex web that led from her crib to the closet to the dresser to the rocking chair and to the door knob.

so, that, my friends, is how you play the hooker game.

i would have taken a picture had maggie not thrown our camera in the bath tub.

(it was full of water, and it is ruined.)