17 Days Post Op

I'm starting to feel like I am on my way to recovery. I still have a constant aching in my left side of my bottom from the hip joint. I'm trying to cut back on the pain meds but use them as needed. Softer things are easier to sit on as opposed to firmer things. I never get completely comfortable and move from my bed to the living room chair. I'm still using the elevated toilet seat as its softer than the regular toilet seats. I, still, continue to use the shower seat as well.

My doctor took me off my hard core meds and left me with some weak stuff. :) I'm still having nerve pain run through my calf. The morning time is when I struggle most as I feel stiff from laying down all night.

My biggest struggle right now is mental. Having already struggled with depression in the past, I know the signs and symptoms when they begin. I always thought that staying home for a few weeks to just chill, watch TV and read books would be great. I'm learning that it is great only if you have the freedom to do other things as you please as well. I'm unable to go outside by myself right now due to not having a chair I can easily sit on but I'm working on that. I'm unable to drive due to still taking narcotics but, also, being unsure of getting in and out of vehicle to use a wheelchair. I dread living the next 9 weeks like this until I can weight bear on my operative leg. I've begun reading the Bible as that will bring hope and comfort. I told the Lord that I would learn whatever He wants to teach me and I know He can speak to me through reading His Word as well as through life.

I have started to get out more recently. My mom took me to the girls' school for Savannah's cheer uniform fitting. Joseph and I also went to a movie! I'm still uncomfortable and have to adjust and move a lot to keep pressure of that left butt cheek. It feels good to get out though!

We have been supernaturally blessed by all the meals. Our friend, Kaleena, set up a meal train on takethemameal.com and we have had meals coming since February 19th and the continue until April 2nd. I had a hard time receiving that and was actually embarrassed by that many meals thinking people would see us a "needy" and that that was too much. However, someone reminded me that I have cooked meals for people for years and that we are "reaping what we have sown". That's one thing I'm learning on the journey....to receive and let the Lord use others' giving to bless them.

Suck It Up, Buttercup

I'm not sure why, but my pain level has really increased since the day after Christmas. Before Christmas, my pain level stayed at a consistent 2/10 and would intermittently shoot up to a 5/10. Now, I'm experiencing a consistent 5/10 pain level with it, very often, rising to a 7/10.

I consider myself to be a tough girl but geez....this is a little hard to bear. I've tried icing, heating, resting, medicating and some of that helps but not for long. I inquired with my hip specialist about getting another steroid injection before surgery but he nixed that idea. Long-term steroids decrease the immune system and prevent healing so, with surgery coming up soon, I need to hold off on that. They are calling me in an anti-inflammatory so I'm hoping that will help.

I could do surgery sooner but I held off because I have a cruise scheduled with my mom, SIL and MIL. My MIL, affectionately known as "Grissom", is 82 years old and has traveled very little in her life. Joseph and I have tried to take her to as many different places as possible while she can still travel. We've done the beach and the mountains....but a cruise to Mexico....YEAH! I told my doctor that I couldn't do surgery until after the cruise. I'm not sure I will have another time to take her while her health is good.

Until then, the doctor's assistant said to rest my leg. Ha! Yeah right! With 4 kids....that's funny.

Family Update

(Left to Right) Savannah (11), Sadie (6), Sarah (10) & Shelbe (8)

Last time I was blogging, Joseph and I only had 2 girls....toddlers at the time. Since then, we have moved on to 4 girls! Yes, 4--they weren't all planned and we had them really close together (they are all less than 2 years apart) but they are all wonderful and so much fun! Its amazing how they can all be so different, in looks and personality.

Our oldest is Savannah. She's almost 12 and is incredibly strong and determined. There's quite a bit of attitude these days when it comes to her but I'm so encouraged because I know God is going to reign that in towards doing great things for His kingdom! She will be a great leader in God's time. She's a smart girl and school comes very easy for her. Areas that don't come very easily for her at this time include getting along with her sisters, knowing when to listen rather than talk, and feeling mercy for others. She has a very compassionate heart though and can, at times, be very considerate. I can see such growth in her these days.

