October 31 – “The Old Man”

Need somewhere to go for Halloween?  Come on over to our house tonight.  We will be giving out bibles and candy to the thundering hordes that are accustomed to invading our neighborhood.  Starting around 6 or so.  We’ll have some pizza, too, so feel free to bring along whatever you think goes with pizza.

 

So, obviously we made it home from Waco.  We did have a few more things happen while we were up there.  Can’t let a whole day pass without some kind of story, so here it is. 

I was in the back yard with AnnaGrace, swinging her on one of those big flat rectangle things that hang down from a tree.  All the rage among swingers these days.  On one of the back swings the flying rectangle with the little girl on top brushed my stomach.  Like any self-respecting grandpa, I made a huge deal about her punching me in the gut.  She simply shook her head in a manner worthy of her mother and informed me, “It only hurt because you are an old man.”

Wait.  What?

I had to follow up on that one, so I asked, “How old do you have to be to be old?”

She didn’t hesitate, “99 is an old man.”

Hmm.  I pressed on, “How old do you think I am?

This time it she who pondered.  Finally, she had the answer, “60.”

Nice.  I’ll take that one.  But I couldn’t resist entering her world one last time.  “So how old is BobBob?”  That’s her other grandfather.

I didn’t expect her answer to come so quickly, “Oh, BobBob is 97.  He’s older than you, because his beard is longer than yours.”

Hey, Bob.  At least neither of us has hit that “AnnaGrace official” threshold of 99.

 

Before leaving for home we watched Caleb’s soccer team pull off a 3-2 nail biter win.  Caleb sealed the victory in the waning seconds with his fourth header, knocking away a shot on goal.  They finished the season undefeated.  Now they have a regional tournament, and if they do well there, they get a trip to play in the state tournament in Dallas. 

 

We experienced several of those crazy drivers on the way home.  One truck full of junk and pulling an empty trailer kept passing us, then falling behind.  One time he kicked up a rock that hit the windshield.  It didn’t break right away, so we are hoping it was a glancing blow.   Sure was loud though.  Later he lost a hunk of something that flew onto the and under our car.  All this in a speed limit zone of 65 miles per hour, mind you.  Scary stuff.  Then in downtown Houston, a different car almost hit us trying to change into our lane.  Fortunately, the lane to our other side was unoccupied at the time.  Chris swerved expertly out of harm’s way.  I may or may not have … well, screamed like a little baby.  Actually, it was simply a warning to the other driver …

 

Romans 1:17 says, “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed – a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’”

 

Father, thank you for keeping us safe on the road home.  There were several “coulda’s” out there.  Amen.

 

October 30 – “Fine quisine??”

A quick word about feeding here at the Waco Vaughan household.  For one thing, pizza night was a success.  I wanted to share a quick anecdote about our first night alone with the kids.  Christi left a really nice roast and potatoes and carrots cooking in the crockpot when they left.  It was all ready at supper time.  Yum.  After all, it was Mom’s cooking, and Mom always knows what we all like right?  The kids all dove in.  Well, except for AnnaGrace.  Seems she had something else entirely in mind.  Now, she was pretending at the time to be a puppy dog, and she rapidly acknowledged that puppies do like meat.  But not THAT meat.  She wanted meat, but it had to be “Bumpy Meat.”  I had no idea what that meant.  Some kind of fine quisine I was not familiar with, I was sure.  Granted the roast could be deemed “smooth meat.”  Or maybe “Long, skinny strips meat.”  Certainly not, “Bumpy Meat,” by any stretch of a four-year-old’s imagination.  So … what in the world is “Bumpy Meat.”

 

Fortunately, Nani was also around.  And she was well-versed in AnnaGrace-ese.  Or at least she had received the proper coaching that I so desperately lacked.  “Bumpy Meat” is simply code for … hamburger.  Ground beef.  See?  Makes perfect sense, doesn’t it?  All you have to do is think like a four-year-old. 

 

Friday was our busy day, the very reason we were here.  We had to get Zak up early to get him to their homeschool co-op to help set up.  I pulled that duty.  Meanwhile Chris was getting the others ready to be there about an hour later.  Once we got them all present and accounted for, we actually had a few hours to ourselves.  We went to Target and did some Christmas shopping.  

