The last few days have been a flurry of activity, so rather than a long verbose news update, I’m going to “talk fast” and fill you in as quickly as I can before the next thing happens.

First: the couple who looked at the Monroe house is not interested in it; however, we’ve had a few other inquiries from an ad that Michael put in the paper at work, and our realtor sent another inquiry our way yesterday afternoon, so we’re following up on those. We are so hopeful that soon we’ll have a buyer for the house.

Second: Isaac’s doctor looked at photos of his thumb earlier this week and decided to have him come in for an appointment today. So Michael and Isaac got up early and were in Springfield by 9 a.m. The doctor decided to take out the pin sticking out of the thumb knuckle, so that will be quite a relief to Isaac. I asked Michael, “Did Isaac cry?”   Michael said that the pin was out so fast Isaac didn’t even have time to say “Ouch.” I’m so glad it wasn’t anything too traumatic.

Third: Michael’s mother, Nancy, has been settling in and has been a huge help with the children this week! She has been my extra hands and eyes in so many ways, helping little ones get dressed, holding the baby, listening to students read aloud, working on laundry, babysitting while I’m out, etc. On top of it all, she has been quite sick this week with a cold-type illness that has keep her from feeling her best. But she still has made her self indispensable already.

Fourth: I took Baby Lilly in for a routine doctor visit yesterday and found that much to my surprise she was only 8 lbs 9 oz, which is less than she weighed at birth! The doctor was very concerned, and to top it off, he detected a heart murmur. He ordered an echocardiogram (an ultrasound of the heart) and suggested that I supplement Lilly’s feedings with some formula. The hospital was able to fit Lilly in yesterday afternoon for the “echo” procedure, so we were very grateful for such quick service and we look forward to hearing the test results sometime today. Meanwhile, I’ve been pumping and adding formula to the milk so Lilly is getting “power shakes” for her meals. She seems happier already!

I think that’s about everything for now. Oh wait! Tonight we’re supposed to get a wonderful doozy of a snowstorm, perhaps up to 9 inches, so we’re looking forward to that and trying to make sure we’re ready to be inside while the storm blows over.

That’s all for your Thursday news update. Stay tuned for more news as it happens!

Last week we were surprised to see an e-mail asking if anyone knew of a house in our neighborhood and in our price range that was for sale.  Of course I e-mailed back right away with details about our house on Monroe.  We were put in touch with the folks who were interested, and it turned out we were able to show them the house Saturday morning.  What an amazing thing to be reminded that we don’t need to worry about our house situation.  God has it all under control and can drop a buyer in our lap when He’s ready.

We haven’t heard back from the folks yet what they’ve decided, but it doesn’t matter.  We are eager to hear, but confident that God will take care of the details.  Even if the people decide on another house, we will still smile at the fact that God brought someone along totally unexpectedly.

Meanwhile, Isaac is concerned with one of his thumb pins, so I’ve called the doctor in Springfield to see if they want Isaac to come in for an appointment.  Thanks to modern technology, I was able to photograph Isaac’s thumb and post the photo so the doctor can see it without Isaac actually having to be there.  If you’re curious to see the photos, you can look here.

One more news item:  Michael’s mother is here!  She arrived Saturday before noon, and we’ve been enjoying our newest family member.  The children can’t believe their good fortune to have Grammy here permanently.

So, there you have it, our Monday News Update. 

Just about the time I think I’ve learned all there is to learn from my children, I get bombarded with more lessons. I’m starting to think I’ll never finish this class.

Last night Lilly threw me for yet another loop. I thought I had solved all of her problems… I nursed her, I changed her diaper, I held her, I put her in a nice nightie, I stuck the pacifier in her mouth… but no matter what I did she screamed like crazy every time I put her to bed. Nothing made her happy. So I would hold her again, rock her, give her the pacifier, and when she settled down I’d put her back to bed.

Nope.

Not good.

After going around and around with her several times, I finally burst into tears and carried her to the living room where I could sit and nurse her again and weather her cries without keeping Michael awake any longer. What a complete frustration. It’s so hard not to resent the tiny pink bundle who screams so loudly that it’s almost supersonic. It truly hurts my ears when she screams like that. And I have a new understanding for mothers who snap and do terrible things to their babies. I used to be very judgmental of mothers who hurt their babies, but now I can understand how a mother can be pushed past her limits.

So I nursed Lilly and she gulped the milk like she had not eaten for hours, claiming no memory that she had nursed within the previous hour or so. After she nursed for a good long time, I burped her and we tried to settle down in bed again.   Her little voice wafted out of her bassinet…”Oh, no, Mother, perhaps your old brain has forgotten that this is not what I requested….” (at least, that’s what I think she was saying….)

