lost little raffie

You probably don't have to scroll down too far to see a picture of Raffie. The little giraffe lovey, "Ra-ee" as Joseph calls him, is a most-treasured possession. But good old Raffie gave us a scare. He was lost/left in Savannah when the kids came back from Meme's.

Raffie is arguably the most important thing to remember after Hannah and Joseph when packing the car. And while Joseph had Raffie with him while he was "helping" Meme load up, he didn't make the final trip out to the car with his BFF. It was after the kids were back in Sandersville when we realized Raffie was nowhere in the car. Raffie could be in a parking lot or driveway...or anywhere. Not a good situation! So after I sent out an amber alert and while a hunt ensued, it was imperative that Joseph had a Raffie as quickly as possible.

Let me tell you how grateful I am to have connections. And by that, I mean a mom who used her Amazon Prime account to order another Raffie which I received the very next day. Thank goodness...one night was hard enough. After tucking Joseph in his crib, giving him a couple of other plush toys (horrible, I know...nothing compares to Ra-ee), I kissed him goodnight and walked out of the room. On the monitor for a while I heard, "Ra-ee?....Raa-eee?!"

Enter, Raffie II:

I unwrapped that puppy - er - giraffe and threw it in the washing machine so quick. Joseph was napping and I wanted him to see it when he woke up. When we took it out of the dryer, it was not as grand an event as I thought it'd be. I was half thinking he would know the difference. But, I guess he was just so happy to see a Raffie, that he didn't notice. He hugged on and carried him around like usual.

Joseph and Raffie II are pretty much like Joseph and Raffie I. But the really good news is, the original loved-and-cuddled-with-since-birth Raffie has been found and Joseph will get him soon! Thank you, Uncle Will Will! I think I'll be hiding this one, giving it a little wash-and-wear occasionally, and keeping it for such a time as this.

mobile uploads

Happy Monday! Joe and I are headed to Augusta today for an ortho-spine follow-up. At our last appointment three and a half weeks ago things were looking good. Thankfully, where the fracture is in the L1 vertebra, it will just require time to heal on its own. The main source of pain at this point is Joe's lower back, which suffered soft-tissue damage and severe bruising (including bone - pelvis/sacrum). Our ortho-leg follow-up last Tuesday went well. His cast was taken off, X-rays done, stitches removed, and he was put in a boot. He also doesn't have to keep his leg elevated 24/7 which is wonderful! He can move around on his crutches and do gentle exercises/stretches with his foot. We will go back in four weeks. Until then, it is non-weight bearing.

Things are getting better. Joe participated in worship yesterday. Everyone loved to see him back up there and he liked being there. I was a little nervous as he was crutching around and going up and down the steps at the front of the church. But he did fine. Yesterday, he even went swimming for a little bit. Not to worry, he was very careful (as I kept telling him to be!) and didn't push it.

The kids have spent the last almost week with my mom in Savannah and I miss them so much! They have had a great time doing all sorts of fun things and we have FaceTime'd them every day. It has been to nice to have the break and get stuff done around the house (including working on the birthday party for my little HB), but I'm ready for them to come home tomorrow!

Here's the last month of mobile uploads. These first two were taking by my friend, Deana, who was so kind to take the kids for a fun-filled morning at the end of July:

And now August, from my phone:

 my little performer

 ...and again.

 Daddy's first haircut in a while. 

 like father, like son.

 Hannah "calling" friends on her phone while out for a run.

 opening an early birthday present from Auntie Jen

 playing with birthday party supplies in the shopping cart

 ...in case you were wondering what the hardware looks like in Joe's leg.

 exercising "gently" yesterday

FaceTime with Hannah

Here's to the last week of summer. Preschool starts next week!

family

Pictures taken last month, while we were in Savannah for Uncle Pete's memorial service...

godfather and godson

Uncle Ben and Uncle Will Will with Jo-Jo (as Uncle Pete called him)

 most of the family who were in town

 the boys - doing good, except for Joe who was hurting and Joseph who was crying!

 all happy, playing on the new trampoline!

BFFs: Hannah and Lyndsey

So good to be with family, even if it was a sad occasion.

before our world turned crazy...

My heart melted the day I first heard Joseph call Hannah "Honey". Honey is a very popular term of endearment around here. Used between Joe and I, Hannah also requests from time to time, "Momma, call me 'Honey'."