 

Around noon we picked up AnnaGrace and went on our grandparent date.  We ended up at her favorite spot – and the site of her regular Friday treat with Mom – Freddy’s.  It’s a local shop that serves AnnaGarce’s all-time favorite lunch – French Fries and a Dr Pepper.  Then it was back to the co-op to pick up Luke and Caleb and get Caleb to basketball practice.  Immediately.  I managed to get him dropped off and Luke back to the house before racing aback to co-op to pick up Zak, who stuck around to help with clean-up.  We had time to stop and get some gas in the car. Then it was back to pick up Caleb after practice.  That was followed by a quick trip to pick up the pizzas we ordered.  Finally we headed back home, pizzas in hand for Family pizza and a movie night (also a tradition for Friday nights around here).  Peter Rabbit 2 (It was AnnaGrace’s turn to choose).  After that movie ended, AnnaGrace went on to bed.  The boys gave Mom and Dad a call to ask about a movie they wanted to watch.  After their chat, the format was set.  Astros on the phone for DadDad.  Harry Potter on the TV for Luke (We switched it over to the Astros after the movie ended).  And some other Dad-approved movie on the computer for the two older guys.  Whew.  By the time all that ended, I for one was ready for bed.  The boys pretty much bunked in where they were in the living room.  Also a family tradition on pizza and a movie night – sleepover.  Nani, by the way, had already gone to bed long before – maybe in the sixth inning.  Hey, I gauge time by innings when the Astros are playing.  Sadly, the good guys lost this one.  But in their defense, it was 50 degrees and raining.  That’s just not baseball weather. 

 

Oh, on to Christina.  She actually received her facilities upgrade.  Or downgrade depending on your perspective, I guess.  She has been moved to the acute care facility in Webster, a mere twenty minutes from home.  And last night Jachin was able to see her for the first time in 26 days.  Micah is due to go up today.  And as soon as she gets off the high flow oxygen, she will be able to meet the other three down in the lobby area for a visit.  That’s a big WooHoo in spite of the Astros loss!

 

Romans 10:10 says, “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

 

Father, please be with Josh and Christi as they travel today.  And thank you for Christina’s upgrades.  Amen.

 

October 29 – “What could go wrong, right?”

First, Christina.  The transfer orders came through.  The ICU doctor shook her hand and said., “Well done.”  As of last night she has been moved to Kindred Acute Care in Webster (not nearly as far from their house).  Here is her FaceBook post from last night:

I busted out of St. Luke’s!  25 days there.  So, so grateful for eth medical team there!  Now I’m at an acute facility.  Time to get moving!  They said 10-40 days, but I’m going to get out sooner!   Pray that they can bend the rules a little so my 3 youngest can visit.

 

Now onto our immediate adventures.  Josh and Christi left around 10:30 or so.  They hadn’t been gone five minutes when it happened.  I was playing “Lions” with Luke and AnnaGrace.  “How do you play ‘Lions’?” you might ask.  Well, everybody knows that one.  The two kids were baby lion cubs.  I was the visitor to the zoo.  They told me to press the imaginary button next to the invisible bars of their cage.  What could go wrong, right?  As I stood there, apparently the bars began to move downward and out of sight.  Also apparently, these particular bars are visible only to the animals within the cage.  They knew what was happening.  I did not.  They eased over toward me looking all cute and cuddly.  Suddenly, the invisible bars had disappeared entirely.  I know.  Invisible bars disappearing.  But hey, it was their fantasy.  Who am I to question, much less challenge?  As the bars reached the cage’s bottom, the two sweet cubs within became growling predators, hungry for blood.  My blood.  So I did what any self-respecting tourist to the zoo would do.   No, I didn’t pull out my imaginary camera to document the moment for Facebook.  I ran away.  And they chased.  From their sunken living room, I leapt upon the landing to the next level (It’s only two steps, so my leaping may be somewhat exaggerated).  As I turned to check the forward progress of the approaching felines, five or six of the bricks on the floor came loose from their mortar moorings and slid completely out from under me.  Needless to say, I went tumbling to the ground.  Flat on my back.  It was one of those slow-motion, out-of-body-experience kind of thing, like in the cartoons.  Here’s where I say that I wish it had been part of the aforementioned fantasy escapade.  But no.  Suddenly it was painfully real.  There I was, on my back.  And within seconds I was looking up to at least four young faces, all wrinkled with concern.  It didn’t really hurt at the time, although I did anticipate a certain degree of residual “oof” as the adrenaline of the fall wore off.  I wasn’t disappointed in that department.  It’s still a little more sore than usual this morning, but the offending area of bricks has been puzzled back together and is presently marked with, well, with the duct tape we used as mortar to set them back into place.  Hmm.  Wonder if Mom and Dad will notice? 