I pulled her into bed with me, hugged her tight, gave her the pacifier again and tried to make her happy. Happiness eluded her, so finally after enduring more screams and waking up Michael again, we trundled off to the living room again and this time wrapped up in a comforter and got all cozy in the recliner. I took my iPod with me this time and settled in for the night. Eventually Lilly stopped screaming and fell asleep.

This morning Lilly is back to being much easier to live with. I don’t know what her problem was last night. But I think I learned a little more about myself and what my problems are. I was reminded again about how selfish I am and how impatient I can be. Sometime either last night or this morning, I read a quote that sums it up for me:

“Motherhood is the journey out of self-centeredness”

Quite frankly, I’m still on the journey. It takes little people like Lilly Jane to help me realize just how much further I have to go.

Today Isaac went back to see the doctor who fixed his thumb. The big white bandage came off, and he got a new smaller custom-made splint. Isaac was a bit nervous about having his thumb messed with, but he survived and came home smiling.

My mother watched the other children so that I could go with Michael and Isaac. Of course, anywhere I go, Lilly goes, so the four of us headed to Springfield.

We had several glitches along the way, starting with a flat tire before we left Bloomington. My mother saved the day by letting us borrow her car since ours wouldn’t be ready in time for us to use. Then, when we arrived at the very last minute for our appointment, we were told we were at the wrong building. We followed the lady’s instructions and drove to he right building, only to be told that the last lady had told us wrong and we were not in the right place to see our doctor after all. Michael made a phone call to the doctor to explain that we were really on our way, and we hurried back to the car for our next attempt at finding the elusive doctor’s office.

Finally we arrived at the right place and then had to jump through all the insurance hoops. (”You need a referral.” “We don’t need a referral.” “We will call for a referral.” “Hey, whaddya’ know, you don’t need a referral!”) The receptionist was very helpful and eventually we were called back to an exam room.

After getting the bandage off and having the doctor poke and prod at Isaac until Isaac had tears in his eyes, we were sent to get the new splint custom-fitted for Isaac.  The photo here of Lilly was taken while Isaac was getting his splint fitted.  She finally wore out.

Again, we made a wrong stop, but we had learned by this time to just have one person run in and ask if we were at the right place.

The ladies at the therapy place were so nice and they helped Isaac get just the right fit for his splint.

On the way home we stopped at Culvers for some supper. Isaac took advantage of his chance to get a Reuben sandwich, and I took advantage of the chance to get a delicious malt. Yum!

Now we are home, and I’m ready to crash. Tomorrow is another busy day, so I’m looking forward to that.

Michael’s mother will be moving here at some point this week, so we are eager for her arrival.

If you want to see photos of Isaac’s injured thumb, you can check out my gallery. But I will warn you, the photos are graphic, so only click here if you’re ready to see the real thing. All in all, I think Isaac is going to heal up nicely… better than any of us deserve!

What a week it has been. But we have learned so much. It’s interesting how God uses the surprises in life to teach us lessons we couldn’t have learned otherwise.

One thing I’ve learned is that when my focus is not taken outside of my home, I get so much accomplished at home. I have done many baskets of laundry this past week and it’s actually caught up! I haven’t spent my days running out the door to the Monroe house as soon as possible and coming in late wondering why the housework isn’t done. Instead we have gotten back into our school routines, the girls have practiced piano faithfully, and we have just stayed home. What a strange feeling!

Today Michael is off work, so I’m hoping to scoot over to Monroe and get some painting done. I also need to figure out a menu and do grocery shopping. But one thing I don’t need to worry about today is laundry.

Evening update:

I’m sitting in my bed with a sleepy baby snoozing off and on while leaning on my chest. I keep thinking about what a productive day I had over at the Monroe house today! I finished a big painting project (the kitchen crown molding) and got lots of other little things done. I finally had to stop, even though I was really enjoying the work I was doing, because the children were getting restless and I still needed to get to the grocery store. So I finished the caulking around the sink, washed off my hands, nursed the baby one more time, and headed to Aldi. I must say, even when I maintain a good attitude and have well-behaved children, it’s still a huge project to take seven children (ages 12 and under) to the grocery store. We made it through the store without anyone wetting their pants, getting lost or tipping over the shopping cart. But even so, as I was bagging up the groceries, a nice grandma-lady came up to me and asked if I needed help getting the children and groceries loaded up. I wasn’t sure I understood her at first, but after she repeated her offer, I thanked her kindly and told her I thought I’d be ok. Lilly had been fussing almost the whole time I was bagging groceries, so I guess it was more than the lady could bear. I assured her that Lilly was fine and that I would have the children help me. Fortunately the children DID help me get loaded up, and when we got home, they also helped unload the van. Still, no matter how helpful the children try to be, it’s still stressful to have the baby crying and people wanting to eat and groceries spilling out of their bags.

