Life at Oak Grove

Honestly I think I am the luckiest woman in the whole wide world.  My husband is just the best because he is there no matter when I need him.  I seriously think I got the jackpot when he entered my life.   But I also know that God knew what was best for me.   Even after 14 years being together, I am amaze how we complete ourselves in various ways.

Let me explain.

In the past two days, I had on and off pain in my lower abdomen.   Thursday was the worst for the pain was constantly there.  Not a bit pain but it was bothering me.   I prayed about it and it seemed to somewhat disappear because on Thursday evening while we were having our date (the kids having Awana) I barely noticed it.   Compared with the afternoon sensations it was better.

On Friday morning I didn’t feel anything.   I thought it was gone.   But in the afternoon it was there – on and off…   I could feel it at times while other times I was fine.   That morning for some reason I woke up at 311am and couldn’t go to sleep.   No reasons in particular.  Just insomnia I guess.

So in the afternoon I took a cat nap for a short period of time.   I got up at 4pm because I needed to prepare supper.   At some point before we sat down to eat, I asked the kids to pray for mommy’s pain because I could feel it again.    We ate and my daughter kept complaining that her belly hurt.   We both knew that she dislikes the mixed vegetables she had in her plate so we encouraged her to finish her plate to get dessert.   We have a rule in our house – you can’t finish you plate then you don’t get dessert.  

After supper time, she kept complaining more again.    I thought she was doing so because I asked for prayer for my own abdominal pain and sometimes she copies other on that.   So I told her to lay down on the sofa and rest a bit.  She took off to play instead.

We went to bed at 9ish…   at 1115 or so I heard crying – more like whimpering.   We don’t have a dog and I knew immediately that it was Jasmine.

I got up and she talked to me with a whining tone saying something like “You didn’t give me a bowl.”   What is she talking about?   But before I opened the light the stench smell hit my nose.   NO!  Opening the light I saw the mess on her bedroom floor (which is carpeted by the way) and in her bed.   Even one of her Barbie's is dirty.

Poor sweetheart… her belly was REALLY complaining.   But at this point in time, maybe because I wasn’t in my plate myself due to the pain and the lack of sleep and also because of the smell, I felt overwhelmed.  Almost borderline going to cry.    I didn’t believe her…  Where should I start?   Somehow my brain was not thinking properly.

So I did something that usually I wouldn’t do.   I woke up my husband and told him I needed help.   You see my husband has trouble to fall asleep.   Oh he can but if I wake him in the middle of the night it can take hours for him to get back to sleep.   I knew he went to bed after me but I didn’t know at what time (he was working on his computer as he reformatted it).    So unwillingly I woke him up.   He got up rapidly and came with me.  He couldn’t believe his eyes.  I mean the floor was covered with it.   The bed, her favorite pink blanket, one Barbie, the bed sheets, even her PJ.   (For the sensitive hearts reading this I am sorry for the details… but it was overwhelming!)

His reaction was “Oh my goodness!”   We immediately kicked in geared both of us.   I took care of the bed sheets while he took care of the floor.   We picked up the mess, vacuumed, and even washed the carpet.  All this at 11pmish.   There was no way that she would be able to fall back to sleep with the odor in her room.    I gave her a shower, changed her pajama, put some clean bed sheets in her bed.   However I had to tell her she couldn’t get back her pink blanket yet has it was dirty.  She understood and asked for the one with princesses on it.   Within 30-45 minutes, we were able to put her back to bed.

At 12:15 her door closed quite loudly.   I went to check and she only had to go to the bathroom.   

It took a while for me to go to fall asleep.   But at 715am I was awake again.  Thought that I heard her calling me again but she was playing downstairs with her big brothers.

She seems to be fine right now.   She is back to her normal self.   Me?  Well I am a bit tired but happy that I had help to clean up.

Before going back to bed, I apologized to wake him up but my husband told me “Don’t worry about it.   I’m glad you woke me up.   Besides I had just went to bed.”    I told him I felt overwhelmed and he said “No kidding.”   

Last night I learned two important lessons.

Lesson 1:   When one of my kids complains that he/she doesn’t feel well – believe it.   I mean they don’t have the habit to complain so there might be something to investigate.   Though I have taken her temperature but she was fine.

Lesson 2: Don’t hesitate to wake up the husband when these kind of situations happen.    After all we are one and we can support each other through health and sickness.   We worked as a team last night.   It took less time than if I had to do it myself…  

So my question today for you is simple.   How does your husband rock your world in challenging times?

My pumpkin is sick... not a bad sick but she is not feeling good because of the chicken pox.   She doesn't have any other way to express it but crying.   Nothing comfort her...  only mommy arms actually but sometimes I need to do something else.   Her temperature was rising this morning so I gave her some tylenol.  Now she is sleeping peacefully - hopefully for the whole afternoon.