Next, is Sarah who is 10. Sarah has the sweetest spirit of all my girls. She is very sensitive to other people's needs and feelings. She is also our rule follower and expects that everyone else should follow the rules as well. School is a little more of a challenge for Sarah but because of that, she has had to develop very disciplined study habits. I believe Sarah is the one that will be the most sensitive to the Holy Spirit and His moving. She's intuitive and senses things in people and her surroundings. I think she's the most likely to stay close to home as she grows as well, but, who knows.

Shelbe is our free spirit. She is 8 years old and if she was allowed, she would be naked.....all the time. Shelbe is not afraid to be in a crowd and not know anyone. Her comment is, "It's ok. I'll make friends. I just walk up to people and say, Hey! Wanna be my friend?" I love that about her! She's also unafraid to be alone. She can play by herself for hours. Shelbe will be the one that will be unafraid to leave home and go somewhere for the Lord. She also finds happiness in all situations and is not scared of anything.

Sadie is the youngest and is 6. We all thought she was so cute when she was little that we all catered to her. It was cute until she turned into a monster and we had to quit treating her like the princess she thought she was. :) Sadie is a giver, always finding ways to help people. She's always making a craft or drawing a picture to give someone. Her middle name perfectly describes her character....JOY! She wants everyone to be happy and to have everything they need and she is happy to be the giver of all those things. The Lord will use her to bring joy and smiles and happiness wherever she is because He made her a giver.

I may have all of this all wrong. They may all end up in different roles and doing different things than I imagine. This is just what I see in them now. It's so fun to imagine the things the Lord is going to do in their lives as they grow and learn to serve Him. I'm so thankful for these girls. They bring me happiness and purpose. I love being their mom!

Finding Purpose in the Pain

I gave up on this blog about 7 years ago. Life got busy. We had more kids, totaling 4 girls. It was just one more thing to keep up with. Now, at a uncertain time, I find myself needing to talk my ideas and worries out. At the ripe old age of 37, I just was diagnosed with severe hip dysplasia. Yes....like found in dogs. (insert eye roll)  I've always had pain, especially after running. My left hip has also always popped...like a really, really loud pop. I remember, 10 years ago, Joseph and I were living in Northport, AL while he was graduate school. He would drive to Birmingham and I would drive an hour to Columbus, MS to work. Before waking up my 2 oldest (& only at the time) girls for the drive, I would get up and run on my treadmill for 30 minutes. On many occasions, I would limp through the day not knowing what was causing such pain. We thought it was that I wasn't stretching enough and was then cooling off in that seated position in the car on the drive to work. Fast forward to the last 4-5 years, I have run 6 half-marathons. They were not easy. I've always carried more weight than I should so I figured that was the reason. However, no matter how much stretching and no matter how much I worked on my running pose, I always hurt.

hip xray

My last run was in August of 2016. I went to the riverwalk on a beautiful day....by myself. Being by myself was the best part. :) I made it about 2 miles but was struggling. When I headed back, I felt a pop in my left hip but it was different than usual. From that point forward, I literally limped and cried back to the beginning. I was able to make it to a park bench, lay down and stretch my left leg enough to be able to walk to my car. I, almost, got my husband to make the 15 minute drive from home to come get me but my pride wouldn't let me. My husband quickly got me in with a local orthopedic MD. Honestly, from my research, I thought that I had bursitis. An x-ray proved otherwise. "You have hip dysplasia, Amanda." I had no idea what it was or that it would interrupt the flow of my life like it has and will for the years to come.

"Hip dysplasia means that the hip joint is the wrong shape, or that the hip socket is not in the correct position to completely cover and support the femoral head".

http://hipdysplasia.org/adult-hip-dysplasia/

I was referred to a hip specialist at the Campbell's Clinic in Memphis, TN who actually specializes in hip dysplasia. He sees mostly pediatric and young adult patients because that is the age in which hip dysplasia is diagnosed. I pushed through the pain for way too long. I should've listened to my body better and not been afraid of going to the doctor.

