Behind on Posting

So I am way behind posting cause there is nothing really exciting to report. Things are going along as they should be(seems slow to me)
The orthodontist is very happy with the rubber band s and how well they are working. Chin, lips, and cheeks are still snoozing - that is a frustrating part -the bottom lip.
Brooks has been home sick all week with cough cold and ear infection and now it appears as though Copper has decided to try it for the coming week.
I am starting to do some things around the house - laundry and help with meals. I am sleeping a lot less. David is grumpy - pretty much most of the time - and there is a possibility that I may be a bit grumpy as well. I NEED WHEELS!
Next ortho appointment for me is Friday and I will be scheduling my follow up visit in Dallas for 2 weeks!!!! Cant wait for it to be time for the rubber bands to come out.
Thanks for everything to everyone.
Talk to you soon.
bye

Kathleen the cruise director

Hi everybody. Today was another orthodontist appointment.... I am the best patient ever by the way. He says things are still looking great and the rubber bands are still really working. And..... that I have very clean teeth (not an easy task with all the rubber bands in the mouth). I am suppossed to start the side to side physical therapy 3-4 times a day. Maybe tomorrow. Aunt Kathleen was my cruise director for the day and she always comes equipped with with starbucks.... out of a syringe of course. After the dentist we took Brooks to The Children's ortho clinic to get his cast redone because it was not on correctly. Then a stop a Walgreen's and who's day woul not be complete with all that!! I am feeling more clear each day and able to stay in the upright position longer each day as well. Getting Better. Yahooo.
now so tired I can hardly keep my eyes open. Thanks for the yummy dinner tonight - thoughtful as usual.
Feel ready for some company if anybody wants to say hi in person.
Love you all and thanks for everything.
nite nite

Looking Pretty

Look at my pretty toes. My sister took me out for a little beautification (more needed). Not all of the toes are mine. We had starbucks (out of a syringe....trendy) and had a pedi and mani and then........... we even stopped at the pharmacy. Then it was straight to bed for me. It was so great to be out.
Today on this presidents day I am celebrating by using my brain. Paying bills.... yes they have started rolling in. Brooks has a bit of cold so he is chillaxin with me and Cooper went to meet with "the band".
Tomorrow is my next orthodontist appointment. We are starting physical therapy and it does NOT look fun, easy or painless. Ill keep you posted on that.
Still sippin yummy soup out of syringes thanks to all you good cooks. Thanks for everything.
BBye

I Actually Went OUTSIDE in REAL clothes

sorry about the delay the last couple of days but I did think there should have been a tad bit more enthusiasm for the shrinking badonkadonk. just saying....
Yesterday, I put on blue jeans ( no jammies , no sweats) and went to Cooper Dickerson's basketball game. Which he won. The blue jeans not such a good choice since i do still have healing incisions on my abdomen....but the jean were looser. It was nice to get out and then even nicer to get back in. The breeze is really bothering my face as the nerves and muscles try to remember what they are supposed to be doing. Still sporting my favorite black hat !
I feel like the last three days have been a bit of a corner turn. Starting to sleep less and follow conversations. Auntie Joan came and "helped" me bake valentine cookies for my boys. Nice eh? I even paid a couple of bills.... hoping that worked out the way it should.
Today was a bit rough as the boys were home from school (don't they ever go to school?) and it seemed a bit high maintenance. Not quite ready for that so bedtime will be early. So I'm feeling like there is actually progress going on. Today is ONE month. So..... i guess this is a bit rougher than I thought it might be. But it can be done.
Thanks for all the yummy food and flowers and love and valentine cards.
Love to all

The Shrinking Badonkadonk

There certainly have to be a few perks along the way. I see this as one. Big one.
Today was my best day. I felt energetic in spurts (Auntie Joan helped me make valentine cookies for my valentines (they were kind of lame but loving). I attempted to open a few pieces of mail - and thank you for the Valentine cards - made me happy. I took only advil for pain today and that seems like a big step forward. I have not been doing well with my daily walking as it is icy and the cold air is actually painful on the nerves that are starting to wake up. Might have to ride the bike in basement for a while. Even read the newspaper (a little) and a couple of syringes of Starbuck Chai that auntie Joan brought me. Thanks for all the foods and grocery's - greatly appreciated.
The orthodontist appointment yesterday said that the there had been a 60% improvement with the rubber bands since last Wed. That is what we are looking for - perfection. But apparently that takes patience so i am working on that. Becoming ZEN.
Brooks got a bright red cast on today and that is one more crisis averted for today. Poor David has not gotten a day a work done in weeks. Of course it does not help that the kids have a four day weekend coming up and that is usually mommy entertainment. WE might be putting together a lot jiqsaw puzzles. I may even break my own rule and get WII for my sanity and the sanity of those around us.
Anyway.......today feels good - I hope it is a trend and not a fluke.
Big hugs to all my valentines xoxo

Sunday Night. We made it!

