Surgery Day

Drew just went back and I am sitting in the waiting room. Apparently when people wait they eat. I am sitting here listening to wrappers crinkling and mouths crunching. Maybe only "quiet" foods should be allowed in waiting rooms! Also a teenage boy is listening to music on his phone while watching a movie on his laptop while NOT wearing headphones! Really?!? The Olympics are playing on tv, but I can't hear the announcers from all the crinkling, crunching, music and bombs blowing up on the laptop! People aren't quiet in their conversations, either. I was hoping for a quiet, relaxed time waiting for Drew and praying for a successful surgery. I am going to try to overlook the craziness in here and focus on the fact that Drew will be finished soon and we can go home! I will update more later. I can't even think right now!

UPDATE:

We are home! Drew slept for a little while and has just eaten some lunch. He couldn't feed himself so Addie did it for him! She was very attentive. This may be her new job! He can't grip a fork very well with his left hand and he can't turn his hand at the wrist to get the fork to his mouth. It's pretty sad when my big, strong husband can't feed himself. Addie will be a great helper, though!

The boys have gone home with Cheryl and will spend the night with Kelly and her boys.  Addie has soccer practice and will spend the night with a friend afterward. I am SO THANKFUL for family and friends who have stepped in and offered to help. I couldn't do it without them. Drew won't be able to drive for at least six weeks, so I am going to have to get over my insecurity about asking for help. This is going to be a good growth period for me. We will just be hanging out at home tonight watching the Olympics. Drew is hooked  up to an ice machine, so he is stuck in the house. Not that he would want to go anywhere anyway! He is suppose to keep that on for three days. He may get cabin fever before its all said and done!

We are just going to play it by ear eah day and take it as easy as possible. We have a couple of weeks before we have to go back to work, so this will be some good recovery time. I will update more later. Thanks for checking in with us!

10 Positives

I could choose to feel sorry for myself and our current situation, but I am going to make a conscious effort to be positive. I've spent a lot of time thinking about all that has transpired over the last five days. These are my positive thoughts:

1) Drew and I get to spend A LOT of extra time together! Since this happened in the summer it makes it a little easier than if it would have happened while we were working. I'm a little over protective of him right now, so I am very near him all the time. I don't think he minds. ;0)

2) My kids are learning to do things around the house that we should have taught them to do long ago. Generally, they seem happy to help out. I know the novelty will wear off eventually, but they are doing pretty good right now.

3) Bryson is at an age where he can watch the younger two for us when we need to leave the house for a little while. If this would have happened a couple of years ago we wouldn't have been able to do that.

4) Drew's brothers and their families and Drew's mom have been awesome during all of this. They have kept the kids busy and let them spend the night a couple of nights right after Drew got hurt so I could focus my attention on him.

5) My friends have been AMAZING! They are bring us meals galore and act interested even when they hear me tell "the story" for the umpteenth time! It helps to be able to talk about it sometimes. I'm just trying to work through my thoughts. One friend has helped take Addison and Jackson to soccer and baseball practice. I am usually uncomfortable asking for help, but I am starting to learn that people like to help. I am thankful for friends who will step in when needed and usually without even asking!

6) Drew is starting to be able to do some things for himself. This will be short lived since after his surgery on Thursday his arm and shoulder will be immobilized, but I will take it while we have it.

7) I ordered Drew a Bathroom Buddy. Google it! You will see why this makes my list of positives! :0)

8) Drew and I went to a movie together today. It was not a kid movie. I can't remember the last time we did that! It was fun to spend time together and I didn't have to keep little hands out of my popcorn!

9) I am learning to do things that Drew never let me do. He usually mows the grass (wouldn't even consider letting me do it!), keeps up with the laundry, cooks all the meals and cleans the house. Yep, I'm usually pretty worthless! Really, I do things, but he does MOST of the things around the house. Yes, he treats me like a princess!

10) He can still move his hand to rub my feet! I don't ASK him to do this, he just does it! It's good physical therapy, right?!?

I'll stop my list at 10. I know I will have some hard days, but today I am  choosing to look on the bright side!

With a Willing Heart...

