A Mother's Touch

My sweet hubby and I have been under the weather the past few days. Usually, we're able to take care of one another and Violet but this time it has been a "fend for yourself" type of illness. Gregg does a wonderful job of taking care of his girls when we need help and we try to do the same for him. Yet, there are times when you just want your mother's touch.

I remember, as a little girl, when I would get sick my Mom seemed like super woman. She always knew what to do, whom to call, and where to go in the midst of illnesses and emergencies. As a child, I'd walk up to my Mom and tell her I didn't feel well and immediately she would place a cool hand to my forehead and know, before the thermometer was ever taken out of its spot in the cupboard, whether I had a fever or not. There was no fooling Mom's hand.

After the appropriate dosage of whatever medicine was given, I would be quickly shuffled off to bed. If I was lucky, I got to lay on the couch and watch tv. But the greatest comfort was my Mother's touch. I loved lying next to her and feeling the soothing, rhythmic motion of her hand brushing my forehead and then into my hair. Even now, that is soothing to me. And, it is something that I find myself doing with Violet when she doesn't feel well.

I guess there is a part of us that never grows too old for our Mother's touch. We long for comfort and desire it in the ways that we are most familiar with. For some, that's chicken noodle soup in a mug. For others, it can mean being tucked in a warm fuzzy blanket. And hopefully, for most, that means a mother's soothing hand that is brushing all the pain and stress away.

 

Conversations

Conversation between Violet and her Dad...

Violet - "Is that bacon in your burger?"
Gregg - "It sure is."
Violet - "That's like Manna from heaven, only in a burger!"
Gregg - after he takes another bite of his bacon cheese burger, Gregg replies, "It sure is!"

Oh, how I love those two! It is never a dull moment in our home.

Welcome Tuli

The day we have been waiting for has finally arrived! We have finally adopted a kitty into our home. It has taken us a long time to actually get to this day. After our beloved Pepper passed away, it was just too difficult for me to even think about getting another pet. My heart was so broken over her passing. But here we are, three years later, with a new fur-baby to love and call our own.

We have been looking for a long time and kept coming against obstacles that were impossible for us to pass. The kitten would either be too far away for us to consider adoption or it had already been adopted out. Until, one day, when I came across this picture...

Everything about this kitten spoke volumes to my heart. She reminds me of nothing about Pepper, which is a good thing, except for those sweet tufts of hair sticking out of her ears and her being a Main Coon. As much as we loved Pepper, we didn't want a kitty that would be a reminder of her. Those were big paw prints left in our hearts and no one could fill them. After inquiring about this sweet kitty, who was named Bellini at the time, I was saddened to hear that her foster mom didn't want to adopt her out without her brother, which we completely understood. As nice as it sounds, we're not in a place where we can adopt two kittens. 

We took a break from our search and were about to start looking again when I got a call from the adoption agency about a week later. The foster mom reconsidered our adopting Bellini on the basis that we homeschool and are home more throughout the day than the usual family. Were we still interested? Oh YES!!! We were most certainly interested!!! So, after filling out a rather lengthy application to adopt and going through a phone interview, we were told we could come meet Bellini. We hoped in our car and headed out towards Conroe to meet this sweet little baby. Violet was beyond thrilled and it was hard calming her down during our hour's drive.

Once we arrived at the adoption event, we went straight to this precious fur baby that had already stolen our hearts. After meeting her, holding her, and petting her for a while, we knew, without a shadow of a doubt that "She's the one!" Once the adoption papers were filled, we bought a pretty collar and tag for our new pet that we quickly renamed "Tuli" (it is Finnish for Fire). Tuli looks like she has a red flame burning across her forehead, hence the name.

Tuli is already fitting in with our family like a dream! She is so sweet and loves to play. And she occasionally lets us snuggle with her. I think we will get more snuggle time once she get used to us. In just four short days, Tuli has made her way into our hearts and we couldn't be happier about it.

Welcome to the family Tuli! 

Broken & Restored

Our weekend blew by before we had a chance to digest any thing. Monday rolled around and we were taking Violet to Texas Children's Hospital West Campus. I'd be lying if I told you we were just fine. That it was just another typical day in our lives. Because we weren't fine. We were nervous and anxious. My baby was about to have surgery!!! Trust me, it is very unnerving to know you are entrusting your child's well being with a doctor who is practically a stranger.

As we were taken to pre-op, Violet was asked to change into some comfy scrubs for her surgery. Oddly enough, they didn't give her socks that had the treads on them. I immediately fixed that problem since running on a tile floor with just her socks on is what landed us in this situation in the first place! No repeats of that accident please!