 

I went to Zak’s basketball practice.  It was most definitely a varsity-junior varsity atmosphere.  Let’s just say, I’m pretty sure I was the shortest one in the room, except maybe for the younger brother who was watching as well.  Lots of running for conditioning.  All were pretty good athletes.  Much higher expectations from the coach.  Zak did well.  He’s a really good shooter, and he has point guard instincts and skills.  I predict their team should do well this year, if they can stay focused and work as a team.

 

Philippians 4:9 says, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me – put it into practice.  And the God of peace will be with you.”

 

Father, thank you for the good Christina news.  Give her the focus and determination she will need going forward with her rehab.  And please grease some wheels so those little ones can go see Mommy.  Amen.

October 28 - “Into the storm …”

Lots of rain and some loud thunder woke me up yesterday morning around five. Didn’t seem to faze Chris though. I got out of bed as quietly as possible.  She followed around seven.

 

Next we packed. That didn’t take long. We’ll just be gone for a few days. It was pouring down rain off and on though. We finally got loaded and left around 9:45.

(That should be - we got the car loaded, not us).

 

But then … well, here’s the text I sent Josh:

We’re on our way, but we are in the middle of a tornado! We’ll, maybe not a tornado … yet. People are driving with flashers on though. Really hard rain. Mom is driving 32 mph on I45!

 

We had rain all the way into downtown Houston. At one point somebody just flew by and dumped a bunch of water all at once on our windshield. Absolute Zero visibility for a few seconds. Let’s just say that Chris’ new heart monitor got an unexpected workout!

 

The really hard stuff stopped a little before downtown. It continued to rain, though, until we were onto US 287 on our way out of the Big City.

 

Got word from Kel that the doc has put in orders to transfer Christina to either the regular floor she was on accidentally a few days ago or to the long term care facility (rehab). First bed that opens up wins!  At this point she “officially” has fibrosis in her lungs, so she has to see a pulmonologist. That won’t happen until after rehab. Suffice it to say, some long term lung care is in her future.

 

We made our requisite stop at Bucees for lunch and gas. BLT for me. Chicken taco for Chris. Regular unleaded for the car. Back on the road.

 

Just as we arrived it was time for Caleb to head to his first basketball practice. Pretty intense. This is the real Junior high deal.  Not sure I understood/agreed with the coach’s approach to … well, coaching, but Caleb did really well. There were 18 boys on the court, though. That makes for a rather unwieldy practice. Fortunately, They are going to have an A and a B team.

 

Last night we Went to trunk or treat at their church. costumes of every genre were there in abundance. Luke went as Jose Altuve. Go Astros. AnnaGrace was a princess. I don’t know which one. I lose track. Wait! The one with the really long hair. Rapunzel, right?  I’m getting there. Zak wore a … baby mask. Not particularly scary, but certainly … disturbing. Caleb wrapped himself completely in bubble wrap held on by duct tape. No idea …

 

Back home, we managed to get the Astros game going on their tv after a few tries. The app on their Apple TV finally let us sign in under our provider account. And of course the Astros won. As Sam texted after the game, Luke brought them luck. Keep that costume handy for the next three games, Luke …

 

John 11:25-26 says, “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.  Do you believe this?’”

 

Father, thank you for Christina’s continued progress. And thanks for the protection through that crazy storm. Amen.

October 27 – “King Tut”

Two quick miles started us out yesterday.  Good thing we got it in then, too.  Today … it is raining.  And it’s expected to get worse as a cold front blows through.  Not that it is going to be all that cold.  At least not here.  But we are leaving for Waco this morning, and the lows there will be in the 40’s and 50’s.  Where’s my winter coat?

 

I spent the rest of the morning working on a special request Visual Verse.  It will debut in church on Sunday morning.  What makes it so special?  Pastor Kel requested it.  Hmm.  Wonder if he is coming over to the dark side with us visual learners?