So here I sit, enjoying the peace and quiet, and feeling good that I got two little boys tucked into bed and one industrious girl through her piano practice. Soon I will chase the other children off to bed and see if I can make some hot-cocoa mix so I won’t be tempted to keep buying the stuff in the packets. It will all depend on whether or not Lilly will stay asleep after I put her down. I just can’t leave her to cry for very long before I hurry back and try to console her. Long gone are the days of being hard-hearted toward a crying baby. I’m a big ol’ softie these days.

Tomorrow is another day, and I’m hoping I can do some more painting over at Monroe. We’ll see how it all works out.

Isaac is definitely feeling better! He made it through the night with no additional pain medication. This morning I had him take a single Tylenol with his antibiotic, just to make sure he has some help with minimal pain.

Isaac is bouncing around, talking a mile a minute, and bossing everyone around. I can tell I’m going to need to give that boy something to do or he’s going to drive us all nuts! The trick is finding things he can do with only one hand, but I think I’m up to that challenge. The old saying is definitely true: Idle hands are the devil’s workshop. With Isaac that is doubly true! If he doesn’t have something to do he gets into all kinds of mischief, mostly by aggravating his family members. So for the sake of all of us, I will find something to keep Isaac busy. And the next time Isaac is being totally exasperating, I’ll try to remember to thank God that the boy is feeling better.

Evening update:

Isaac is most definitely back to his normal self! I tried to keep him busy today, having him run little errands for me and help with younger kids. One of his assignments was to listen to Amelia read from her school book. Unfortunately, Isaac was not a very patient teacher and was a bit unreasonable with his pupil. Amelia is not the type to give in to a dictator, so she fought him at every step. It was actually rather interesting to see two hard-headed, creative, intelligent people try to out-smart, out-last and out-wit each other. I’m going to need to work on how to have older kids help younger ones with their school work. There’s gotta be a way to encourage them to work well together.

After lunch my sister came over with her three boys for a visit. We had so much to catch up on, and we took full advantage of our children playing nicely together while we drank coffee and chatted. At one point Laura, Isaac and their cousin Nathan came bounding upstairs, each of them with a light-saber in hand, whacking away at each other. I hollered at Isaac to stop his light-saber duel right away before he got whacked on his injured hand. I have no doubt that Isaac will do something crazy and hurt himself before he believes me that he needs to slow down just a bit!

Tonight Michael’s brother, Todd, came over to stay with the children so both Michael and I could go work at the Monroe house. I took Laura with me to be Lilly’s nanny while I worked. Fortunately Lilly was happy with her caregiver and I was able to paint crown molding for a couple of hours before hurrying back home before curfew.

We are grateful that our friend Eric is making time in his schedule to help Michael with the work at the Monroe house. Eric and Michael work well together and encourage one another, which is exactly what Michael needs right now.

Today was a good day for Isaac. He didn’t get sick at all today! He still slept a lot, which was good.

Michael planned to go to the Monroe house after work, not only to get a few things done, but also to just get over the mental hurdle of the memories now held by that location. He decided to come home first to rest a little and get changed. Before he headed over to Monroe, Isaac asked if he could go along. All of us were surprised! But after some consideration, we finally decided that it would probably be fine for Isaac to go. He went armed with his bucket (in case of sickness) and his blanket (in case he needed to lay down).

According to Michael, Isaac did just fine. He was even somewhat helpful. At one point he did feel a little nauseous, but after he laid down for a little while, that passed, and he was back in action.

It seemed so strange to have him gone! I hoped that no one would stop by to visit the resident invalid, since it would be hard to explain that he was back on the job already.

Michael and Isaac came home after 8 pm, having gotten some work done at Monroe and then stopping at the store for a few things on my list. I made a quick supper of biscuits and gravy for them which they eagerly ate.

Now we are settling down for the night. After having a conference with Michael and me discussing all the pros and cons of his medication, Isaac has decided to try getting through the night with only regular Tylenol and not the stuff with the Codeine. We have stressed to him that if he wakes up in the night with pain, to please let us know so we can give him the stronger meds. We’ll see what happens!

