Medical paraphernalia

I promise this will be the last post that has to do with my surgery. You can just check me out in person this summer at the family reunion.

When Meghan was born, we didn't come home with any cool things. I was kind of bummed about it. I figured surgery would be the same. I got the typical hospital socks, which fit no one ever, but I did get two things that really are super duper.

#1.

A pill crusher. I am not a good pill swallower. Imagine trying to swallow big tylenols and big stool softeners after having surgery on my neck. Impossible! Luckily, the nurse let me keep it.

#2.

At one point several hours after surgery, I had to get up to use the bathroom. I was a little bit dizzy/nauseous as I sat up. The nurse rushed out of the room while Ben grabbed the barf tub. She came back in waving this stick into my face. It has a bunch of essential oils in it (like peppermint, ginger, lavender, etc.) I'm not sure if it helped with the queasiness, but it did catch my attention. And, then Ben and I couldn't get enough of it. I told Ben right off that it was coming home with us. I've wondered if it would help with morning sickness, so if any of you need it I might be willing to send it to you to try it out. Extra bonus points because it is manufactured for a company in Enterprise, AL. That is where I had district meetings for 9 months.

Christmas 2015

Since we moved into our house right before Christmas last year, and it was still a big mess, we were looking forward to this Christmas with out anything major going on to relax and enjoy the holiday. With the exception of the impending surgery, Christmas was such a fun holiday for us!

Ben took so many pictures of our Christmas tree.

We had a Secret Santa do the 12 days of Christmas for us. Russell loved it. Every morning he would ask what our Secret Santa. Ben and I know who it was that did it, but it is still a secret to Russell.

We had a football party to watch BYU's Bowl game. The food was the best part. Not pictured was some Reuben Sandwich dip and warm ham and cheese croissants. Tatsy!

This is only a small portion of Meghan's Christmas dress I sewed for her. She looked pretty cute, and you can see the rest over at SewScoresby.

We finally got snow two days before Christmas. It had been a warm winter, so this was the first measurable snow.

After Santa came but before his elves went to bed.

She's a little ornery girl and this picture shows it.

These are our watching jammies. I don't know if I feel like doing it every year.

                           

Christmas was a big success!!! It took so long to open presents because Russel and Meghan were so excited about the one they had just opened.

We had our Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve. The missionaries joined us. Ben thinks it is strange to have a Christmas dinner not on Christmas DAY, but both the elders said that that was how their family did it. We had his traditional Christmas Eve meal of eggs goldenrod the next morning for breakfast (which is apparently how some of his aunts and uncles do it). We'll see how we do it next year. I told him we might just have ham and funeral potatoes.

Surgery

I am glad it has been a week and a half (almost) since my surgery. I have finally felt like I am actually making recovery progress these last couple days. Each morning I wake up with less pain/soreness/discomfort from the surgery.

Here is how everything went down:

6:15AM--We were at the hospital waiting for the escort to take us up to the pre-pre-op room. This is where they had me change and verify a few things and make sure I was still ok to go for surgery.

7:00ishAM--I was taken away from Ben and sent to brood over the terribleness of surgery by myself in the real pre-op room. The surgeon and anesthetist and their nurses came and check and asked a few more questions. I spent the majority of that time alone, which is not good for me to be when something major like this is going to happen. PS. They made me walk there. I didn't even get to ride in a wheelchair or on a bed.

8:10ishAM--They finally took me and all the other  'first case' surgery people to the operating room. It was a long line of people in hospital beds being pushed through corridors of the hospital until they got to the right room. They started prepping me for surgery, hooking me up to monitors and machines, etc. The nurses and techs were really friendly and made me feel completely at ease, which was good because they just knocked me out.

Maybe 12:00ishPM, Maybe earlier--I woke up sometime in the recovery room, which must have been just a huge room with stations where nurses watched all the people coming our of surgery. I couldn't really see because I didn't have my glasses on (and I was pretty out of it).But, I knew there were lots of people in that room. I heard a little baby crying and I knew when the bed in front of me was wheeled off to their room.

By 1:00PM--I was in my hospital room. I was so happy to reunited with Ben. The nurse wasn't our favorite, but I just kind of laid around going between trying to sleep and trying to have a conversation with Ben.

4:00pm--Ben left to get Russell and Meghan and Dad and Sherri so they could come visit. I tried to feel really good, but given that they did more than was originally planned, I didn't feel good at all.

5:00PM--The troops came. Russell was a little confused, but I think he was just mostly upset that Ben took him away from shoveling snow with Grandpa. Meghan wasn't scared at all, which made me happy. Dad and Ben gave me a quick blessing, then I wanted them to all leave.