I really like my doctor in Memphis. He spent a lot of time with us and educated us on everything. One of the most important pieces of information he taught was degrees of femoral head coverage, which is basically how much does the hip socket cover the femoral head. Coverage of 25 degrees or

less is considered to be hip dysplasia. Coverage of 16 degrees or less is considered to be severe. As of December 2016, I have 4 degrees of femoral head coverage on my left hip and 15 degrees of femoral head coverage on my right hip. (SIGH) I was presented with 2 options: hip replacements or a hip perseveration surgery. Recovery from a hip replacement surgery is much easier and quicker. However, there are activity restrictions to make the replacement last as long as possible and, due to my age, I would need at least one revision. Recovery from hip preservation surgery would be tough but it would allow me a more active lifestyle afterwards and could, possible, prevent a hip replacement in the future. My doctor's words were, "We are going to carefully ignore the right hip while we take care of the left hip first." Great....2 hip surgeries.

I've chosen the hip preservation surgery. The fancy name is periacetabular osteotomy (PAO). The doctor will cut part of my pelvic bone out and re-align it over the femoral head and insert screws to hold it in place. After surgery, I will be toe touch weight bearing only for 12 weeks while the bones grows where it has been cut. Walkers, crutches and wheel chairs will be my transportation.

Here is a link to a video (animated, not actual surgical footage) of the PAO surgery.

http://hipdysplasia.org/adult-hip-dysplasia/adult-treatments/hip-preservation-surgery-for-adult-hip-dysplasia/

Surgery will be February 16, 2017 in Memphis, TN. I'm not worried so much about me. My Heavenly Father knew this diagnosis long before I found out about it. I know He uses situations in our lives to draw us closer to Him and strengthen our faith. The sermon this past Sunday was for me.

A few points that grabbed hold of me:

1. My response to what happens is what is important. My response should be to look past the pain for the purpose.

2. Instead of praying what I want, ask God, "What's next?" and "How can this be used for your glory?"

3. God doesn't cause problems but He does permit them and use them to grow us in our relationship with Him and to show the world His faithfulness to His children.

I'm ok. I don't like to rely on others to take care of me but I will to be well for the future. My concern is how do I manage a family of 6 from the couch or bed? At times, it takes myself, my husband and my mom all going in different directions to get these kiddos everywhere they need to be. Also, how do I wash clothes, get them ready for school, and do all the other things required of me while on crutches and unable to put weight on my left leg? My husband and I have told the girls that they are about to have to pick up some of the load. He's actually said that this will be good for them in transitioning them to becoming more independent.

It will work out. The Lord has it planned out, I know, but I'm nervous. I suppose that's human nature. I'm ready to learn what it is He wants to teach me. In the midst of having to slow down, I'm yearning to hear His voice and learn what the next step is.

Savannah's Funny List

We just made another trip to Little Rock, AR for Savannah to have another laser treatment on her nose. My dear friend, Jenny , was sweet enough to go with Savannah and I since Joseph had to work.

Savannah did very well...actually better than usual. She usually has a difficult time coming out of the anesthesia, but, thanks to an anesthesiologist who understood our situation and was nice enough to try something a little different, she came out of it better than I could have ever imagined!

On the way to Little Rock, Jenny got so tickled at some of the things that Savannah was saying that she decided to write it all down and I'm calling it "The Funny List". Here goes:

1. "This bathroom smells like fresh bananas!"

2. "Your BBQ will be my potato salad."

3. "No laughing at people when they're crying. That's ugly!"

4. "Don't argue with my Mommy! She will spank your bottom!"

5. "That's not helping me, Jen-Jen!"

6. "Is this a lollipop shop?" (It was actually a daycare painted in extremely bright colors)

7. "That was a joke so write it down with all the others."

My 30th Birthday!!

I turned 30 in March and my sweet husband planned a surprise party at one of my favorite restaurants in town:

Here is Coach Jenny and her hubby

me and my hubby


Jenna and her hubby

one of my favorite appetizers: cheesesticks

Savannah's 4th Birthday Party

Since I've been so terrible at updating my blog, I thought I would post some important pictures. These are from Savannah's 4th birthday party in March. Shannon, from The Cookie Mama, made a big "S" cookie cake and 60 cookies for us! The cookies were just beautiful! Here are some pics:

Sorry it's crooked!

Cookies with Savannah's name on them!

Shelbe's Dedication

I'm so glad that baby dedication fell on Father's Day this year at our church!! What a special day!

This is all of us joining in prayer for the babies that were dedicated and their families.

Savannah and Sarah (who is eating her shirt)

Me and Shelbe (trying to keep Shelbe from pulling my necklace off)

I hope everyone had a blessed Father's Day!