 

Right after lunch we headed back up to LaMarque to help with those grandkids one last time before heading to Waco.  I helped Josiah go through his newly available school lesson plan (thanks to Mom’s Herculean efforts from the hospital).  He has a pretty cool history curriculum.  It combines Bible history with secular history.  I showed him how to remember the name Tutankhamen.  He had no problem with King Tut.  It sounds a lot like King Tuck, which is what they call Kyle Tucker on the Astros.  I drew him a picture of an ankh, the Egyptian symbol of life that looks surprisingly like a cross with a loop on top.  And then there are the last four letters, which constitute the last thing you say after every prayer – AMEN.  So there you have it: TUT – ANKH – AMEN.  And the approximate date wasn’t that hard either.  1333.  All those threes.  And Josiah is the third or three boys.  I think he’s got that one.  A lot of the stuff – like Chemistry (why is a sixth grader studying Chemistry anyway?  I didn’t get that until tenth grade) – I really wasn’t much help on, other than to encourage him to read it. 

 

We ended up taking three of the five kids to karate.  Always fun to watch kids wale on each other.  And after class they practiced doing crazy kick-tricks with one of the super-black-belts (or whatever they call him).  Kel took Jachin to his baseball game.  And Ezra, too.  It was one of those nights where Ezra just needed to be around his Daddy, and he wasn’t taking “no” for an answer. 

 

We made it back in plenty of time to catch the first inning of the Astros game.  Ouch.  Home run on the first pitch.  And then the Astros bats grow cold again.  Final score was 6-2, so it wasn’t a complete blowout.  The Braves pitcher, former Astro Charlie Morton went down after getting hit on the leg by a ball hit by Yuli Gurriel.  He pitched to – and retired – three more guys before giving in to the pain.  And come to find out, he had a fracture in that leg.  And just to show the Astros luck last night … that shot off Morton’s leg rolled right to the first baseman, who stepped on the bag for an easy out.  Oh, well.  On to Game Two …

 

Matthew 10:16 says, “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.  Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.”

 

Father, thank you again that Christina is feeling up to coordinating schoolwork again.  Give her the strength to put in the work that the physical therapist has given her.  Amen.

October 26 – “Quite the Gig”

Back to the old grind yesterday.  I woke up around 5 a.m., so I worked at the computer until Chris was ready to walk a few hours later.  We did our two miles.  She continued on to walk her steps, and I continued at the computer. 

 

Our terribly exciting day was interrupted by the need for a quick trip to WalMart after lunch.  We picked up an electric lantern for use on Halloween.  We have to highlight the big ol’ crack in our driveway so little ones don’t trip over it.  That generally happens anyway, but at least we do our part.  We’ll also put out some of those junior sized traffic cones.  We also got some bananas and some eye drops recommended by our ophthalmologist for dry eye.  We’re thinking some of Chris’ meds are giving her a bad case of the dried-out eye.  Maybe this stuff will help. 

 

Last night we pulled grandkid duty again.  I went to Jachin’s baseball game and Chris stayed with the younger ones to see that they got fed and watered.  Hey, that works phenomenally with plants and animals.  Why not grandkids? 

 

Speaking of grandkids, we are heading out tomorrow to do some grandparenting in Waco.  Josh and Christi are topping his sabbatical month off from work with a weekend away for just the two of them.  We get to hang out with their kiddos and shuttle them to wherever they need to be.  It’s quite the gig, this grandparenting thing.  We need to get back to traveling just to rest up …

 

A quick Christina update … She is doing really well.  She is walking around the room, letting her body get used to this strange new adventure called movement.  Physical and occupational therapy have been in to work with her regularly now.  She is planning out school schedules for the kids again.  She even found some time yesterday to text me to see if we were watching the new Hallmark Christmas movies.  Well, and to check on how Chris was feeling.  Keep on advancing, Christina …

 

Psalms 103:13 says, “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.”

 

Father, thank you for the positive steps Christina has been taking.  And thank you that Chris has been able to bounce back her procedure with not too many side effects.  Amen.

October 25 – “not some fru-fru …”

Let me start out by letting Christina update you on her condition:

“X-ray today showed ‘improvement’!!!  First time we’ve heard that about an X-ray or ct scan!  Tested negative for MRSA.  White blood cell count was lower.  Completed another round of antibiotics!  Now to get back some lung capacity!”

I would say she feels like she got some good news, wouldn’t you?  She was moved out of ICU for a little while, but the nurses on the floor decided they didn’t know how to adequately take care of the high-flow oxygen machine.   Seems Christina is right on the cusp of care.  She needs a little bit more than a regular floor can give, but a little bit less than she gets in ICU.  They ended up moving her back to a different part of the ICU where they can keep an eye on her while they wean her from the high flow and begin to build up that lung capacity.

