Spring is in the air

Spring is in the air, but not yet on the ground. The winter snow has melted and disappeared back into the thawing earth. The birds are returning from their winter homes, the sounds drifting through the leafless trees. The grass is still dormant and the trees have yet to bud. However, the warmth of 60 degree temps have us dreaming of the sunny days of summer yet to come. The transformation from winter snow to spring time has been amazingly quick. A mere three weeks ago we had just finished digging out from 24 inches of March snow. Now the snow is completely gone, the sidewalk cafes are open, people are out riding bicycles, and the more that 2 feet of ice that has covered the lakes since November are almost gone as well.

We have had a nice weekend of temps in the 60's both days. Not very sunny but warm none the less. Nik and I spent the afternoon yesterday cleaning out the many cardboard boxes that have piled up in the garage over the last few months. Last night we lost electrical power for about 45 minutes. Not sure what the cause was, but the whole neighborhood was dark. It was kind of fun to have the house lite up with only candles, while Catie and I played cards at the kitchen table. Rain fell steadily throughout the night and this morning dawned clear and warm.

Chris is doing well. She is more active each day. She still is using her back brace during the day, but not at all at night. She is walking at about 60% although her flexibility is still probably in the 25% range. Since she still can't bend over to pick things up off the floor, she has gotten really good at picking things up with her toes. Now if she could only sign her name with her feet I might be able to get her on late night TV!

Brace Free is the Way to Be!

It's been a really interesting week in many ways. Also, obviously a very busy week since I've not posted an entry since Monday! So, were to begin? Why with a Christina update of course, since that's the only reason any of you are still reading this! ;-)

This week marked several more recovery firsts for Chris. On Wednesday night she successfully slept through the night without the use of her Tylenol PM. It worked so well that she has not taken one for the last three nights. She really likes waking up without that groggy sleeping pill feeling anymore, and she is still sleeping comfortably. Also this week on Thursday night she slept without her back brace for the first time. This too went well and didn't negatively effect her rest. She still needs to wear the brace during the day for support as she's moving around, but for sleep she seems fine without it.

Chris has also felt good enough to venture on in the car by herself for short trips to the store. She made a Culver's custard run and ended up buying a half gallon of custard. As she was eating her custard last night she mentioned, "you know I'm kind of getting sick of custard" Oh the sacrilege! Sick of custard?! Well I told her she needs to lay off the stuff until our favorite little custard stand opens for the summer here in Excelsior. It just wouldn't be summer if we couldn't go there on a hot summer evening.

The weather has been a real roller coaster. On Tuesday it was 66 degrees, but we were reminded that winter isn't over quite yet when it snowed on Thursday evening. The last two days we've had highs in the low 30's but that's still better than the single digit and sub zero weather we had in February. All our lovely snow from two weeks ago is almost gone, the snow cave in the back yard is now just a big pile of collapsed snow. Oh well, it was sure fun while it lasted. We are looking forward to spring and are enjoying the longer evenings since daylight savings kicked in. It sure it nice to have light until almost 8pm.

Home Cookin'

There are those among us that cook to live, and others the live to cook. Chris has always been one of the the later. She loves the art of cooking, the taking of ingredients and adding a piece of herself to create something that brings joy to others, that in return brings joy to herself. It's a part of what makes her who she is. It is also a piece that has been missing in her life since February 5th. Missing that is, until this past Sunday evening when with the help of Catie and I she prepared a delicious home cooked meal. By her standards it was a simple meal. Pan fried chicken with capers, oven roasted asparagus and brussel spouts and Catie's famous "Couch" potatoes. The five of us had the chance to all sit down and enjoy one of her creations, enjoy each others company and give thanks for the progress she is making in her recovery. We still have a freezer full of donated meals that have been such a blessing for us this past month. But it's nice to know that Chris has marked one more milestone on her journey. The fact that it happened on the the day we Spring ahead with daylight savings makes it even more memorable.

Donnie G's back in the house!