New pics

It's been too long since I updated this blog and I've had plenty of family members complaining to me about it!:) Having 3 children, as opposed to 2, has made life somewhat busier!:) We are wonderful and are enjoying our sweet girls. Savannah turned 4 in March, Sarah will be 3 in September and Shelbe will be 1 in August. Savannah will be starting K-4 in August. We had considered home schooling but she wants so bad to "go" to school with other kids that we thought we would let her try it and see how it goes. She will only be going for 1/2 days but she is SOOO excited!! We have also signed her up for soccer in the fall! Sarah is my reserved, nurturing child. She likes to take care of all of us! She also wants to do all the things her big sister does. I love her sweet spirit. Both Savannah and Sarah adore Shelbe! I love that they want to include her in all of their activities, whether she is able to participate or not. Shelbe is crawling, pulling up and trying to stand up independently. It won't be long before she is walking and then our household will be even crazier! I am so thankful that God has blessed me with my precious girls! I'm also thankful for my very sweet, thoughtful and attentive husband who is always trying to help and make my job easier!

Sarah playing hopscotch at Papaw and Mamaw's house (notice the crocs on the wrong feet):)

Savannah showing Sarah how to play hopscotch the "correct" way--she's always trying to teach Sarah something.

Me and Shelbe

Shelbe (with Grandma's help in the background)

We are having Shelbe dedicated this Sunday so this is an exciting weekend for us. However, we had to put my MIL in the hospital today with stroke-like symptoms. The doctor is not convinced that it is a stroke so he is still running tests to determine a diagnosis. Please keep her in your prayers!

I hope everyone is doing well!

Love to you all!

Sarah's 2nd Birthday

My 2nd daughter turned 2 on Friday. We had a little get together with the family that day and then a bigger party with friends and family on Saturday at a park here in our town. It was great weather, great friends and family & great food!

Time goes by so fast when they are this age. It seems like yesterday that I gave birth to my 9 lb. little girl (although not that little, obviously):).

Here are some pics from the parties:

Joseph helping Sarah blow out her candle

Sarah's presents from us and the grandparents were a baby doll changing table and crib. She and Savannah spent the rest of the night changing their doll's diapers on the changing table and putting them to bed in their crib. It was precious!

Our friend, Vicki, did a great job on Sarah's cake! Sarah was so excited to be getting a "Pooh" cake from "Mrs. Bickie." :) Thanks, Vicki, for the beautiful cake!

When I asked Sarah what part of Pooh she wanted to eat, she said she wanted "Pooh toes"!:)

Happy Birthday, Sarah! We Love You!

Go to sleep, Go to sleep little baby...

I'm learning to survive on less and less sleep. Shelbe is now 4 weeks old and has been doing better with sleeping through the night...until last night. We had been without internet for about a month and just got it hooked up in our new house. Having gone through withdrawls, I was very excited to be able to check my e-mail, news and blogs. I was so excited that I stayed up until 1:00 am. When I went to bed, Shelbe started to wake up. I was glad of this since I was already awake. I planned on feeding her and then getting a good 3-4 hours of sleep in a row. However, Shelbe had other plans. She stayed awake until 5:30 this morning.

This is the part that is difficult for me with having a newborn. It sure does make up for it when they look at you with those sweet eyes and lay their head on your chest when your rocking them in the early morning hours.

I could have a dozen more just like her. :)

Happy 34th Birthday!

To my wonderful husband...I love you so much! You are my best friend!

Our New Addition

Let me introduce you to my new little girl. Her name is Shelbe.

These are her proud sisters. There's been no jealousy from them. They just adore her so much and have spent much time kissing and hugging her as well as helping me.

Right before Shelbe was born, we finally got into our own house. We had been staying with my parents hoping our house would sell so we could buy another one. However, we are still waiting on the house to sell. In the meantime, we are renting a house from some friends. Even though it's not ours, we feel blessed to finally be settled back in our hometown, at our church again and surrounded by friends and family!

More to come...

Her Third Birthday Party

I wanted to post some pictures from the latest birthday party in our family. My oldest turns 3 on the 17th but we had her party this past Saturday. Jenny's mom made the cake for us and it was perfect. My oldest had asked for a Bob & Larry cake (Veggie Tales). She was so excited when she saw the cake. Thank you, Vicki, for making my oldest so happy!!:) Here is the cake and my oldest blowing out the candles.

