The One Just Because I Can't Resist

I love her...

We are having lots of fun.

Did I mention she learned how to walk the week of Rick's surgery? Bad timing for me!!

The One With The Before & After

Things are finally starting to get back to normal, and we are so grateful for it!

Rick is doing great. He's down to one crutch and is hoping to be off of it within a week or so. He is back to work now, too. Although, I'm not sure how much he's really working. ;)

Paige is all recovered from her surgeries. She should be done (at least for a few years) with the surgeries. She may need some procedures here and there and one more surgery when she is close to kindergarten age, but we have a nice break now.

I took some pictures today so I could compare her eyes before and after, and thought I would share.

They aren't the best examples. Her eyes are even bigger than the "after" picture shows, but it was the best I got with as little sleep as she got today. :) But you can see a big difference in her right eye (its the one on the left side on the pictures). It's always been smaller than the other eye, but it seems proportionate now.

I am also working less (I gave my boss my notice, over a month ago, but told him I would help him train and work half days for him until the new girl is good to go), but it sounds like I will still be able to work a few hours a week once everything is all said and done. That's a good thing (for the most part), in case you were wondering :)

The other day I realized that between the three of us, we have had 5 surgeries in 5 months. Sheesh. The past week I have been able to actually feel like there is a weight off of my shoulders. I'm so happy that we made it through those hard weeks (and months), that everything went well, and we can look back on them.

And to all of my friends who I have not been able to see in so long because I was stuck at home, I would like to tell you I miss you! I would LOVE to see any and all of you whenever you can.

PS- Remember our duck?! Well, she's back! It's a sad, but a good thing. One of these days I will tell you more about it.

The One Where I'm Kind Of Busy...

Taking care of these two recoverees...

Both surgeries went well, despite a couple of surprises. Paige is almost back to normal with occasional bloody tears & Ricky is still stuck in the recliner but has been able to get up a couple of times each day. We are making progress!

The One Where We Have A New Addition To Our Family!

It's not what you think it is! :)

This morning we discovered that we have some cute little newborn duckies in our front yard. They must have hatched this morning, because they were so itty bitty, but they are already bigger and fluffier.

It's kind of hard to see them in the video, but it's the best we have right now with a super protective momma ducky. I suggest you make the video as big as you can. I'll post pictures as soon as I can get some.

The One Where My Life Is A Whirlwind

Okay, so whirlwind might be an understatement right now....

Remember that one time when I said "What are the chances that all 3 of us need surgery within a few months of each other??" Well... let me rephrase that...

What are the chances that all 3 of us will have surgery within 2 1/2 weeks of each other?

Yep... you read right.

I had my sinus surgery (on Friday the 13th might I add) and it went well. I have been able to tolerate the pain, that is until my follow up appointment on Tuesday. I swear they tried to turn my nose inside out. It was the most awful sound, and I feel like I have been punched in the nose. But, other than that, I have been recovering with flying colors.

Rick got his call this week... the one saying there was a donor available for him. It is scheduled for a week from Friday. He will probably have to take 6 weeks off of work, but luckily, it looks like he has that much pto saved up. He will be on crutches for about 2 months, and it will take him a year to get back to where he is now.

Paige's next surgery is scheduled for June 1... yes, less than a week after his surgery. He won't be healed enough to go to hers even. If all goes as planned, this will be Paige's last surgery (at least until she's almost in kindergarten), so we are so happy about that. I have been way more nervous for her surgery than I was for mine.

Needless to say, we have met our max out of pocket from our insurance, and the next 2 surgeries will be on the house. Every week that goes by, I feel more and more confident that the job that fell into my lap, fell there for a reason. That doesn't necessarily mean it makes me like it more, but it makes it more tolerable. :)

And that's just the tip of the ice burg... wanna know what else has been going on at our house? :)

• we sold rick's car
• we bought him a "new to us" car
• my laptop crashed (thank heaven I had almost everything backed up)
• i am helping my sisters throw a shower for my sis-in-law this weekend
• paige finally cut her 4th tooth (she had 3 teeth for like 2 weeks... it was so cute & funny)
• we have a duck in our front yard that has been sitting on her nest for 3 weeks now. i named her ducky. the dad (who we hear more than see) is named mr. ducky. we feed ducky bread every morning.
• i was able to do a mini photo shoot for my newest nephew
• paige will walk if she's excited about something, but if she is thinking about it, she is scared to walk.
• rick joined a flag football league and basketball league, so he has at least 2 games each week (that is, until his surgery)
• we found out that paige loves nick jr & disney jr. how does she already know to like cartoons? olivia, yo gabba gabba, puzzle time & mickey mouse club house are her favorites.
• paige says diaper, baby & ba ba (for bottle), and if we ask her where things like her book, ball, or doggie are, she will get them and show us. it's been so fun.
• we have a cricket in our kitchen. it's very loud, and we can tell around where it is coming from, but can't find it.
• paige loves to get into the laundry... the other day she found some diaper covers/panties and put them on her head.

And I am sure I am forgetting a couple of things. Life has been so crazy lately, but I am the happiest I have ever been. With all of this lining up the way it has, just strengthens my testimony, that God is aware of us and our needs, and he is taking care of things for us.