 

Pretty good day at church yesterday.  I was up to bat on the teaching end.  Kel is up next week.  We had 58 present by my count.  The visitor family from across the road was there again.  I even saw our Seaside friend, Doc Hurt (Really his name and he really is a doctor, albeit retired), after the service.  He hasn’t been coming because his wife has respiratory issues and he his staying away from crowds.  It was good catching up with him.  God is really moving in his life.

 

I do have a before-the-service-preparation story.  It involves something I overheard.  Four-year-old Ezra approached his Dad with a Styrofoam cup in hand and announced, “I want some coffee.”  His Dad replied, “You don’t want coffee.  That stuff is nasty.”  But Ezra insisted, so Dad took him over to the coffeepot and put a tiny bit of coffee in his cup, warning him that it was pretty hot.  Ezra wasn’t finished, though.  He pointed to the creamer – the kind in those cute little prepackaged cups – “I want some of this.”  Dad was happy to oblige, and pour it in.  Then Dad added, “You know that it’s not coffee anymore, right?”  Ezra looked at him, then at his cup, with a quizzical stare.  Dad grinned and explained, “Now it’s a latte.”  Did Ezra drink it?  Nope.  I think he just wanted coffee with milk in it, not some fru-fru French drink.

 

Matthew 7:7 says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

 

Father, thank you for the good news concerning Christina.  Please keep the progress coming.  Amen.

October 24 – “Fall Festival Showers”

We headed up to the church early on to do what little we could to help set up for the big Fall Festival.  As it turned out, we had lots of help there, so it really didn’t take too long.  The crew even managed to get two bounce houses set up.  And the new nine square game that Lauren and Ed figured out how to build from scratch.  That was a puzzle in itself.  And in the end, it took nine or ten of us to hold it up until Bob and Ray could get it tied and staked down.  It held up fine for the event.  Thanks for the challenge on that one, Josiah.  I took Chris home around noon.  She was getting really tired, and she didn’t even argue when I made the recommendation.  And she took about a two hour nap.  Not like her at all, but she needed it.

 

The Festival went pretty well.  At least up until the rains came.  We saw several families from the neighborhood, and the youngsters who came all loved the games and bouncing in the houses, not to mention the candy and fun toy treats.  Dale and Doug provided musical background for us.  We had way more chili than we could ever eat.  Amber made some really good cupcakes.  I may or may not have had half of one – the top half.  OK, she scraped off some of the homemade buttercream icing and gave it to me on a plastic knife.  Kind of like a popsicle.  My personal favorite was the candy corn cake that Joanne made.  It was lined with candy corn.  It had candy corn on top.  The icing looked like candy corn.  Even the inside was the color of candy corn.  And oh, boy, was it ever tasty.  But if you don’t like candy corn, stay back.

 

I mentioned earlier that the rains came.  And when it became obvious that they were here to stay for the long haul, we decided to pull the plug on the rest of the event.  But the kids didn’t really pay attention to said decision.  They were having too much fun in the rain.  The adults got all the tables and chairs taken down and stowed, and everything else pulled under the building.  Well, except for the bounce houses and the nine-square game (which, by the way, survived the rains without any threat of collapse).  The wet bounce house slide had become the most fun addition to the games repertoire.  We finally let the air out of the fun so parents could get the kids dried off and head for home.  By the time we left, Chris was really beat again.  This time I was right there with her.  We headed to bed a little after nine.  Ah, the joys of an old folks bedtime …

 

Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

 

Father, thank you for the folks who came out to help and enjoy the event yesterday.  And thanks for the rain, too.  The kids probably enjoyed that as much as they did the rest of the games.  Your purpose prevails, even in the little things.  Amen.

 

October 23 – “Loop Recorder Day”

Yesterday was the big day.  Chris was to receive her loop recorder that will track her heart activity 24/7 for the next four or five years.  It is a tiny, paper clip sized creation that slips right in under her skin just above her heart.  Technically still a surgery because it involves cutting and invading, this one was billed as a real piece of cake.  Quick slit.  In and out.  Five to fifteen minutes from surgery beginning to walking out the door.  Hmm.  Should have suspected something.