On Saturday morning we reached another mile stone in Christina's recovery. Her stitches are now healed to the point were its not as painful when she sneezes. The stitches them selves are totally healed up, even though there is still quite a bit of scar tissue that needs to heal. So, since sneezing will not cause any damage, Chris decided it was time to bring our cat Cookie back home. Cookie had been living with Alex's friend Andrews family for the last 5 weeks. They were very kind in helping us by taking him in the weekend before Chris came home from the hospital so the kids and I could do a top down house cleaning to rid the house of all the cat dander that was lingering around waiting to trigger a sneeze attack. The good news is our efforts were rewarding in that Chris has maybe sneezed two or three times in the last 5 weeks.

Before Cookie could rejoin the family I had to take him to the pet groomers. You see, Cookie aka Don Gato (Spanish for boss cat) or as we affectionately refer to him as Donnie G, needs to have his fur trimmed down to his skin in order for him to peacefully exist in our allergy sensitive home. A small price to pay when we rescued him from the animal shelter 6 years ago. He gets the king of the jungle cut, which leaves a lion like mane and lion puff tip tail. I'll include some before and after pictures so you can see how woolly he is left Au Natural and how neat, tidy and downright adorable he looks after his makeover. The groomers all just love working on him, he's so mellow and easy going.

Chris an I got out of the house to run a few errands today. She is still moving pretty slow, but managed to get in and out of two stores with out her walker or wheel chair. She continues to get a little bit stronger each day. However a big day like this still leaves her pretty sore and tired at the end. The weather was beautiful today with a high of 45 degrees. The 24 inches of snow that fell just last weekend is rapidly melting and will probably be all gone by next weekend. Tonight we spring ahead into daylight savings so Spring is finally hear!

Like Father, Like Son

As anyone that knows my father will attest to, he as a knack for bumping his head. I don't mean this as a metaphor, I mean he really bumps his head on stuff. I'm talking window ledges , doors, the roof of the car, the list could go on and on. It seems like every time I see him he has some kind of scab some where on his head from some unfortunate cranial impact. Now, I'm not trying to be mean. I find it to be one of the many things that make him unique. Me and my siblings have had many a good belling laugh sitting around the table after a family meal trading stories about Dad's head bumping antics.

We'll the torch has been passed and I am know begining on a skull smacking career of my own. Yesterday morning I was walking into the closet in the bedroom to get dressed. Something caught my eye on the TV as I kept walking, not looking exactly were I was going and SMACK! I cracked the top of my head on the corner of this huge TV cabinet. This big honkin' 90 degree corner at the perfect hight to scrape along the top of my head. I just know I made the same face I've seen Dad make countless times...shoulders hunched, head bent slightly forward, eyes twisted shut and teeth clenched in pain.....DHHOOO!!! Man did that hurt! So off I head to work sporting a really nice 2 inch raw scrape right across the top of my head.

Now, this is not a first for me, my own kids have some stories they could tell, but this latest experience got me thinking and I have now developed a theory, that goes something like this. Every man has a magnetic force inside his head. As a baby it's the force that makes his head seem heavy, wobbly and unstable. As we grow, our hair gets thicker and fuller, thus insulating the magnetic force and keeping it in check. As a man ages, and this hair begins to thin, this changes the delicate balance that has protected the mans skull for low these many years. Once the magnetic force is left unchecked, the head is now drawn torward it's inevitable impact with items hard and sharp. You can try to fight this relentless force, and may even control it for weeks or even months at a time, but it is always there. Just waiting for that one small moment of weakness or lack of focus and WHAM! there you go. Smack, grimus, bleed and scab. The endless cycle of the folically challenged.

Feeling Stronger Every Day

Today was another good day for Chris. Her pain level continues to decrease a little bit each day. She has now stepped down from Extra Strength Tylenol every 3 to 4 hours to regular strength Tylenol every 4 to 5 hours. Her total dosage yesterday was only 2,000 mg which is half of her allowance. Her level of mobility continues to increase gradually as well. She is focusing on trying to use the walker less throughout the day and also do more sitting vs laying down when she gets tired. Her spirits are good as well. When I call her throughout the day I can just hear in her voice, the woman I fell in love with all those years ago.

Also, for the second day in a row, Chris was able to do one of the things she loves most, cook. Thanks to our friends at Quad and the genius of Let's Dish we had a delicious home cooked meal of scrimp pasta. As always when Chris cooks the presentation was equal to the quality of the food it self. I could see the joy in her eyes as she talked about the meal at the dinner table.

