Challenges- Week Four

I've never really considered Laura handicapped until recently. Four weeks ago, she had surgery to build a thigh out of her femur and tibia. So, we use a wheelchair for long distances and a walker in the house. Sunday, our ramp at Sunday school... was blocked due to a very INCONSIDERATE carny ride in the back lot of church. Thanks alot Maynia!! I had to unbuckle my gal, carry her up the ramp, have her hold onto something, then go walk back down and two of us Moms had to carry the wheelchair over all these big electrical lines. Grrrrr!!! Patrick had to do the same thing after church too. So much for her first day back to Sunday school since her surgery huh? The last four weeks have really opened my mind up to how hard it is to be in a wheelchair- that's for sure!! First it took 3 1/2 weeks to get a ramp on our house and now this! 

 The experience of the last few weeks has made me more sympathetic and understanding to the needs of others, especially those in wheelchairs or that use walkers.

It's been four weeks since surgery. The first 10 days or so Laura was in a lot of pain and needed a tremendous amount of help. She was also on some pretty serious pain medicine. The end of the second week was better, Laura's pin sites started looking better and a lot of healing took place. On day 14 Laura wanted out of the wheelchair and started using her walker in the house.

Then week three came....

Boredom!

Grumpiness!

Attitude!

Naughtiness

Demands

and

Challenges!

Not so happy.

But Patrick and I still try to smile.

 and try to have a good attitude when she tests us...

We are tired, but we smile....

and act silly.

Alex says Laura tortures him.

I'm sure the feeling is mutual. Laura can be very grumpy and demanding especially to Alex.

 

My name is "Mom"

A typical Sunday may start with a cup of coffee and maybe some yummy pancakes. My favorite pancakes are blueberry.

On this Sunday, it was Mother's day and Patrick was gone to his cousins wedding. Alex was also away, camping with the Boy Scouts. Eric makes yummy shakes so I suggested he make me one.....

Boy was I surprised when I got a blueberry/banana shake AND blueberry pancakes!

But let me back track a little....

I'll backtrack to Saturday afternoon....

Saturday

On Saturday, I was doing laundry and dishes and getting ready to do some cooking for our neighbors big birthday party later that night, when the power went out. At roughly 2:00 PM a squirrel ran up a utility pole when he was chased by Shadow (another neighbor's dog). We all heard what sounded like a gun shot go off and then a second gun shot sound and POOF!, and then smoke. Somehow two transformers were down. No power in the Hood! Fried squirrel anyone??

An hour passed.

Two hours passed....

Yes, the power was being worked on. Yes, it should be up soon. My poor neighbors were starting to fret with all the cooking to do etc....

Three hours passed...

 Just one hour before the party and the power was restored!! Yeah!!!

I came inside to bake the dishes I'd promised, along with some rice to help out our friends. Then, off to the party and home to bed. The dishes could wait....

Sunday 

I was upstairs finishing doing my hair when the fire alarm went off.

I ran downstairs to find the kitchen was NOT on fire! Whew!  Laura was holding her hands over her ears so I scooped her up and ran outside with Daisy. I hollered at Eric to open all the doors etc to let the smoke out, later I learned it was from burnt pancakes. Daisy ran down the street.....Laura and I came back in a few minutes later. I looked at the time. Oh boy! This was going to be my first attempt at leaving the house since Laura's surgery.... we needed to get the wheelchair in the SUV and quick. I grabbed a pancake and the yummy shake and took it to the car. Then I asked Eric to put Laura's wheelchair in the car and find Daisy. No time to clean up the pancakes. No time to clean up the dishes from last night. It was time to go!!

Off we went!

I was glad to make it to church a little early. I wanted to find a place to sit with Laura in her wheelchair. Unfortunately for us (unfortunately for Pastor Mark) we ended up sitting right up front where there was room for the wheelchair. We didn't have Sunday school so I was sure to tell Laura how we would behave and be quiet etc. About 2/3 through the sermon. Laura expressed her desire for church to be over and remarked out loud that she was oh so BORED! (sorry about that everyone).

After surviving our first trip out of the house, we went to the Scout Hut to see if Alex was back from camping. I ended up dropping Eric off to help the guys unload and the boys said they'd just walk home together. I smiled thinking how well they got along, then I sighed thinking to myself, oh man, I'll have no help getting this heavy wheelchair out of the car....

Daisy met us outside the door. In our mad dash to leave, we had forgotten all about her! There she was, in the hot noonday sun, laying in a big pile of dirt she had dug to keep cool. Dirt was all over the front stairs and ramp too! "Oh great!" I said out loud as I pushed Laura up the ramp and into the house.