I know you are all getting sick of looking at the same black hat..... My ears hurt alot it keeps them feeling better. Perhaps I could change colors but this one is so FUZZY. No action picture today but I think my smile might be getting better!!
Cooper worked on homework this whole weekend due to being a couple of weeks behind (I think he considered our absence a vacation) David worked so hard with him and aunt Kathleen finished the laundry. Brooks waited fairly patiently for Coop to finish his work so they could go to the lake and play some ice hockey. As for me......it took me most of the day to shower, clean my teeth/mouth - I did get a good walk in with Brooks and Lily and then a good nap.
So right now David is at the emergency room because Brooks broke his wrist in ice hockey. (sigh) The good news.....bring it on my deductible is P.A.I.D. consider this a free Break. Thanks for all the yummy food. XOXO

Saturday at Home

the best part of today was that my sister kathleen came and did the laundry and changed all the sheets. Yipeeeee. Priceless,
I was put in charge of helping Cooper get caught up with his school work which seems to me a little like asking me to sew a prom dress by 6:00. Apparently I did not do it the Proper "Dave Way" and will be passively punished for a period of time. That was not the fun part of the day because it is hard to state your case when unable to speak. I am sure the pressure of the household is getting to him.
Other wise it took me all day to shower dress, comb my hair eat and return to bed for a nap. Not really a high powered day. One of my rubber bands came off and Dr. david and his trusty assistance Kathleen got it right back in place.
Hopefully there will be more harmony tomorrow. really need harmony right now.
Thanks for alll the beautiful flowers and cards. they mean so very much.
I feel loved

Hit the Wall- Three weeks today

This would be me hitting the wall. Just got kind of tired of feeling like this. I probably did to much yesterday and added to my maxed out feeling.I went to the boys conferences which was not enjoyable in itself. My face is starting to wake up and that is an unpleasant feeling. I am warming up though. NO hat or long underwear today. So I got a little weepy and that really hurt my jaw - so I ended up taking diaudid. That took care of all the problems quite nicely. Still sleeping a lot which is good. Hopefully we can have a quiet weekend around the house.
Seems to be a lot of stress here right now. Tomorrow is a new day!
see you tomorrow!

To.Tired.To. Post.

see you tomorrow

The warmth of the Sun

This is an amazing Maui sunset that a friend sent to help keep me warm. I feel better already.
Today was my visit to the orthodontist who is now taking over. We had to see him in his Frisco office today - it was a nice drive but turned into a long day. (no nap!) He changed out all of the rubber bands which tightened up my bite again so I am back to the syringes instead of the baby spoon. The surgeon had told us that the surgery would fix the bite about 98% and the rubber band manipulation would take it the rest of the way - so the rubber bands are a vital part of the treatment. Our orthodontist happens to have a lot of experience with the surgeon in Dallas - they had worked together for years so we feel well taken care of. My jaws are barking tonight after the ortho visit but I am sure will be better tomorrow. The other fact that Dr Bishop told us was that it takes about 1 week of recovery for every hour of anesthesia. So, at some point my brain will clear. Until then, sweet dreams to all.

Home Sweet Home

Wow - I guess i clean up pretty good at the end of the day. I slept amazing last night and then again this morning . Had a great walk with my fun baby sitter and then a nap. Thanks for the yummy meal s you guys have been delivering - it sure does help that daddy evening stress time. I am going to try to sleep without my hat tonight!
Tomorrow I am off to Frasier to see the orthodontist. New rubber bands and a little pain to go along with it. I have been taking less pain medication so I hope to not need a sitter for too much longer. The days seem a bit "ground hogish"
Thank all.love j

Home at last!

It is so nice to be in my own bed! The first day home was great and hard at the same time. I think everybody might have expected that all was going to be back to normal when we returned from Dallas. (me included). We have to find our groove again and then it will be fine. Poor David has appeared to have hit his wall yesterday - but today was a new day and we are all back at it. I had wonderful help during the day and will slowly figure out how to take care of my self - I know my wits will return at some time. Thanks for all the offers for food - we will take you all up on that. Still wearing my hat - my ears hurt. And I have been freezing!!! I still have no feeling in my chin,lower lip and cheeks - but I think my cheeks are trying to wake up.
Thanks for keeping up on the post !
Love yall
j

Dave Update: "Home at Last!"