Today I went to church with all the children except Isaac and Judah, and Michael stayed home with our oldest and youngest sons. Even though Isaac was nauseous first thing this morning, he was able to eat some breakfast and then fall asleep for the rest of the morning.

At church, almost everyone I walked past stopped to inquire about Isaac. The word had gotten around that Isaac’s hand had been nearly severed, so I had to correct that bit of information, and assure people that it was only his thumb that was so badly wounded. (He cut through the knuckle of his thumb…the knuckle closer to the end.) Everyone was eager to ask how Isaac was doing and to tell me how much they had been praying for him.

When we got home from church, Isaac woke up and was ready for a little something to eat. Not too long after that we had to lecture Isaac for how he was acting toward Miguel, and then lecture him again for his attitude toward us. That was my first clue that Isaac is starting to feel better. He hasn’t had the energy up to this point to do anything obnoxious.

This afternoon we had all the children go to their beds for quiet time, and we laid down for a nap. Turns out, Michael and I were the only ones to sleep (oh, Baby Lilly slept, too), while the children stayed wide awake in their beds. Even Isaac was not able to fall asleep! So again, another sign that he’s starting to feel better.

This evening Isaac is wandering around the house, his bandaged hand held up to keep his thumb higher than his heart. He seems restless and bored, which is actually encouraging. Instead of just laying around like a zombie, he’s actually looking for something to do.

One final note: Isaac’s pain seems to be getting more manageable, so that’s the biggest relief of all. I think we’ll start spreading out his doses of medication a little bit at a time as soon as he thinks he is ready for that.

Thank you for all of your prayers and offers of help. We are so grateful.

Update: 10:30 pm.

We are getting tucked into bed, but I wanted to give you one more update before I turn out the light.

Isaac is definitely noticing a decrease in the pain, but he is struggling still with nausea. Fortunately he is able to keep his pain pill and antibiotic down for a couple hours before he is sick, so we feel like he’s getting the benefit of the medication.

Now we are looking ahead to this next week and trying to figure out how we should attack the work at the Monroe house. Our whole plan has been put into a tailspin, so now we need to plan a new course. As you think of us, please pray that we’ll feel a sense of direction from God on how to proceed.

So now, I will turn out the light. Sleep tight!

We’ve had a sobering reminder of the frailty of our plans in this life.

Isaac cut his right thumb fairly seriously while we were working today. Michael accompanied Isaac to the local emergency room, and now they are being sent to Springfield, IL to see a specialist there.

I don’t know many more details than that. Suffice it to say, we won’t be accomplishing much more this weekend on the Monroe house project.

I rest in the confidence that Our Loving Shepherd is in perfect control of this situation. I am feeling weak though, so as the Lord brings us to mind, we would appreciate your prayers.

Update: 4:30 pm.

Michael and Isaac stopped by home to pick up a few things before heading to Springfield. It was good to see Isaac, even though he had a big bandage on his right hand. He was able to come into the house and see everyone.

We are humbled and grateful by the outpouring of love and prayer from all of you. I will post updates here as I have them.

Update: 5:30 pm.

Last I heard, Michael and Isaac had arrived at the hospital and were checking in. I’m so anxious to hear further news, such as when Isaac’s thumb will be operated on, etc. I don’t know if they’ll admit him to the hospital or if it’s an outpatient surgery. There’s so much I don’t know.

Interestingly, one of our pastors went with Michael and Isaac to Springfield. It’s hard to believe how loving our church family is during these times. We are so grateful.

Update: 6:30 pm.

Michael just called and said that he had turned Isaac over to the operating staff. They said it could be an hour or two, or it could be longer. So now we just wait and see what they’re able to do. They’ll knock Isaac out completely, so it will go quickly for him. The rest of us will wait and pray.

For me, the mundane things of life demand my attention. Some children want supper, others need to be sent to bed. Squabbles must be settled, and laundry is running in the background. Isn’t it interesting how the mundane things of life can be rather comforting during stressful times? And these same mundane things aren’t nearly as irritating when there are bigger issues hovering.

I can best summarize my feelings right now with this that I just wrote in an e-mail to a friend:

I don’t know what the next few days hold… but I do know that we rest securely not only in God’s hands but in the care of His people who are surrounding us with earthly reminders of our Father’s love.

Update: 7:30 pm.