7:30PM--Ben returned for the night. My dinner arrived a little bit before he did, so I tried eating mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, pumpkin mousse, and applesauce, but my throat was still sore and it hurt. We stayed awake and watched BYUtv which the hospital has. My night nurse came about 11PM so he woke  me up to check my vitals and to talk to me a little.

We did not get very much sleep.

5:00AM--I was finally able to fall asleep and be somewhat comfortable until . . .

7:00AM Tuesday--The shift changed happened right when the surgeon's nurse came to do some simple bedside procedures. She unhooked the drain I was hooked up to. It hurt, and she gave me little warning. Then she had to check my vocal chords and sent a scope down my nose. I did not like that nurse for what she had to do.

8:00AM--The surgeon came and did his rounds, and said I could go home. They would get things ready for my discharge. I was out of bed by this point because my body couldn't handle another minute of laying in that ridiculous hospital bed. Then we waited and waited and waited and waited for about 3 more hours. During that time various people came in offering towels if I wanted to bathe, gave us some insurance information, the nurse doing her checks, etc. Our family doctor called to see how I was doing, and he said to call him personally if I had any questions or concerns.

11:00AM--Transport came to wheel me down to the pharmacy to get my prescription. Ben pulled the car around.

11:30AM--We were home. I got into my bed and was in and out for the rest of the day and that night.

Wednesday morning I was more awake, but still sore and uncomfortable, but I got up and moved around some. I napped. I tried to play with the kids, but really I sat on the couch and tried to not get hit by them.

Whew.

I wouldn't mind if I didn't have to go through that all again. I'm glad they took care of the other cysts they found, though I feel like the recovery process has been doubled. At least, I am getting closer to the two week mark where I can finally pick Meghan up again. Until next Monday, I guess Russell will just have to keep helping me get her in and out of her crib.

Christmas Wishes

I really enjoyed this quote from the Christmas Devotional this year.

We hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas this year! Love from the Joslin Family :)

Christmas is Coming

Well, Christmas is making it's way into our life. Russell, much like Curious George in A Very Monkey Christmas, has asked every day since Thanksgiving if it is Christmas in the morning.

Ben braved the wind and put lights up on the house. It wasn't terribly cold, and clearly, we are missing snow:(

 We got our tree last Saturday. Russell was very excited. I was excited because we found trees for $25 isntead of $60.

 She gt the hang of it pretty quick. And, she keeps taking care of the tree everyday by rearranging ornaments when I am not looking.

 Happy to have our tree. The presents haven't been any problem so far.

 I bought this rice krispie Christmas train kit on clearance last year, so I broke it out and let Russell decorate it today. Clearly he is very happy.

We are excited for Christmas (break!!) to come. I got most of our Christmas cards sent today. We have been listening to Christmas music. We attended the Wonder of the Nativity event the Stake puts on every year. We were distracted by kids running around the house watched the Christmas Devotional with our friends. We are going caroling with the playgroup kids. Our annual white elephant book club is this week.

Gratitude

My friend and I had a mom's day off yesterday (for 3 hours) and went to a craft fair. Somehow along the way we were talking about some quotes that we have seen floating around the webs lately about being grateful for dirty dishes/dirty laundry because that means tummies are fed/we have clothes to wear. I told her I'm not sure I can be thankful for those things. But, really I am.

We have been pretty blessed this year. 

We have a nice warm home to live in.

We have too much yummy food to eat.

We have lots of love in our family.

We have two vehicles that work pretty good most of the time.

Ben has a job.

We have enough means to visit our families.

We still have Netflix.

Meghan sleeps through the night.

I have two little sweeties.

Ben and I were talking tonight about Christmas last year and how we can't be ungrateful because we have so much in our lives! It is true. We have a lot. 

I have always wondered what it means to live a grateful life. I could never think of more than just always saying I'm so thankful/grateful for this. Last night I had a realization that maybe living a grateful life means that I shouldn't complain. 

So, this thanksgiving I am going to give extra thought to living my grateful and not complaining (even in my mind) about the things I have in my life.  

Kitties!!!!!!

We have several cats that live in the 'hood and wander through our yard. One day while I was painting doors outside, Russell and Meghan convinced one to hop over the fence into our yard. It then spent the whole time we went inside for lunch and to put Meghan down for her nap meowing outside our kitchen window.

Russell keeps asking if we can get a kitty. I have already broken the news to Russell that never in our life will we ever get a dog. So, he has taken to just asking for a kitty. I told him the other day when he asked that we can get a kitty when we are not going to have more kids.

Ben told me right before he left for scouts tonight that one of the office ladies has kittens and is looking for homes for them! Here are some adorable pictures.

So, should we get one?