Poor Nik has a really bad cold and had to stay home from school and rest today. He has such a high pain tolerance that when he complains about head and body ache, you know it's really bad. I made yet another trip to the pharmacy, my home away from home to get him some better meds and we are now nursing him back to health.

Chris' Field Trip

Another beautiful winter day in Minnesota today. High was 36 degrees. The snow is already starting to melt. Today Chris was getting a bit cabin feverish. As you'll recall, the last time she had a field trip, it was halfway down the driveway and back. Well, she was feeling much better today so she asked if we could take her to the Minneapolis Home and Garden Show at the Minneapolis convention center. Chris was able to walk down the stairs to the garage with no problem. Off we went to downtown. We got to the convention center and dropped off Chris and Catie at the front door so I could go park. The girls found and rented a wheel chair and met me inside. Chris felt really good all day. We spent over three hours exploring the show. It was so great to be out and about with her again. So, another step on the road to recovery. I can't believe just that nine days ago she couldn't make it from the garage to the end of the driveway. What a difference a week makes. Thank the Lord for his healing hand.

Hello Blue Sky

Today we awoke to beautiful blue skies. The snow storm that has been with us since Wednesday has left the area. The temperature at sun rise was 13 degree's nearly 20 degree's colder than it was yesterday morning. Chris woke up after almost 8 full hours of sleep. She didn't even need a Tylenol in the wee hours like she has in the past week. She seems to be needing a little less Tylenol each day lately. In fact, she is only going to take 2500 mg today, which is down from 4000 mg just a few short days ago. She has been much more mobile during the daylight hours the last few days as well. Are my days of sleeping on the couch numbered? Stay tuned for further updates!

Alex is with his friends at Andrews cabin, snowmobiling this weekend. This is another first for Alex in his introduction to Minnesota winter. I can't wait to hear all about it on Sunday. Catie's little friend Vanessa spent the night last night is also spent all day here. I promised Catie that today we would build a snow cave inside the big snow pile we dug yesterday. Catie, Vanessa and I spent about 3 hours tunneling in then digging out the chamber deep inside the pile. It's a pretty good size cave for the girls, about 4ft x 5ft and 4ft tall in the center. The girls even ate lunch in there this afternoon. They spent the afternoon making updates to the outside like building a decorative fence around the cave and building recliner snow chairs on the snow sun deck!

Chris and I are looking forward to watching a movie tonight, provided I can stay awake! I'm pretty tired from all the shoveling the last few days as well is all the tunneling we did today on the snow cave. Thanks for the continued thoughts and prayers from all our family and friends. Each new day seems to be building on the success of the previous day.

Time for Catchup

Wow, I'm sorry its been so long since my last posting. I can't believe it was Wednesday. It's been a very busy few days. The snow started on Wednesday evening. Nik had what looked like Pink Eye, so I took him to the doctors office after work. Turns out it was Pink Eye and they prescribed some eye drops for him. As we were leaving Walgreen's, my home away from home, Chris called and asked that we swing by Culvers and pick her up some custard. Well, even though the snow was really coming down, how could I say no to my sweet little patient? So off we went, dodging the spun out cars that nearly blocked our path to safely bring home her frozen tasty treat.

We awoke the next morning to about 3 inches of snow. Not what the weather man predicted, but it was the thick and heavy variety. Knowing there was more snow to come that day, I wanted to get the driveway shoveled so I could stay on top of it. I thought about firing up the snow blower, but it didn't seem like that much snow so I opted for the shovel. Big mistake. It was like trying to shovel mashed potatoes! I should have cut my losses and gone for the snow blower, but I am still a stubborn German at heart so I toughed it out.

The big adventure on Thursday was taking Chris to the doctor for her first follow-up appointment after the surgery. The roads were a bit on the slick side as the winter storm that started last Wednesday night was gaining strength. The visit went really well. The doctor said that everything was progressing just as it should. I was kicking my self for not bringing the camera. I would have love to take a picture of the x-rays for you all to see. It's really amazing all the hardware Chris in side of her. It's no wonder she has been in so much stinkin' pain! I'll definitely bring the camera to her next appointment on May 1st.