Hi everyone,

After two and a half weeks, we are home in Denver and getting settled back in our home with the our boys and Lily again. It feels great.

The trip was uneventful, and without any unusual pain for Jody, which was good, as we had been concerned about the pressurization's effect on her new joints and her ears. No problems though.

She's getting used to the altitude change, and slept well last night after meds and a brief dinner. Now we can get her on track for even better healing, especially now that she's around her friends and family.

Now that we're home, I'm going to turn my blogging duties back over to Jody when she feels up to it. She will be a heck of a lot more interesting than I have been.

In the meantime, thank you again to everyone for everything. You all have been simply amazing. The adventure continues, but it is a lot more bearable with your wonderful support.

With much love,

David

Dave Update: "Last Visit to Dr. Wolford Today"

Hi everyone,

It's Friday evening and we just completed our last office visit for this trip with Dr. Wolford. It is a major milestone, and Jody is very pleased as you can imagine.

I know I've mentioned it before, but I can't say enough about the level of care and compassion we received from Dr. Wolford, and everyone in his office.

Every question, every concern, and every part of the surgical and recovery process has been met with kind words, great care, and non-rushed explanations. In a world where we don't see much brightness in the health care system, Dr. Wolford has been a true beacon of light. I wish you all could meet him, as I know you would be every bit as impressed as we have been. A photo of him today with Jody:

We're heading home tomorrow afternoon. We both know it's not the end of the adventure yet, just the beginning of a new chapter.

Finding a comfortable routine for Jody will be the first order of business, as well as me getting back into the swing of things with the boys. It will be great to have our family together again, and it should help her heal.

We have to be back for an office visit in Dallas in six weeks, and Dr. Wolford has told us the whole healing process will take six months to a year to be complete. She's worried that everyone will expect her to be back to normal once she's home, when she is really far from it right now. But she is making progress.

Her orthodontist, Dr. Bishop, will now be seeing her each week, and she likes him very much, as well. He's also a colleague of Dr. Wolford, which will be a huge help in ensuring her care stays on track. We are definitely headed in the right direction, and I feel certain every day will be that much better.

Thank you again to Aunt Kathleen and Uncle John, Aunt Becky and Uncle Joe, Pat, Camille, Lora, Larry, Eric, Dan, Stacey and everyone else for your wonderful support these past two weeks, and for all the good thoughts and prayers. They have helped every step of the way, and we're looking forward to being reunited with each of you soon.

With much love,

David and Jody

Dave Update: "Much Better Day Today"

Happy Thursday everyone.

It was a much better day today for our patient. I took all the meds we have and went over them one by one with the doctor, and we were able to eliminate two of them, and will be finishing up with a third in another couple of days.

That was really good news, and should greatly improve her mood and her alertness.

The rest of the check up went well, too, and we celebrated with a walk at White Rock Lake and lunch at Luby's cafeteria (an old favorite from my childhood that Jody used to hate, but that is now a good source of soft vegetables for her.)

We had planned to be home Friday evening, but a large winter storm has American Airlines canceling flights, so we are now coming home Saturday at 3:00. She's really looking forward to it, and we are going to use the extra day here tomorrow to go for one last visit to Doctor Wolford, which will be that much more reassuring for her.

In the meantime, we back in the hotel and settled in for the night. As I said, it was a much better day.

Thanks again to everyone for all the notes, prayers, and good wishes. They make a huge difference, and are truly cherished.

Much love.

Dave Update: "A Little Tougher Day"

Hi everyone,

It's Wednesday, and we're just settling in for another night here in Dallas. This is a picture of Jody at the breakfast table this morning.

She was just kind of okay today. I can't tell if it's the meds, or just everything else catching up with her, but she was pretty much in a fog all day.

The doctor visit went well. He changed out all of her rubber bands, which hurt a bunch and precipitated the need for more pain meds. Advil wasn't working, so we're trying Tylonol 3 (codeine) as an alternative to the Dilaudid. She's still on seven other things as well, so we're also trying to figure out how to balance everything properly.

The doctor also said we might still be able to go home on Friday afternoon, which I know makes her happy.

I know, too, that we need to relieve our family members who have been filling in with the boys on the home front. Aunt Becky and Aunt Kathleen have been absolutely fantastic, and have made this whole trip do-able, but we're very sensitive about not stretching their goodwill too far, so getting home to spell them will be good.

In the meantime, Jodes is in bed and ready for a good night's sleep. Tomorrow will be a better day, for sure.

Thank you again to everyone. Sleep well, and know that we love each and every one of you.

David & Jody