You never realize how much someone does for you until the can't do it anymore. With Drew down I realize just how much he did for us! I have always known that I have it a lot better than a lot of people, but, my goodness, he works his booty off! No wonder he is always exhausted! Right now I have to do almost everything for him. With his good shoulder hurt and his other shoulder and arm not very useful it makes it difficult for him to do even the simplest of tasks. I'm not complaining, at all. I just know that I have to step up my game and work that much harder. I always feel a little guilty during our time off in the summer because I rest so much, so now I won't have a chance to feel guilty! I don't mind helping him. I WANT to help him. I am so thankful that he didn't have a head injury or a more debilitating injury. I will do everything I need to do and teach the kids how to help me. Yes, they will be helping. They are going to have to step up, also. It will be good for us to have to work together through all of this. They will probably have a new appreciation for the amount of work it takes to keep a home and family running. I'm not saying it is going to be easy or things won't get difficult during our journey. I am saying that I am thankful and appreciate even more how much Drew takes care of us and does for us. Now it is our turn to take care of him.

What about the other guy?

So many people have asked me about the driver that hit Drew. The driver, D, was great through this whole thing. Right after he ran into Drew he stopped to help. Drew had a washcloth in his hand that he was running with. After he realized his head was bleeding he tried to apply pressure with the washcloth. His shoulder was hurting so bad that he couldn't do it. The driver held it for him. D is also the one who called 911. When I got there he was standing off to the side but was obviously concerned. After I brought Drew's wallet back to him D was kneeling down by Drew trying to assist. When the paramedics were ready to leave for the hospital the police weren't there yet. The fire truck had just arrived. D said he would stay and wait for the police. The paramedics had already written down all his information, so we left. Before I drove away D walked over to my car and with tears in his eyes told me how sorry he was that this happened. He asked what Drew's name was and patted my arm and said sorry again. A couple of hours after we arrived at the ER one of the nurses said there was someone on the phone asking to talk to family. I got on the phone and it was D. He just wanted me to know that he was praying for us and hoped that Drew was okay. Later on that evening Drew and I were talking about how bad D must feel. I said that he had probably been worried sick all day. We decided to drive over to his house so Drew could talk to him. We had his address from the information the paramedics took. Drew knocked on his door and when he answered you could see the relief wash over him. D shook his hand (very carefully) and thanked Drew for coming over. I'm sure that allowed him to relax a little bit. Although Drew doesn't always show it he is a sensitive guy. He knew D wouldn't be able to sleep that night and just wanted to put him at ease. I'm proud of Drew for how he is handling this whole situation. He could me angry and mad, but he is choosing to make the best of it. Being angry won't make him hurt any less. Being mad won't make it go away. All we can do is be thankful that Drew wasn't killed and try our best to be thankful in everything.

What you may not know...

Drew was in a serious accident when he was 18. He almost lost his left arm. He did lose two fingers (well, one and a bit!) on his left hand. He has very limited use of that arm and hand. Unless ou have known Drew a while or are very observant you would never notice his "disability." He's not handicapped, he's handicapable! Drew has taught himself how to use his arm to its full potential. He doesn't use his arm as an excuse. He is the hardest working person I know. Yes, he has run across things that are difficult to do with one good arm, but it doesn't stop him. He usually just says, "It really sucks to have one arm," and then finds a way to do whatever he was trying to do in the first place. He could change diapers like nobody's business! I have always told him not to hurt his right hand or arm because, "I'm not wiping your butt!" Of course, I was only joking but secretly hoping it would never a come to that! Well, after the accident today I am going to have to do something I never thoughtnid have to do! Drew was hit on his left side and landed on his right side. Sooooooooooo, it is his RIGHT shoulder that is separated and fractured. Yep, that's the good side. It looks like we are going to take our relationship to a whole new level! Seriously, though, I will do it and I will do it with a happy heart because this situation could have ended so differently. I am thankful that he wasn't hurt more seriously than he was. Drew is truly my rock and I would be completely lost without him. I may have to do some things that make me uncomfortable, but I will be thankful while I am doing them!

What happened?!?