I have to give it to Texas Children's Hospital. They know how to make the idea of a surgery one that isn't to be dreaded or afraid of. There were a couple of gaming stations there, as well as plenty of toys, board games, and movies. It was a childhood dream if you didn't count the surgery.

Violet did okay for the most part. The games kept her interested up until a certain point. Reality began to sink in and fear started to creep it's ugly head. She was such a trooper though. Even as fear started to work its way into Violet's heart she was ready to have her nose repaired. Her beloved Floppsy was with her every single step of the way! Yes, the medical team even let Violet bring Floppsy into the operating room with her. And from my understanding, Floppsy was tucked under her arm as they put her to sleep, and she was there with Violet when she woke up in post-op.

This image is forever ingrained in my mind. Violet was trying to be a brave girl and her beloved Floppsy helped her through that waiting period.

Violet's surgery didn't take very long. She was back in recovery within the hour of them taking her into the operating room. I couldn't sit still during that time and went to the gift shop to find something special for Violet. As providence would have it, I found a sweet little brown bunny that looks very much like Little Nut Brown Hare (one of our favorite bedtime stories). I grabbed him and a sweet balloon that would brighten her spirits. I went back to the waiting room and was sitting with Gregg for all of ten minutes when the doctor came in with the news that Violet did great and her surgery went better than the doctor had hoped.

The purpose for Violet's surgery wasn't to make her look like she did before her accident. No, the purpose was to insure that her nasal passages weren't blocked and that she could breathe freely. Cosmetic stuff can be done later if that is a concern. Dr. Musso came in with a big smile and said that the bone snapped back into place almost immediately (remember, she wasn't trying for a full realignment). Her thought is that Violet will look pretty close to her regular self once the swelling goes down.

Violet's recovery in post-op went very well and we went home after an hour or so. She did pretty well at home for an hour and then got sick. Dr. Musso said to call if she got sick three times and so I immediately made that call when that happened. Poor Violet was so distraught after her last stomach upset because Floppsy was in the direct path of the bucket that she missed. The tears that flowed from her were heartbreaking. Fortunately for us, Violet had a new bunny friend who stepped up and temporarily filled in for Floppsy. Thank you Little Nut Brown Hare! After cleaning Violet up, and changing the sheets on her bed, her medicine kicked in and she slept soundly throughout the night.

Violet is a very tough little girl. She had two doses of pain and nausea medicine when she declared she didn't want any more. I know part of that was because she didn't like how they made her feel. But still, she could tolerate the pain and began to go back to her perky little self. When she started sharing her knock-knock jokes was when I knew for certain she felt pretty good. Laughter really is the best medicine! 

Broken: Part II

After getting some rest and sleeping late, we finally woke up and started to make phone calls. My first call was to the pediatric plastic surgeon who was recommended to us from the ER doctor. Unfortunately, his office wasn't open yet. So, that made our next call to the Ear Nose & Throat specialist, Dr. Musso. Thankfully, we got an appointment later that week. 

Finding a dentist was a little more of a task. But even that turned out to be much easier than we anticipated due to a simple fact - Gregg's office just changed insurance companies and they've hired a service that is like a medical concierge service. You call your representative, tell them what you need, and they do the leg work for you. Within thirty minutes of my calling our service rep, we had a dentist appointment the following day. Truly, it was incredible. Our representative took all of the stressful elements of finding a dentist, a good one, and made an appointment for the next day.

Violet woke up very stressed out on the day of her dental appointment. As we were getting dressed she asked me, "Momma, can we wear our CC (Classical Conversations) shirts?" My poor baby was seeking comfort in her "big-girl" way. Wearing matching t-shirts was a price that I was willing to pay if it gave her an ounce of comfort to get through her dental appointment. During the whole time we spent at the ER and at the following doctor's appointments, this well-love pink rabbit, dearly loved and known as Floppsy, was by Violet's side through it all. Oh, how I love this little toy that brings such comfort to my little girl!

We showed up for her appointment, both nervous as two people could be. (Violet's previous dental appointments were not good ones for either of us.) We were seen rather quickly and the dentist that she got was the youngest in this particular practice. He was so nice, incredibly gentle, and very assuring. He took x-rays and did an exam and said to watch for signs of tooth damage but that he thought the gum would firm back up. I breathed the biggest sigh of motherly relief I've ever exhaled in the eight years of Violet's life.

The following day, Friday, was Violet's appointment with Dr. Musso. She took one look at Violet and confirmed what we already knew, "Yep, her nose is broken!" And then my heart stalled with her next words, "She needs to have surgery as soon as possible to correct it." Not what I was wanting to hear but as with all things, our heavenly Father is with us and will get us through this. Violet's appointment is the following Monday.