It snowed the rest of the day and pretty much all of Thursday night. In the late evening it was really coming down hard. My best guess is at that point we were getting close to two inches of snow per hour. It's been so beautiful to watch all the snow pile up outside. When I got up this morning the snow as just tapering off to flurries. The view from inside the garage looking out over the driveway was breathtaking. The snow in the driveway ranged from 18 to 24 inches deep. And this after I shoveled twice the day before! Nik, Catie and I tackled the snow right after breakfast. I fired up the snow blower and Nik and Catie grabbed shovels to attack the steps. Man did that snow blower get a workout! I can't even guess how many cubic feet of snow we had to move. All I can tell you is that the piles of snow on either side of the driveway are over my head! I don't think I've ever seen so much snow in my life.

After we finished with the driveway, Catie, Nik and I went into the back yard and made a huge snow pile. We will let this sit overnight and then tomorrow (Saturday) we will dig it out to make a snow cave. I also hope to get in some Cross-Country Skiing tomorrow, it's been a couple of weeks since we had enough snow for that. So, all in all we survived our first big snow storm her in Minnesota. We keep hearing that March is the snowiest month of the year here so it may not be our last. I say bring it on, we're having a blast!

1st Post-Op Doctors Appointment

Message from Christina:

Hello there Friends!

Just wanted to share that I had my first post-op doctor appointment yesterday.

Getting there was fun (my 4 wheel drive worked overtime) and getting out of the house was wonderful. I still can't drive, so Jeff took the day off to take me there. I hadn't left the house since I returned home from the hospital and had major cabin fever. The drive was absolutely beautiful with all the snow that was falling and seeing how it draped the trees and hills was picture postcard pretty.

Today is an official snow day for the kids and Jeff too, since getting out of the garage will take him at least an hour or more to dig out. We've had over 12 inches of snow and are expecting another 2-3 inches before it stops. Yeah!! from the former California gang! Cate is outside right now, busy building a snow fort, who knew she had an inner snow bunny waiting to get out.

Anyway, back to my doctor appointment. After x-rays were taken, we got to see what everything looks like inside of me. As I glanced at the x-rays, all I saw was hardware! It was interesting to see those screws planted right into my bones, no wonder I've had such aches! The doctor was very pleased with how everything looked and basically wants me to continue with more of the same follow-up at home. He wants me to continue walking but not use the walker as much and double my exercise schedule. He said the healing is slow but I should start to feel more like myself by the 4th month, which for me, will be some time in early June. From here on out, he will follow my progress bi-monthly, so I won't return to his office till May 1st.

In the meantime, I'll continue to take it easy and enjoy the fact that nothing is expected of me (also enjoy watching the squirrels outside my window search for their nuts, talk about forgetful). I continue taking pain medicine but seem to go further between needing doses. I really feel that this week was a major turning point for me. I am a lot more comfortable and can walk quicker and easier. I am pleased with my progress and feel that the worst of discomfort is behind me.

Jeff is back at work and I am now on my own from 9am till the kids return from school. I really miss him, he has been the best caregiver anyone could want. Now he calls me from work when it's time for each dose, it appears he's having problems pulling away from his nursing duties. He has charted all my progress, therapy and medicine schedule on spread sheets... that cracks me up... he is such a computer geek but I love that about him!

My sweet neighbors brought us meals this week. I've enjoyed the visits and each dinner has been so yummy. The staff at Jeff's office has taken a collection and bought us meals from a company called Let's Dish. We have about 10 frozen meals to just heat up and enjoy. With all the leftovers and frozen food stashed away, I won't have to worry about cooking till the end of March. It's so heart warming, how supportive and caring everyone has been!

Okay, I better stop chatting because I am probably boring you by now. I know how you all have such "busy" lives and are eager to get back to them. I am a bit jealous about that... my biggest wish at the moment is being able to bend over and to some day drive my car! Talk about simple needs.

That's the latest, drop me an e-mail or call when you find some spare time. As you know... I am just "hanging out" watching the world go by!

Have a great weekend!

Love, Chris

PS. Another special meal? Much to our surprise... Friday evening we enjoyed a meal brought to us by a good friend. Did I mention she lives in California!! Our dear friend, Debbie Blackford, from Corona, California insisting on bring us a meal but how long distance you ask?? Well, she went on-line and order Pizza Hut and had it delivered to our door! Thanks so much Deb! The whole gang was grateful!!