My 4 year old is okay.  More spots coming up so I cut his nails to avoid scratching.    

This morning - Oh joy coul dit be... yes! - Jérémy has two spots in his back.    Horray.   Exposure was 100% effective.   Thanks to Eva and Zahra Brown (two of the six kids of our friends who are missionary in Thailand and are in Canada until November).   

Me.   Well, I'm a bit tired...  I find that when my kids are sick my sleep is not as hard as it should be...  and with Jasmine being the worst of the three so far... well I think you know what I mean.  

So this chicken pox adventure means no swimming courses on Thursday and no gymnastics on Wednesday for Dominic.   He doesn't know yet and it would be preferable that he doesn't know to avoid any crying - after all he is my drama king...

Okay... surgery is not until November 26th but I had a meeting this afternoon with the doctor to go through all the details and how it will be going.  

She was nice this time - compared to the time I met her back in February.   More relax...   She took the time to check the pain I have in my left big toe - arthritis...  Actually I have arthritis in both big toes.  

I had surgery for a bunion on my left foot back when I was 18.   Ouch!   Doesn't make me younger!    Anyhow, it was botched.   Not great of a doctor back then... but this time I have the best in the city.   The top notch one...    and this time it's for a bunion but on the right foot.   Took 19 years before bugging me so much that I couldn't endure it.  Took 2 years to finally met the doctor back in February.    And I consider myself lucky that she was able to schedule me for surgery in 2008.  She is pretty busy.    So now I wait for the hospital to call me for pre-op stuff.   Probably not until October or early November.    I'm in no rush.   Until then, I will concentrate on teaching my kids and taking some advance.    Bottom line is that for 48 hours after surgery I will have to keep my leg up and administrate my pain killer myself from a tube behind the leg.   Then after that 6 weeks in a cast up to half the foot.   Then 6 weeks of not doing steps, jumps or dancing... - okay so I guess when I go to HEAT I will draw most of the time then - Oh well.

All this done during the winter time.   I sure hope that I will find some BIG HUGE socks before then to keep my heel warm...

Well let me tell you that we have a Drama King in our midst.    Our sweet Dominic uses lots of drama when he sees blood.   Boy!   He was something special already when we are going to see the doctor for his wart under his foot but when he sees blood and had to get some peroxide on a wound….   My oh my do we hear the “Ouchy, ouchy, ouchy….   I need to band aid!”

Boy am I a mess this morning.   Woke up in the middle of the night because it hurt just to breath...  I had to sleep with two pillows on top of each other to be able to breath properly!   This morning I feel as though I have sand paper in my throat and bronchos...  

I really hope that the medication will kick in fast.  I will try very hard not to speak too much...   hard to do when you homeschool no?   So it might be Math U See, Rosetta Stone and Typing Tutor this morning.  

The sinuses are painful too!  Why in the world do I get everything worse than anyone???  

The way my breathing is I can understand the trouble Jérémy had last week.  Poor kid!  If it was like I am this morning... I can see why his coughing made his bleed a bit.

Will drink a lot today and take some honey...  Might be good for the throat!

Last week, I went for my sugar test... hi hi  actually it was the gestational diabetes test.   So I drank the sweet drink and waited 1 hour...

Later that day - I had a big down of sugar.   Boy did I felt weird...  

Last night, my OB called and I need to redo a test... My husband talk to his wife and they are sending me a new requisition.   Problem is I have no clue if I need to redo the whole test or just the urine one...

I don't feel good this morning... Dizzy and bizarre.   Headache too!  

With Jérémy I was borderline when I did this test...  Maybe this time I am over!

On Saturday,  I had to go with my eldest at the children hospital because he was playing "Monkey jumping from the bed...".   Really we have told tell numerous times not to jump from the bed but they were still  doing it.   Well, on Saturday it happened.  He jumped and then fell on the bed of hisbrother Dominic and opened his left check under the eye.  He was very fortunate to not catch the eye....

It wasn't very big but it was opening and bleeding...  At first I thought it was just a bump so I told my husband to put ice on it... That's when he told me "No I think you will have to go to the hospital for this..."  I turned around and saw the bleeding and dear husband opened the wound to show me...   The cut was kind of curvy not straight...

So at the hospital they applied some glue and put on some tape to hold it.   Tape will fell by itself... as for the glue, well no water in the face for 48 hours...  

The worse part is the next day he was jumping from his little brother Jérémy's bed...   I guess he hasn't learn the lesson yet....

Poor child, looks like he is more prone to accidents like his mom...   Broken arm last year, a cut this year... what will it be next.   Always thought my second would be the one like that as he is my risk taker...   I guess he is a risk taker but a careful one... ha ha ha!