Jenny's mom also sent us home the scraps from when the cake was made as well as all of the extra icing. (I was pretty excited about all the icing!) Like mother, like daughter, I guess...

The only thing she asked us for was a trampoline. We figured it would be a good gift that both girls could enjoy and would last a long time. They have enjoyed it immensely. Here is a picture of Jenny jumping with my oldest and her 2 kids.

On another note, we got a little bit of snow in our neck of the woods this past weekend. Unlike much of the country that got inches and inches of snow, we got just enough to make a small snowman and throw a few snowballs. Here are some pictures my dad took of their house:

(This is my youngest with her great-grandfather.)

I added this picture only because it makes me laugh. My oldest decided she needed a diaper on (like her sister), her great-grandfather's hat and her great-grandmother's purse.

It was a great day!

Snowman, Cupcakes and A New Picture

I thought I would finally give an update on what's going on in our world. My husband is very close to starting his new job. The red tape has been awful! We are also about to put the For Sale sign in our yard. I would love for it to sell fast so we can hurry up and move. I would like to be moved before the new baby comes at least. Speaking of the new baby, I went to my first OB-GYN visit this past Thursday.

That's an arm sticking up in the picture! Isn't that so cute!:)

My due date is August 23rd. My doctor doesn't think I'll make it to my due date because he thinks I'll have gestational diabetes again, the baby will get big and we may have to induce early. As long as we have a healthy baby, I'm ok with whatever happens.

I'm also posting a few miscellaneous pictures as well. About a week and a half ago, we got a short snow. My husband and oldest built a very small snowman.

And here are my girls woofing down cupcakes with green icing as fast as their little mouths will let them.

My oldest kept me up on and off all night throwing up. About every hour she would wake up, throw up and go back to sleep. It sounds to me like she may have caught a virus. I'm praying that she doesn't do that all day!

Until next time...

Have a great week!

He Passed!

You should have seen the relief all over his face when he saw that he had passed! It was great!

Now we're just waiting on his malpractice insurance to come in so he can start work!

Hallelujah! It's over!!:)

Waiting on Results and Making Decisions

We're waiting on my husband's board results....and, it's torture! We know the package is suppose to be delivered sometime before 3 pm tomorrow (Monday). He was fine until he got a call from a friend with news that she and another classmate had not passed. Now he's concerned and cannot get his mind focused on anything else but getting his results! I really feel for him but there is nothing I can do other than be supportive.

My boss (a speech therapist, too) went on maternity leave so, for the next 10 weeks, I will be working 4 days a week instead of 3. I don't really want to but it has to be done. In the meantime, I'm contemplating turning my notice in and staying home with my children after I have the baby in the late summer. This has always been my and my husband's ultimate goal and this was one reason why he went back to school...for us to be able to afford for me to stay home. I'm going to start really praying about this. I want to be able to let my boss know by early summer if I can.

I've been feeling some general nausea and fatigue lately. I'm blessed that I have never had to deal with severe morning sickness! I'm looking forward to my OB-GYN visit on the 24th, seeing the ultrasound and getting a due date!

Please keep us in your prayers as we wait for board results and make important decisions! Have a great week!

Christmas Pics

Sorry but this post will be long. I want to share some pics with you from our Christmas vacation to Gatlinburg, TN. The cabin we stayed in called Wrangler's Den had horse rides as well as a petting farm. Here is my oldest on Jack the donkey with her daddy standing guard.

We also walked the hiking trail on the property.

If you look, you can see a beautiful rainbow that God blessed us with on our hike.

Here is my oldest taking her precious time on the hiking trail. She tried to pick up every pine cone she found.
When we got back to our cabin, we saw my youngest peeking out the window when she was suppose to be napping!
We also visited the aquarium in Gatlinburg. Here are my two girls checking out the fish.

Aren't you glad you aren't on the other end of these teeth?!
My husband caught me in a rare moment of insanity and talked me into posing for this!
Christmas Eve after "Santa" brought the toys!


Who doesn't need a Dora the Explorer tent?

We were blessed with a wonderful Christmas!!