Recovery

It's been 5 days since the surgery and recovery is going about as expected.

The surgery itself went very well. Although an hour longer than the doctor expected. She said everything looked good, but she was glad that I had chosen to do it, as it was very needed.

The first few days were a little rough. Moving around and changing positions was very difficult. It brought back memories of being in the hospital with the twins and needing people to help me roll over.

Eek.

I am so grateful that my parents are here. They have been amazing and I just cannot imagine trying to do this without them. Everything is taken care of and I can totally focus on getting better.

It's kind of weird being so focused on recovering and trying to let everything else go. Other parts of my life keep trying to creep in, but I am doing my best to say no. It hasn't been 100% successful...as I said yes a couple of times I really should have said no...but I can't be perfect right out of the gate, right?

Tonight as I was thinking about how glad I am to have this behind me...I did have a small twinge of...I don't even know what as I thought about how my child bearing years are well and truly behind me now.

I have loved having each of my children and I feel so blessed to be their mom. And although it wasn't regret...it was a little moment of something.

Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers on my behalf. I have felt incredibly loved.

D Day

I know i've been kind of quiet here...and all for good reason.

I have been getting my life (and in particular my house) ready before I undergo major surgery tomorrow.

I have to admit that I am a little nervous. I have never had surgery before and it's a little scary to think about what could go wrong.

But I am quite confident that everything is going to go right and all will be well.

And...honestly in the whole scheme of things what I have to experience is minor in comparison to what others are currently facing -- and keeping things in perspective is pretty important to me right now.

In case you have any interest in what type of surgery I am having...I will provide details below.

If you are not interested...PLEASE...stop reading now. Especially if you're squeamish (or, you know...a man).

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If you're still with me, as you know, we have had quite a few children in a relatively short amount of time.

7 babies in 10 years.

I know. Crazy.

So, I have had quite a bit of damage done to my pelvic floor and I will be having reconstructive surgery done.

It's a total of 7 different procedures done over 6 hours.

I have heard that the recovery is pretty rough, but again, I hesitate to complain as I know it will be but a moment and I will once again feel whole and healthy -- and I am really looking forward to that!

For a more detailed description, I found this online:

What is Pelvic Floor Reconstruction?
Pelvic floor reconstructive surgery consists of several procedures for correcting a condition called “pelvic organ prolapse.”

When the muscles of the pelvic floor are damaged or become weak – often due to childbirth – they are sometimes unable to support the weight of some or all of the pelvic and abdominal organs. If this occurs, one or more of the organs may drop (prolapse) below their normal positions, causing symptoms including discomfort, pain, and pressure.

The goal of pelvic floor reconstruction is to restore the normal structure and function of the affected organs.

About 35 percent of women will develop some form of pelvic organ prolapse. 

It's funny how people never tell you what can happen to your body as you give birth and age.

I really don't know why that is, but i've been very surprised at how many women i've meet who are dealing with or have dealt with these issues. 

Again, I feel like everything is going to be okay, and we will keep you posted on how things go.

The Craft Room

We got new carpet this week in a couple areas of the house...and while I love love love the new carpet, it was so much work to move everything out, and finally back in.

But, the upside is that I finally got my craft room organized how I wanted.

You may remember that I redid my office a while back and installed new shelving, and while I got what was in my office mostly organized, I still had a huge amount of crafting supplies in the basement.

Well, I got it all upstairs and I was determined that if it didn't fit in my craft room, I was getting rid of it.

So, after a major purge and a lot of reorganization I got in all in here and I am so happy to have it all in one place.

So...here is the final product.

The shelving.

The reading nook.

My desk.

And here's the breakdown of the shelving:

I love the white shelving and all the fun colors. And I am so happy to have all my supplies in one place.

Now I just need to make a run to the goodwill!

You Go!

Emma performed at the middle school talent show...and she was just amazing.

I am so proud of her for being so brave and doing so well!

Enjoy.

One Little Word

Another year has passed, each one quicker than the last.

January always seems like such a good time to make a fresh start...and this time is no exception.

Last year I wanted to do the one little word project -- one word to focus on for the year -- and last year, I choose the word patience.

Well, part way through the year I changed my word from patience to stronger. (Obviously I need to work on patience. lol), but I really needed to remember that I am stronger than I think am. And I feel like I made good progress on that goal.

This year...I wanted to keep pushing forward...spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically.

So, I choose the word BELIEF. Belief in myself. Belief in things bigger than myself. Belief that I can be just exactly the person I am supposed to be.

We will also be having a family home evening soon and choosing one little word for our family as well.