 

We checked into the hospital right at 7 a.m.  security didn’t even attempt to stop us.  Guess we looked legit enough.  We were the only patients in the Cath Lab, where the surgery was to take place.  In fact we were along with just a nurse or two, along with the front desk person.  She was really nice, by the way.  At one point she asked if Chris had been outside of the United States of Texas lately.  “United States OF Texas.”  I asked about that designation.  She backtracked and insisted she said, “United States OR Texas.”  Gotta love having a hearing problem.  Makes the world so much more interesting.  Oh, and we received a text from April as we were checking in.  She was just touching base with us to let us know she was at work, so she was nearby if we needed her.  Always good to know. 

 

Here’s a quick timeline of events:

7:40 – IV, bloodwork, monitors hooked up

7:45 – Met the rep from the monitor company

9:15 – still waiting to begin.  Chris getting a headache.

9:50 – They finally told us the doctor was caught in a traffic jam.

10:06 – I finally got kicked out.  They are ready to get it done.  Again … “Should take 5 to 15 minutes.

11:15 – Interesting definition of 5-15 minutes.  They came and got me.  All done.  I got there just in time to listen to the guy explain how the thing works.  All we had to then was wait for the doc’s final orders – the discharge papers. 

Chris told me that they had told her the doc wasn’t just IN a traffic jam.  She actually CAUSED it.  Someone ran into her on the way to the hospital.  Chris said she was talking 90 miles an hour.  Chris finally said, “Doc, slow down.  Take a few deep breaths.  You’re about to cut into my chest and I want you in control.” 

12:15 - Still waiting for the discharge papers.

1:11 – Still waiting.   Just informed that the nurse manager is now involved in trying to get the discharge papers. 

1:30 – Papers finally arrive and we are set loose.  Phew.  Longest “5-15 minutes” of my whole life.  We stopped at Randall’s on the way home for Chris’ antibiotics.  The Luza’s were there, so we got to catch up with them a little bit.  Always fun to catch up with old friends.

 

Enough about that part of the day.  We are home now.  Chris is really sore but doing fine otherwise.  Ezra called this morning to check in on Nana.  Really.  Daddy was in the shower, so he got on Kel’s phone and FaceTimed me.  First question was, “Did you just get home from Nana’s surgery?”  That was followed by, “How is she doing?”  Nothing quite like a four-year-old checking in on your health.

 

Speaking of Ezra, I guess I buried the lead.  Kel got this text from Christina early this morning:
            “They woke me up at 1:30 a.m. and moved me out of ICU.”

Yep.  And the plans are to move her to a rehab facility in Webster toward the end of next week.  Things are moving along …

 

Saw this on the glove of Astros relief pitcher, Kendall Graveman, last night (Go Astros, by the way.  On to the World Series):

Ephesians 3:20, which says: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us”

 

Father, thank you for the good news from Christina.  Please ease Chris’ soreness and maybe work it out where this contraption will figure out what is going on.  Amen.

October 22 – “Getting chipped”

Quick post this morning.  We are heading up to the hospital for Chris’ procedure to implant the loop recorder to keep track of her heartbeat for the next four or five … years.  Never heard of a test lasting that long.  A triumph of modern medicine, I’m sure.  But I guess she’s about to find out how the puppies feel when they get their ID chips.

 

We had grandkid duty yesterday.  Here’s the short version: Chores.  Schoolwork.  Lunch.  Baseball.  Karate.  Did I miss anything?  Oh, yeah.  Tickle monster.  Hugs.  Laughter.  Lovin’.  Best part. 

 

Jachin’s team won the baseball game, by the way.  He had a good game personally, too.  Walked twice.  Scored.  Ended up being the winning pitcher in relief after shutting down a bases loaded rally with no runs scored.  That’s our boy.

 

Matthew 6:19 says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.”

 

Father, please be with Chris during her procedure today.  And keep Christina on the healing path.  Amen.

 

October 21 – “A simple swish and swash”

I had an appointment with the eye doctor yesterday.  You know, the one who dilates your eyes so that every light is as bright as looking into the sun?  In fact she helped the sun along a time or two with that flashlight she shone directly in there.  When all was said and done, my prescription didn’t change very much.  Actually the only thing that did change was my up close vision, and I don’t use my glasses to read anyway.  So, no new glasses.  She did send me across the waiting room to get them to adjust the ones I do have.  The guy said the frames I have are the best ones on the market right now.  They must have been way ahead of their time.  I bought them many years ago. 