Surgery is done! The doctors had originally said it might be several hours, but the whole thing went much faster than they anticipated. Isaac has four pins in his thumb, and everything is reattached. Since the cut did go through the growth plate, Isaac’s thumb might not grow properly, and his range of motion may be more limited in that thumb. But it sounds like everything else should be fine. I get the impression that the tendon and nerves and everything else is going to be fine, and I’m sure he will learn to use that thumb and compensate for any deficiency in growth.

Isaac needs to go back to Springfield a week from Monday to see the doctor again.

They will be at the hospital for a few more hours tonight and then will come home. Is it possible that this nightmare will be over before midnight? I will be glad when our family is reunited.

Update: 9:30 pm.

Michael just called to say that they are in the van on their way home. Isaac is pretty groggy. The surgeon was surprised that the hospital did not admit Isaac and keep him overnight.

Not only was Isaac under general anesthesia, but they also gave him a local anesthesia on his thumb as well as a dose of Tyenol with Codeine. Isaac needs to take the Tylenol every six hours for a while, even through the night. The nurse said that it’s important to keep ahead of the pain, because it’s much harder to take care of the pain after it gets bad. We’ll have Isaac sleep in our room in my recliner so it will be easier to take care of him.

Michael and Isaac should be home within a few hours. I will be so glad when this day is over. It has been unreal in so many ways.

Update: 11:00 pm.

Isaac is home. Michael will be home soon. He asked to be dropped off at the Monroe house so he could bring the blue car home. He’ll stop and get Isaac’s pain medication on the way home.

Isaac seems chipper and talkative. The first thing he said to me was that he was able to keep his thumb. I hadn’t realize that he was worried that it wouldn’t be salvageable. He also told me he hasn’t seen his thumb since the surgeon fixed it. Isaac’s hand is all wrapped up in a huge bandage, so I’m guessing none of us will see that thumb for a while.

Laura was still awake when Isaac got home, so she has been visiting with him. It is interesting to me how well these two kids can get along sometimes. They are better friends than they realize, and they love each other more than they realize. Maybe someday they’ll understand.

I wish I could thank everyone who has been supportive of us during this very long day. I’m sure I’ll never be able to adequately express my thanks. No doubt there were people praying that I will never know about. Still, let me say thanks to the Crumbaugh’s for being there for us; thanks to Pastor Dave for driving Michael and Isaac to and from Springfield; thanks to Melissa J. and Bethany R. for offering to bring meals to us; and thanks to our mothers and other family members for praying and checking in on us. Thanks above all to God for guiding us through this day and reminding us that no matter what, He is with us in the tough times.

Update: Saturday morning

We settled into bed last night with great relief and exhaustion. Isaac was awake after sleeping on the way home from Springfield, so Michael started a movie for him before we fell asleep. We had alarms set to remind us to give Isaac his next pain pill at 3 a.m.

A little after 2 a.m. Isaac woke me up begging to have his pain pill early. His thumb was hurting him so badly he was crying in pain. We gave him his pill along with some food and encouraged him to be patient while the meds did their job. Unfortunately it was still a rough road for Isaac for several hours after that. He tried to be brave and patient, but I could hear him crying softly as the pain was just more than he could bear. Finally he was able to sleep, and he didn’t wake up until it was time for his 8 a.m. pill.

This morning his thumb has been hurting quite a bit, but not with the same unbearable pain as last night. Still, I suspect that as he gets closer to being ready for another dose of medication, the pain will be worse. Since our fingers are so full of nerve endings, I suspect it’s just a very painful place to be injured so badly.

Michael and I are trying to figure out what to do with ourselves today. We have agreed that for now, until Isaac is stabilized, we will not all go over to the Monroe house to work. Instead, Michael and I will take turns going and doing the things we do best. In some ways, it might be easier to work without interruption if we aren’t trying to corral all of the children and work at the same time.

For a long time I’ve tried to explain to Isaac that when one member of our family hurts we all hurt along with them. He hasn’t believed me, so I pointed out again to him how his injury has affected our whole family. We are not capable of proceeding as before. We all cringe with him when he is in pain. We all check on him and give him things he needs. We all feel somewhat handicapped when we see his big white bandage. We are a family.

Today Michael is off work again to focus on the Monroe house.  We are hoping to accomplish much today and tomorrow.

I woke up early this morning (NOT typical for me!) and decided to go ahead and get up rather than dozing back off.  I made coffee, washed dishes and made some oatmeal.  Amelia came out of her room blinking in the light and asked me why I was up so early.  She quickly joined me at the sink helping with the dishes.  It was nice to work together.

So, we greet another day; we prepare for hard work, and we hope for good progress.