I have told this story many times today, but I want to blog about it so I don't forget the details. This morning Drew went jogging. He has been jogging a few times a week all summer. (Yea, Drew!!!) He had been gone about 45 minutes and I got up to use the restroom. When I got back in bed I looked at my phone and noticed two missed calls from Drew. I knew instantly that something was wrong. I tried to call back a couple of times and got his voicemail. A little panic set in. Finally, I got through but I couldn't hear his voice. I did hear some muffled voices and some movement. I immediately thought he had been attacked. Why someone would attack a big guy I had no idea. I called his name several times and he didn't answer. I stopped to listen to the voices and heard a man's voice say, "I didn't see him and I hit him." That's when I sprang out of bed and ran to my car. I know his route and started to drive it. I turned the corner and saw an ambulance. As I got closer it looked like Drew was laying under a truck. I didn't have my contacts in, so I couldn't see very well! Heck, I didn't have shoes or a bra on, either! I was quite a sight, I'm sure! As I pulled up to the scene I saw that Drew was in the street but resting against the median. I threw the car into park, jumped out and went to him. There was a big pool of blood on the street and he had blood all over his head and arm. I freaked out just a little bit (again.) he looked at me and said he was okay. He said his shoulder hurt and he had a cut on his head. He calmed me down. I am not very good in emergency situations~ obviously! I've been in many emergency situations and I haven't gotten any better. Anyway, I asked what he needed me to do and he wanted me to get his wallet. I went home to get it and decided to follow the ambulance to the hospital. I drove his wallet back to him and went home again to get dresses and tell the kids to wait for Gram to come stay with them. They could stay by themselves with Bryson in charge, but I felt like they needed an adult with them in case they needed some reassurance. I put some clothes on, put my contacts in and drove back to the ambulance. I followed them to the hospital. Drew's brother, David, met me there and Pily showed up, too. Then it was just a waiting game. Drew had an X-ray and ct scan. He has a third degree separation in his shoulder and a fracture somewhere in there. He had to get 5 stitches in his head, but doesn't have a concussion. His knee is sore, and getting more sore, but he is alive. Praise God. Things could have turned out so differently. While following the ambulance I couldn't even think of what to pray. God knew what my heart was trying to say. Plus, there were so many people praying for him and us I knew we were covered! Yes, I posted this on Facebook. Some people may scoff at that, but sometimes you need support. Facebook was that support for me today. I appreciate everyone who covered Drew in prayer today. I could have been planning a funeral today instead of dealing with insurance companies and doctors. Actually, Drew has been dealing with all of that. He wants to stay busy. He is pretty rattled by the whole event, as you can imagine. There are several funny things that happened within this story today, but I will try to share those at a later time. I'm emotionally drained and think I am being summoned to dooty duty! :0)

Fun Friday

Today we had another fun day. Drew and I woke up early and went for a walk in our neighborhood. We walked for an hour and a half while the kids got to sleep late. In fact, Jackson was still sleeping when we got home at 8:30. It was fun talking and spending time together. When we got home we started getting things ready for lunch. Addison left around 11:00 to spend some time with Drew's mom (Gram). I miss her so much when she is gone! I love hanging out with her and miss her constant banter and questions! Anyway, I had invited several friends over for lunch so we had to get busy. Drew basically did everything I was just the assistant! It's better that way for everyone involved! My friends came over and we ate. Bryson and Jackson entertained their kids while we talked. It was a fun, laid back time. That's exactly how I like it. After they left, we finished cleaning up and we watched the radar. A thunderstorm was headed right for us, but broke up at the last minute. We got a few sprinkles and that was it! After we realized we weren't going to get caught in the rain we left for the Fort Worth Food Park. We weren't hungry, but the Bacon Wagon was scheduled to be there and I wanted to go. Traffic was so heavy today that it took us about an hour to get to the food park. By then, everyone was hungry again! Drew, Bryson and I had yummy bacon sandwiches. Jackson has a couple of meatball sliders and ended up eating part of my sandwich. After he tasted mine he was sorry he didn't order from the Bacon Wagon. Sometimes mom knows best! Believe me, when it comes to bacon you should NEVER choose something else! After that we came home and played a game of Clue. Drew won, but he is sneaky! Now Whale Wars is on (that is why I am blogging!) and we are relaxing in bed. What a great Friday! Next Friday we are planning on doing something we haven't done in a few years! Stay tuned!