"OH NO"!!!! I said as I walked into the kitchen and Laura started singing, "I'm HUNGRY! What's for lunch? Mom, I want........"  I don't know what she wanted.....All I could see were flies! Flies were everywhere! 

The kitchen was full of dishes from the night before and pancake batter and burnt pancakes etc. Eric had left the back door open to air out the smoke and well, apparently flies really, REALLY like to find a free breakfast buffet. LOL!

So, that was my morning. The boys came home, we played, "catch the fly", and ate something. Patrick came home and ended up making steak for dinner.  Here we are messing around in the kitchen. My Mom sent this "hat" and here is Alex goofing off.

Alex

                                                                                     
                                                                               Me

It wasn't that fancy of dinner but hey, things are a little crazy around here these days....

Our dinning room has been turned into Laura's bedroom, we survived  a power outage, burnt pancakes, church, a run away dog, scouts, a wedding and some flies! 

Guess if I can survive all that, I certainly deserve to be called, "Mom".

The boys gave me some tulips.

My tulips opened up oh so pretty!

Dear God,  Thank you for allowing me to be Mom to these three! I have crazy days and don't always feel appreciated or have much time for myself, but I do love my job and I LOVE these children!

Waiting...

We waited 3 1/2 weeks for base to bring us a ramp.

See? We got one!

We wait for the bus to go by, so we can wave at it.....

We wait for our brothers and Daddy to come home...

Is she waiting for her Prince?

Lol!

Daisy waits too.

Maybe it's time for a walk.

But first maybe we should wash the spaghetti off of our face?!

Now and then!

This picture was taken 2 weeks post- op. Yup, just 14 days after major surgery!

She has decided to ditch the wheelchair, at least part of the time.

Go Laura!!

Of course this doesn't surprise me one bit....

This is not the first time she's ditched her wheelchair....

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who hardly spoke a word of English, 9 weeks after coming home, at the age of 4 yrs old, Laura had her symes amputation in January of 2011.

She wore this hot pink cast for 8 long smelly weeks. : )

She looks so tiny!

Oh how our girl has grown!!

So has her walker, by two hole sizes higher!

 This picture reminds me how far her language has come. Before Laura learned English, we used to speak with our hands. : )

 and our facial expressions.....

Feb. 2011

April 2012

Ok, so we still speak with our facial expressions! : )

and maybe our tongue....

So you go girl! Go Laura!!

But please rest some, so I can catch up on my blog....

now and then.....

Not what I expected

Laura at 2 1/2 yrs old

The first picture I ever saw of Laura....

Laura's been home a little over 18 months now. It's funny because when we were doing all the paperwork to adopt  her, I envisioned playing dolls with this pretty little girl. I thought we'd be spending lots of quiet time together, talking, reading, playing games, cuddling up together and combing Laura's and her dolls hair. Ha ha ha!

For those of you who know Laura, you know she's an outdoor kid! Snuggling on the couch? Yeah, for about 2 minutes at night! Playing with dolls? How about smashing them together and throwing them through the sky! Combing hair? No, we don't like such borring things!!

But here we are now, finally getting the chance to play with Barbies, play board games and sit and cuddle and talk.

Even though she isn't exactly what I expected, Laura is way better than I could have imagined!! She has personality (lots and lots of personality) she is fiesty (but in a good way) she loves to run and play outside. She usually doesn't sit still for long. In fact on most days I can barely keep up with this bundle of energy. Oh, and the attitude she gives me, oh man is she something!!!

Butt (hee hee), look at this girl having fun now.

and making a mess....

Look at her now, NOT being tired and NOT needing a nap!- I know I need one! Lol!

Thank you God for this girl. Please help her bones to heal. Thank you she can be herself with her own special unique personality. She has lots of fun and will, walk, run and skip again soon! Thank you for making her just the way she is!!

Shriners Trip # 13

We are collecting the tabs off of cans for Shriners Hospital. The money raised from the sale of the tabs buys toys for the children.

Here we are on our way back from our two week apointment. The doctor says verything is healing well and her fixator can come off in 6 more weeks!

Bugs, Milk, Flowers and Games

Getting beautiful with help from Violaine. ; )

So thankful for our neighbor who likes to come over and help.

Milk, it does the body good!

 Watcha eating there, Laura?

Friends, they make everything better!

Our faithful companion, Daisy, the best doggy ever!

Here we are at the Cinco De Mayo party. The men in our family were on a boyscout campout. I think Laura was thinking, I wish I could get out of this chair!