Week One - done.....and the big surprise awaits!

Week One - done!

....And a big surprise awaits him!

It has been a rough week in all ways; of that admission I won't kid anyone. However while there are difficult moments, there are moments of sweetness to offset them in tender ways unimageable! Week one was done! My hubby was coming home for the weekend and that was reason to celebrate! Wahoo!

Celebratory items were awaiting my hubby's arrival at home;
baskets, cards, posters and so many messages.

We teased my husband he was being allowed out of hospital on a day pass for his good behavior (smile), and when the girls I took the long drive to pick him up, little did he know the surprise awaiting him in the vehicle.

For two days we kept our oldest daughter's arrival a secret and everyone was super careful not to reveal her presence here. Having notified my husband of my arrival, I was careful to park only between the patient pick-up signs and avoid allowing my engine idling as the signs requested.

All three girls were along while the boys awaited the possible arrival of the Internet Satelitte truck (the saga continues still...). Knowing their dad would be descending in the elevator, they ran into the building to wait nearer to the doors to greet him there. Funny thing though, he almost ruined the surprise by exiting out a different set of doors. I wondered for a split second what to say and then just looked at him and mention he needed to go round the other set of doors because some girls needed to greet him there.

Big surprises awaited him. Or was it one waiting for them?

Still, I was pleased not to let it all out of the bag! But, whoa....could I ever here the squeals of laughter and surprise hooting from outside the doors shortly afterwards. Who surprised who I wondered....laugh.

All he wanted to do was be the driver on our way home, to which I gladly obliged because this would be his big ticket to freedom for only a short while.

Ten things I'm thankful for

Ten things I'm thankful for

1 - Wonderful people; those that take time to show they care. My family, my lifelong friends, my blogger pals, neighbors and everyone in between. I so appreciate you today!

2 - Special people; My wonderful Godfather whom I finally reconnected with two years ago at our 30th wedding anniversary celebration when he and my Godmother Gail flew into town to attend. So suddenly he was taken, and I am so pleased I had the chance to see him once more, and pray for the repose of his soul.

May the souls of the faithfully departed
through the mercy of God,
rest in peace.
Rest in peace dear Uncle.

3 - I just love bright and sunny days no matter how cold or what season it appears. How can anyone be unhappy on a day like this?

4 - Playing with my hubby's ties as we sort through them to rehang on a tie hanger on the wall. Thoughts of him wearing them and looking mighty handsome fill my heart with love for him, especially now that he lives away from us during each week.

5 - Ahhhh...no one tells you the secrets of living in eastern regions; like going through six bottles of windshield wiper fluid in two months because of the vast amounts of salt used to keep our roads clean and clear. The worst nightmare is finding out when the vehicle is low on fluid. Refills are constantly taking priority these days.

6 - Late birthday gifts from my special sister who just knows how to brighten my days! Can you just see this is my "celery ice" craft room/office area? Ohhh-la-la Thanks Helen!

7 - Still in love with "Cora's Restaurant". Ashley can you just see yourself with one of these strawberry filled crepes? Yum...yum...but there is definitely enough for a doggy bag to cover another meal with the portions served here.

8 - Our beautiful dogs, such loyal friends to the children, guards to the house and warning of rabbits nearby. (smile) Aren't they beautiful?

9 - Taking moments to get my feet up are few and far between while continually tackling more boxes laying about. Those remaining are due to rooms requiring painting and believe me, I AM SICK OF BOXES!!! :-)

10 - Horse barns for my girls, seeing them smile and looking so very happy to be back with their furry pals high above the arena floors.

And as usual, there is SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR each and every day, but best of all this past week are caring nurses and hospital staff who have made my husband's transition into the rehabilitation bootcamp tolerable and surprises that give our hearts an extra pitter-patter when someone waits at the front door at 3am. and calls on her cell phone to say; "Surprise mom, I'm here, now let me in...open the front door!".

Our early morning surprise visitor just waiting here to be found out

Yes, it was a definite surprise to know she had flown through the night from Vancouver to give us this early morning greeting. After a few hugs and fun shocking moments, she asked just to sleep again on the library room couch so when her younger siblings woke up, they too would find her presence a surprise. Talk about moral support!