So, earlier this summer when I was dropping Hannah off at swim lessons, we were pulling away and Joseph cried out, "Honey! Honey!" At first I thought he was saying a version of Hannah, but then I realized, I call Hannah 'Honey' all the time. I think he might think that's her name! And, as if to confirm, the next day as we were walking away from the pool, he cried out again, "Honey! Honey!" I mean, I love it. Honey is her name as far is Joseph is concerned, and he uses that name daily. So, Honey she is. I hope it doesn't stop. It is just too dang cute!

This summer, Honey has been all about her hair, asking for braids or to be "like Momma." Like Momma would be like this:

The classic bun...though usually mine is much messier.

The weekend before Joe's accident, Honey went to a princess birthday party. We have a great Cinderella costume that was a hand-me-down from a friend. I must say, she looked a little like the real thing to me:

Honey's other half, and partner in crime:

Our good friends, Jennifer and Daniel, and their girls, Leah and Audrey, came to town. I took one picture:

And lastly, the day before it all happened.

All was quiet on the western front...

Well, as quiet as it ever is around here...

And then all hell broke loose.

The next photo on my phone:

Amazing how your life can change in an instant. Cherish each day. Count your blessings. And...share the road!

patient update

Thought you might like an update on our patient at Evergreen Drive.

Surgery went as well as could be expected. We were warned Monday morning that there was a possibility of the surgical team finding additional damage when they went in to fix his ankle. Thankfully, there was none and the procedure was close to what we initially thought - with the addition of a second plate. Surgery lasted an hour and ten minutes. It was in recovery where things started to go south. Mama Buck and I got to see him for a minute (maybe) and then left so that they could do the nerve block. He was in a tremendous amount of pain and ended up having to wait an hour and a half in recovery for the anesthesiologist. Then, in the post-op room he was miserable with nausea and our departure was postponed. Fortunately, we still left the hospital that afternoon and came home to Sandersville.

I say fortunately, but really, I'm not sure how fortunate that was. In hindsight, it would have been really nice to have stayed in the hospital overnight. At least there they could have done something to help him! We were told the nerve block usually lasts 18-24 hours. Joe was able to wiggle his toes after 11 hours and his wore off completely by 12 or 13 hours. Monday night, he was in agony. There is no other word to describe it. Throughout the night he writhed in pain, calling out to God for relief. We were both praying unceasingly for the pain to be under control. Joe had almost no sleep (except during the operation) for almost 48 hours. That, with the pain, was just too much.

And I felt completely helpless. Other than giving him his medicine early, putting ice over his splint, and praying, there was nothing else I could do. We couldn't get ahead of the pain. Yesterday morning I talked to a nurse (who talked to our doctor) and we switched his pain medicine and upped the dose. A doctor friend here also came to see us and by evening the pain was managed.

Last night was a whole lot better. I had four alarms set on my phone during the night to give medication. In between those, he was mostly able to sleep. Thank you, God. I think the worst is behind us!

The Upper Room devotion for today comes in perfect timing. "Even in our brokenness we can serve God. Even our pain can be a gift when we receive God's comfort and pass it on to another."

"For the Lord as comforted his people, and will have compassion on his suffering ones."
(Isaiah 49:13b)

tomorrow's the day!

my three favorite people

This morning, Joe really wanted to go to church. As his head nurse, I wasn't going to let him. But who am I to keep a good man down?! We slipped in the front just after the announcements and sat on a side pew, all four of us. I knew he was in pain, but he wanted to be there and I know it was worth it to him. {He does not like to miss Sunday service - no matter where we are.} As for me, I like any chance I get to sit with him in church.

Tomorrow is the day we have been waiting for - surgery! It's been two and a half weeks since the accident and we are so glad/relieved/thankful this day is here. Our follow-up appointment went well last Thursday. We learned that his spine is healing as it should, no surgery needed there. He can start trying to sit up. We learned that the fracture in his upper left fibula also does not need surgery. Because the fibula is not the primary weight-bearing bone (the tibia is), the doctors are not concerned about this break and say it will eventually consolidate with the bone and heal on its own. The surgery will be to fix his ankle where both the lower fibula and tibia fractures are located. In essence, the ankle needs to be rebuilt; the bones are not sitting where they should be. The procedure will entail pulling them back together to their proper place, secured with a plate and screws. I have no idea how long the surgery will take; they didn't tell us, and I didn't ask. However, we know they plan for us to come home tomorrow.

Please keep us in your prayers. We know they are working!!! Pray for peace and comfort. Pray for strength and good health for Joe. And pray for the medical team. We are eagerly looking forward to starting down the "road to recovery" and getting Joe well again!