 

Chris had the same appointment, but in the afternoon.  She is Ok as far as her vision goes, but she is rapidly approaching time to get her cataracts taken care of.  We’ll see how long she can hold out on that one. 

 

Chris’ big struggle came after she left the eye doc and headed over for her dreaded … Covid test.  It’s required for any hospital procedure.  She’s having one of “those” tomorrow.  But back to the test.  Her test administrator was Brittany.  I mention her name, because apparently she was amazing.  No brain swabs on Brittany’s watch.  She managed to get what she needed with a simple swish and swash.  Chris already has plans to request her next time.

 

Christina update:  I’ll just copy what Kel posted.

She finally relaxed.  I can see it in her eyes when she’s not anxious any more.  She’s up talking.  Eating.  She called Micah to give school directions (He followed that line by adding a laughing emoji).  She got out of bed to sit in the chair to eat. 

 

All in all, it continues to sound promising.  She still has the five or six more days of antibiotics, and a long haul of home rehab ahead of her, but she is moving forward.  Keep those prayers coming.

 

Psalm 23:6 says, “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

 

Father, thank you for the great news from the Christina front.  Please be with the kids as they make it through another week with Mom gone.  Help them get going on their schoolwork, and grant them patience with each other.  Amen.

October 20 – “She’s ordering me …”

We got in a walk yesterday, and I did my back exercises while Chris walked the stairs.  Stephanie brought over the New Testaments to be given away on Halloween.  I finally got started on the sermon, but it was already around 10:15.  Where did the morning go?

 

And no sooner did I get started, than the screen on my laptop went completely blank.  Well, except for that cute little hand with the pointy finger.  It worked just fine, but it was pointing at black nothingness.  Control-alt-delete did nothing.  So I had to do a hard reboot.  I just took a deep breath and pushed the button.  It finally came back up, but Chris said, “Start researching computers.”  Great.  Just what we need on top of the deductibles for these upcoming hospital procedures … another expense.  Oh well. 

 

Let’s talk about Christina.  They couldn’t get the IV in that they wanted, but they went ahead and upped her dosage of blood thinners.  They aren’t as worried about blood clots now.  In fact, they are still waiting for the CT scan, but the physician’s assistant was in and said her symptoms don’t really match up with a blood clot.  They also scheduled a Doppler scan of her legs and an echocardiogram.  The X-rays showed that the pneumonia hadn’t completely cleared yet, so they prescribed seven more days of antibiotics and a test for MRSA.

 

Whew.  Sounds like a lot, and it is.  But here’s Kel’s word for the day:

            Christina must be feeling better because she’s ordering me to bring her all this

stuff and is going to plan the kids’ activities out for this week.  Ate lunch in a chair.  Nurse even turned down the high flow and all was well.

 

Hmm.  “She’s ordering me ….”  That’s our girl.  Sounds like she’s back.

 

Chris went to LaMarque to help the kids get situated with schoolwork and Zoom classes and no doubt cleaning up again.  Those boys are really enjoying bachelor life way too much.  I stayed home to work on the sermon for Sunday.  I did break away and make a quick trip to Randall’s to pick up a prescription and some fruit.  Back in plenty of time to watch the Astros, though.  And what a game, right?  Seven-run ninth inning to take the victory. 

 

Isaiah 64:8 says, “Yet you, Lord, are our Father.  We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.”

 

Father, thank you for the upswing in Christina news.  Please keep her on that road upward. Amen.

October 19 – “Patient Number Two”

I walked two miles with Chris yesterday.  I even did my back exercises before we ventured out.  I know.  I haven’t really mentioned them lately.  Sadly, that would be because I haven’t been doing them lately.  And it caught up with me.  My back has been pretty sore, especially since we have begun our career as housekeepers.

 

Yesterday was a step backwards for Christina.  She officially slipped back into ICU status.  She is very weak.  They returned her to the high flow oxygen.  They started steroids back to reduce inflammation, and antibiotics to make sure they got all of the bacteria part of the pneumonia.  But the biggest concern right now is that she might have a blood clot in her lungs.  Last I heard yesterday they were trying to get her into a position where they could do a CT scan with contrast to verify the presence of blood clots.  They think all this is a lingering effect of the whole Covid experience.  Oh, but on the positive side … her arm doesn’t hurt any more.