"Sister Moments" over crossword and logic puzzles

In fact, the best thing in life is raising a large family and reaping the fruits down the road when most have grown and begun families of their own. I am grateful and most thankful for the way all of our children, grown and still living at home, come together for the sake of the family whenever the need arises, how they watch out for one another in our absence, tender care with all our communications, and best of all - for the love they aren't afraid to show each member of our family, at any given moment. Yes, with their own families life becomes busy, but still, when times beckon "coming together", they surround us with their presence any way they can. With great gratitude, we thank them for who they have become and how proud we are of them all.

Love you everyone!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thank you so much for the outpour of love and cheery notes the past two days! I am in awe at the power of family and friendships, new ones too in the wonderful world of blogger land.

Yes, the road will be tough for the next few weeks worrying about my husband, but I have to admit we had been praying for an expedited medical walk as doctors had offered for our move here. And it came! And it came all within a 48 hours period to knock our socks off. But, God is good! He knew exactly what all of our needs would be with our recent move here.

My husband will be given his individualized program later today, but so far his days are full, full, full! Doctors are still conferring and awaiting CDs of previous various CT scans, xrays and other assorted testings from both the Chicago and Vancouver hospitals where doctors assigned to his case ordered these, and all still follow him closely (with cc. on all medical correspondence and lab results) for nothing more than its rarity and wanting the best for their patient. The bonds have grown strong believe me! Luckily my hubby says he has a chance to have two small "power naps" and really needs them to feel refreshed for the rest of the day ahead.

Beginning at 7:45am, breakfast is delivered (Club Med (medical) right? wink), so he must be up and showered before then. First thing up by 9am is one hour of breathing classes using spyrometry and other exercises, two hours of education and rehab to learn everyday things in a whole new way to avoid fatigue and breathing difficulties, three hours of physical exercise routines, tests and more tests. Oxygen therapy happens nightly, with plenty of other assorted monitoring.

Next week he will have a CT scan using four positions with lungs inflated and then lungs deflated, something he has yet to have. The purpose of this specific request is to see how the trachea has formed itself with its enlargement, and how the lungs look inside without having to do another broncoscopy. More cardio testing is on the block as the discovery of Pulmonary Fibrosis is present inside the lungs along with emphysema and bronchiectisis. The dormant lupus requires a Rhumatologist to overview the case. And as if that's not enough, all six physiotherapists job is to push their patients within safety zones to get their circulation boosted. So much, but it all sounds so good thus far.

Meanwhile, he lives over an hour away from the rest of us and hardly a visitor will walk through his door. But, he will be tired at night, so maybe that's a good thing. The hospital offers an patient email service and not only prints them but also delivers them to their rooms daily. Offering nothing but cheery, cheery news from people outside of his room will be a super bonus.

I'll be back with more later...but I just want you all to know how very touched I am with the tender messages you've sent to me privately. Thank you. Thank you.

Cramming.....

Cramming

Cramming everything possible into the few days ahead of hospital entry, we enjoyed a hockey game together as a family, one where our son was physically working hard due to that time of year; playoffs!


The rewards paid off. They won Game 5 in their second series and moved to the next round. Our son was able to score the tying goal as well as the game goal during that last game, and then the next game they won 7-2.


He is so excited to be involved in so many playoff games and it makes the long red tape wait all the more worth it to get more game time in. Well, at least that's what he would say. smile.

Our baby turns TEN!

Our baby turns

TEN!

The same day my husband was admitted to the hospital this week was was our youngest daughter's birthday, the day when she left single digit numbers for doubles.

As there are metal allergies in our family, I played it safe with two of the girls and asked them to wait until they were older; a ten year birthday milestone seemed good to do this as there are so many other things to look forward to in later years; makeup, driving, etc..

She won a medal for bravery this day, no tears!

But, it isn't a slight thing when a young gal has nieces with pierced earrings as young as three months old, but she was ultra patient in waiting until this week.

Traditional mom/dad and birthday child

breakfast together was early this year

In lieu of her father entering the hospital on her exact birthday, we had our traditional mom/dad and birthday child (only) out for a birthday breakfast last Saturday, followed by her ears pierced on Monday so her daddy could see before he left. That was something she had asked for; Daddy to be able to see the end results.

TEN!
Wow, where did those years go?