Tough Cookie

Ah, SPRING BREAK! This has brought much adventure to our household!

Hope and I went to Washington to visit my sister and her family. Hope also was able to visit a former friend from her foster village. Even though they were still thousands of miles apart, they were able to connect briefly in an international village for the day. 

Easter morning brought us to Westminster Church with long-time friends, Lavonne Dideon and Cathy Worrell.  It has been my long time dream to meet Yahoo group friends face-to-face--perhaps someday I will make it to the Eastern coast too! (Annie and Angie, I am still hoping!!!) The service was great; I was in tears more than once and the message was a topic of conversation in our family through the week. 

The best part of our trip was getting to know our niece and nephew (cousins for Hope). Between the crunchy brown mice, chirping finches and growling Lilo, it was worth it's weight in gold. (Those who understand…understand!)

It was sad missing Easter with my family. The kiddos at home did staggered basket hunts, divided egg hunts, and Easter service with their holiday dresses without me. However, they did it well and the memories were worth the absence.

In an effort to "make it up" to my kiddos at home, I took them to an open-gym at our gymnastics gymnasium. We did it on Tuesday with Andrew, Hannah and Amanda, and  we also repeated the excursion on Thursday. Originally I planned on picking up my eldest daughter, Hailey, from the airport during the gym time but her "special someone" Daniel asked to have the honors. For that, I am SO grateful! I needed to be present.

It was a simple mistake--Jumping to the high bar. Hannah did it (with permission first) and then encouraged Mandy to do the same. Mandy jumped, grabbed, slipped and fell--just wrong. She ended up breaking her elbow and needing surgery to put the piece of bone back into place with a surgical screw (as well as sewing a chip back into place…how do they do that??!?). My little girl who only cries silent tears didn't stop waterworks for over an hour…big indication that something was VERY wrong! X-rays showed that an early morning appointment with the orthopedic doctor was prudent…and he "just happened" to clear his schedule prior to today to accommodate for E.R. surgeries…namely, Mandy's, whose took over 2 hours. 

As I mentioned, Mandy is a silent tear crier. She holds all of the "questionable" emotions inside. However, once she was given a sedative via I. V., she opened up considerably! Before surgery she was quipping about the room, the needles, us…anything she could focus on! She said I looked like I had four eyes…and I don't wear glasses. The funniest thing happened afterwards. 

Dave (who "just happened" to take a day off work…anyone connect the spiritual dots besides me???) and I greeted Amanda as she woke up from surgery.  Dave said, "How's my little Cookie?" to Mandy as she entered the room. With a totally perplexed look on her face, Amanda asked."I went into surgery, and now I'm a cookie?"  If she wasn't so serious, we wouldn't have lost it--but she was, and we did. :)  After a while of eyebrow raising and abnormally animated antics from Amanda, we were able to go home.

We are so thankful for all the e-mails, phone calls and flowers that were sent to Amanda. As she came out of her stupor, she relished the attention. Even her virtual twin was pining for the attention…as she adorned the room with signs and pictures she drew for her sister. 

Hopefully the Tylenol 3 will last the night. Hopefully tomorrow will be pain-free. Hopefully Amanda will realize just a little bit more how important she is to our family. Dickens had it right: It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. This tragedy left a bunch of fertile ground for my baby to grow in. 

You are surrounded in prayers, Mandy! 

All my best, 

Amy