After Violet's appointment we rushed to our school to catch the ending of our co-op. We didn't stay for the afternoon program, a portion that I help out with, because Kiddo was given strict orders of no physical activities. We caught the last forty five minutes of class and then lunch. This turned out to be a sweet time for us. Violet's class prayed for her upcoming surgery as did the rest of the school during the dismissal. Let me just say, I love our home school program! It feels good to know that you are loved and being prayed for, that you are in fact a part of a community.

Seeing as this post is getting to be rather lengthy, I will end it here.The rest of the story will follow within the next day or so. 

Broken

Our lives have been crazy busy and down right hectic lately. School started back up nine weeks ago. This is Violet's third year with Classical Conversations. We started the school year with gusto, excited to learn, to see old friends and make new ones. Violet was super excited, as was I, to know that she had the tutor she was hoping to get. Then several weeks ago, only our third week into the new school year, Violet took a nasty fall and broke her nose.

Nothing prepares you for accidents. There is no training manual for these things. Little falls, bumps and bruises, are one thing. It's a whole different ball game when the accident is bigger than that. And you can only hope and pray that you have some sort of grace during those times. I don't think I did. Shock hit me and the first moments after Violet's fall are a bit of a blur. I just remember the scream, knowing that it was my daughter, and the icy chill that ran straight through my chest. Without having seen her yet, I knew that my baby was hurt.

We were at a friend's home when Violet fell. It took a little while to discern the seriousness of Violet's injury. She was bleeding and the instinct to protect herself from further injury had kicked in. After what felt like an eternity passed, but in reality was only minutes, Violet finally let us see the damage. She was already swelling and bruising. I couldn't process things and therefore had to judge the severity of the situation by the reaction of my friend. It was only until we were leaving that I realized how badly Violet was hurt. I think the shock was starting to wear off.

Once in the car, and headed to Texas Children's Hospital West, I called Gregg. My calls kept going directly to his voice mail and panic started to set in. After several calls, I finally thought to call our neighbor and, after a brief run-down, she went to get him. Not exactly the way you want to let your spouse know someone has been hurt. I managed to tell Gregg what happened, where to meet us, and that Violet asked to please bring her beloved Flopsy. My beloved moved quickly because he got to the hospital while I was still filling out the paper work. The rush of relief upon seeing him walk in was so great that it reminded me of an old western - the hero walked in to save the day. Our daughter, who was quietly crying and trying not to draw attention to herself, crumbled in her Father's arms. And my heart finally began to beat in a normal rhythm. She and I weren't alone in this anymore.

We sat in an ice cold lobby for several hours, waiting for Violet's name to be called. It was close to 1 AM when she was taken back to a room. Another hour passed before we saw her doctor, who confirmed my worst fear, Violet's nose was indeed broken. We were sent home with care instructions and names of two doctors to call the next morning.

I'll share the rest of the story with you at a later date.

Firsts

It hasn't sunk in yet that Violet just turned eight. I look at my baby girl and am amazed at how quickly she is growing up. Seriously, where does the time go? 

We celebrated Violet's birthday with family last weekend. Her Mimi and Pops flew down from Michigan and we got to spend her birthday with them and Gregg's sister and her family. We've not gotten to do that since Violet turned four, so that was a real treat for us. Beyond the special time spent with family, Violet's grandparents took her to Toys R' Us for a birthday shopping spree. They gave her a set amount of money she could spend for whatever she wanted within that price range. Within moments, it seemed like Violet was on a treasure hunt. Girlfriend was born to shop!  

Violet's big request for her birthday this year was to have a slumber party. She has been asking to have one for over a year now. After deciding that having two friends over would be the best way to ease into the world of sleep-overs, it was time to figure out who to invite. We thought about it for a little while and figured two friends from our home school group would be fun. School starts in a few weeks and this would give the girls a fun experience to talk about at lunch. 

I'm typing this as my precious daughter and two of her friends are sleeping in our living room. Violet's first slumber party. The girls seem to have had a great night so far - swimming, pizza, cake, movie, popcorn and lots of giggles. They've been so well behaved and after some gentle convincing to go to bed they have finally settled into sleep. It only took them an hour and a half to settle down after the lights were turned out. I think I've been pretty lucky so far!

As I'm sitting here, I am drawn to memories of other "firsts" in Violet's life - her first kick in my womb. Her first cries at birth. Her first words - Dada, duck and Mommy. Her first steps. So many firsts in her life and now this one. Each one so precious. Each one a gift from God.