 

Now, on the home front (at least I think this is the home front.  We haven’t been around here very much the last few days), to Patient Number Two (who was actually patient number one, but gave up her status to Christina, but is still in the running …)

 

Chris had an appointment with her cardiologist yesterday.  It was a regular follow-up, but she had definitely had some questions, not the least of which was, why is she still having chest pains and shortness of breath and dizzy spells?  She also asked about the procedure she is scheduled for this Friday where they will insert a monitor into her chest to record heart rhythms and such over a long period of time.  That one is supposed to give us answers about the extremely low heart rate she occasionally has. 

 

So … he told her to definitely have the implant put in.  That is a question that can only be answered by the information the monitor will provide.  It was the other question that concerned him.  The continued heart pains and shortness of breath and dizziness.  The only way to figure out what’s going on there?  Well, step one is another stress test (like the one where she had the heart attack last time).  And if that doesn’t show what he needs to see, another “invasive procedure” is back on the table.  He was absolutely amazed at how much she walks, and he was totally floored when he found out she walks the stairs on top of that.  Still wants the stress test, though. 

 

Chris was Ok with all of that.  She understands the medical gobbledy-gook and jargon.  What she is not excited about, though?  Now, since she is having two separate procedures, that means two separate Covid tests as preliminaries.  Yep, the brain jab kind.  She hates those more than the procedures.  So her schedule looks like this:

Wednesday – Covid test (I failed to mention that we both have appointments with the ophthalmologist on Wednesday as well).

Friday – Procedure to insert the loop recorder

Nov. 1 – Covid test #2

Nov. 3 – Stress test

Oh, we have other things that will be happening all mixed in there as well (not nearly as stressful).  Fall Festival at church.  Babysitting the kids in Waco.  And I’m sure continuing our grandparent-ly taxi service and grandkid assistance program in LaMarque.  Phew.  Keep those prayers a’comin’

 

2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.  Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

 

Father, please invade Christina’s whole situation.  Fill her with your spirit and with some extra strength to fight this thing.  And be with Kel and the kids as they struggle to be a houseful of bachelors (and one little princess).  And please be with Chris through those Covid tests and the procedure on Friday.  Amen.

October 18 – “Gotta get on the move”

We were back over the top in church again.  Well, by “top” I mean 50.  That has been a really good number for us lately.  We had several guests, including a Seaside family that moved to Pittsburgh a while back.  Always great to see Seasiders come back home to say hi.  Our guest preacher Jordan was back, and he did great again.  Talked all about suffering this time.  Oh, and Kel was back as well.  Good to have him out of quarantine and back in the swing of things.  He was still recuperating, though.  Hence, the guest speaker. 

 

After church Kel took our car and hit the road to head to Houston to be with Christina.  We took the Littles.  You know, that affectionate reference Kel and Christina have for his youngest is going to have to change before long.  Josiah getting on up there.  He’s already in the youth realm.  Noa is becoming quite the young lady.  I guess a case could be made for including Ezra in the Littles category, but don’t tell him that.  He thinks he is just as big as his siblings.  The kiddos hung out at our house for a while and played video games with Brennan before we took them on home.

 

While we waited for Kel we tried to make ourselves useful.  Cleaned out the refrigerator this time.  They have been receiving some really good meals from folks they know, so we needed to make room for the leftovers that were beginning to accumulate.  They had two options yesterday.  Pulled pork and coleslaw or pizza and pizza salad (yes, pizza salad is a thing.  Just throw some sliced pepperoni on top, and voila!).  Guess which was most favored?  We finally got all the youngers ones bathed and ready for bed.  The plan was to have Noa and Ezra in bed and asleep by seven.  The in-bed part we did OK on.  Well, for Noa, anyway.  Ezra chose to settle in under a table in their room.  OK.  No sleeping happened, though.  They were determined to wait for Daddy to get home.  Fortunately, he made it around 8:15, so it wasn’t too late.  They even got to FaceTime Mom before bed.  A real treat.

 

And speaking of Mom, here’s the Christina update for the day.  The pneumonia is still present, so the docs ordered some more antibiotics and steroids.  They were going to bring the high flow oxygen machine back into the room, but apparently she doesn’t need it at all.  Just a precaution.  The docs and nurses are all insisting that it is high time she does some twisting and turning and coughing and walking and in general exercising of her lungs.  Gotta get on the move so she can get on the move …

 

Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

 

Father, thank you again for the good reports we are getting on Christina.  Please give her a sense of reassurance now that she can handle the next steps toward recovery.  Amen.