just getting ready to head out to the hospital. Thanks for all your prayers! I’ll keep the blog updated as much as possible.
I’ve been debating on what to write in this post. Not exactly sure what to write, so I’ll just let it all out.
Kelly is having Gastric Bypass surgery on Thursday. He has prayed, researched and thought about this on and off for probably 8 years. He wasn’t ever ready until now. He had a doctor who wanted to do it when he had hernia surgery several years ago, but there wouldn’t have been any follow-up at all, and he said no way. He found a Bariatric Center of Excellence in the Quad Cities (at Genesis) and we have been so happy with them. He has been going to classes, meeting with nutritionists, the surgeon, a psychologist, nurses, and some that I’m probably forgetting, since summer to prepare for the changes we’re about to make. Afterwards, he will continue to meet with several of them, and also a physical and recreational therapist.
After all that, I still don’t know that I’m ready. But I am going to have to force myself to be ready. I know if we wait until we’re totally prepared, we probably won’t ever make changes. When you do something one way for 30+ years, it is hard to change.
We have both tried several different types of diets, and would lose weight, but only to slip back into old habits and gain weight back. It really is a vicious cycle. But after several years of different pains, and especially after having Harrison, Kelly is ready to be healthy. Ready to be able to live life to full potential, and live for God fully, too.
This is not an easy way out. He will not be able to go back to old habits, as it will make him sick. It is going to force him to eat a certain way. It will force me to cook a certain way. And not bake. It will be a big change. Some won’t understand this, but I cook and bake for him because that’s one way I show him I love him . I feel responsible for the habits we have formed. I am going to have to learn how to show him affection in different ways. Sounds easy…we’ll see.
In a way, I want to assume that I am going to lose weight as well because of the new way he’ll be eating. But I can’t assume that. And I know that I could even get jealous of how fast he’ll be losing weight. I will have to be really careful here. But, I know that being overweight affects all parts of my life. And I will feel better, and be a better mom, if I’m healthier. I want to lose weight right alongside him, even if it isn’t as fast as his weight loss. And it won’t be.
He should only be in the hospital until Friday evening or Saturday, then will have quite a bit of recovery time. If all goes as planned they will be able to do it laproscopically, which reduces recovery time by quite a bit. We’re still planning on going home to NE for Christmas- the surgeon said that should be ok if all goes well.
Will you pray for us, please? For Kelly, that the surgery will go well and he has a safe recovery. Also, that he can keep his mind off of work for a while. He has been very busy the last couple of weeks trying to prepare to be gone for three weeks, and it’s been kind of stressful for him. And just in the last day or so I have come down with a cold, so pray that it will go away fast. I don’t want him to get it, and I want to be able to go to the hospital with him on Thursday.
And for both of us, as we embark on this new way of eating and living in a healthy way. It will be SO worth it in the end, I know, but it will be challenging. We are going to have to rely on God, and each other.
I am so proud of Kelly for making this decision for him and for our family. He has done such a great job already- he’s lost about 30 pounds so far. And we’re already excited to see what the next year will bring.
I will try to keep the blog updated on Thursday. His surgery is scheduled for 9:00 am. Thanks.
I had my first experience this morning of not being able to find my child in a crowded room. What an awful feeling.
Harrison has one speed: fast. And he isn’t the best at staying by my side. We’re working on that. But he gets away from me so fast. Usually I can see him, or catch up with him, but this morning at church he went down part of our hearth area (it’s like a little ramp) and went around the corner to the auditorium. By the time I got around the corner, I couldn’t see him. There were just so many people there, I lost sight of him. And there were like five different places he could have gone.
I wasn’t worried about someone taking him. I was just worried about him getting to the back door and getting outside. He doesn’t have much fear. So I checked the auditorium and several rooms and no one had seen him go by. I check the auditorium again thinking he could have gone down an aisle. Then I start panicking a little bit. And it’s only been like two minutes.
Then I checked Kelly’s office, thinking maybe he was in there, and if not, to get Kelly’s help. He was sitting there with Kelly wanting to play with the computer. I should have known he was trying to get to some electronics.
So after all that, he tries getting away from me again while I’m trying to get my coat on (all after a very stern talk from his mommy and daddy). I was not a happy camper. Then there’s this guy laughing at it all, and doesn’t help to stop Harrison as he goes by.
Please do me a favor. Next time you see me running 20 feet behind Harrison saying “STOP” loudly, please stop him. Don’t let him go by you. Don’t move out of the way and give me a look of “Oh, did you want me to stop him?” Just go ahead and do it. I vow that for the rest of my life, if I ever see a mom or dad running after their child, and telling them to stop, I will stop the child.
Oh, and I feel a deep need to apologize to my mom for hiding in a clothes rack at Sears when I was 4 years old. For like 30 minutes. I still remember sitting there and hearing over the intercom that they were looking for me. No joke. I think that is really the worst thing I did as a child. I am really, really sorry, mom.
The Water For Christmas campaign is still going strong. Over $10,000 raised…so far! We’re being challenged each Friday before Christmas to give $10. There’s over 1700 people in the Facebook group. If 500 of those gave $10, we would drill one well in one day.
Go here to donate.
It is snowing pretty good here right now. I took Harrison out after lunch for a little bit for his first romp in the snow of the season. I think he had a blast. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves:
I have heard this song several times recently. The more I hear it, the more the lyrics stay with me. It’s got me thinking…especially the second verse.
It's time for healing time to move on It's time to fix what's been broken too long Time make right what has been wrong It's time to find my way to where I belong There's a wave that's crashing over me And all I can do is surrender (Chorus) Whatever You're doing inside of me It feels like chaos but somehow there's peace It's hard to surrender to what I can't see but I'm giving in to something Heavenly Time for a milestone Time to begin again Reevaluate who I really am Am I doing everything to follow Your will Or just climbing aimlessly over these hills So show me what it is You want from me I give everything I surrender... To... (Chorus) Time to face up Clean this old house Time to breathe in and let everything out That I've wanted to say for so many years Time to release all my held back tears Whatever You're doing inside of me It feels like chaos but I believe You're up to something bigger than me Larger than life something Heavenly Whatever You're doing inside of me It feels like chaos but now I can see This something bigger than me Larger than life something Heavenly Something Heavenly It's time to face up Clean this old house Time breathe in and let everything out Song by Sanctus Real
Took these earlier, too. Just playing cars. I think he looks like such a big boy in this sweater. And you’ll notice the lack of decorations on the bottom half of the tree. :) I have a few down there that he can take off and put back on. He likes to take them off, anyway. 
We woke up to snow this morning. Harrison’s face just lit up when I opened the shade in his room.
Here he is after we got home from church- looking out the back window where we had put these snowflake clings. He kept rearranging them over and over.
We got Harrison a Little People Nativity and got it out today for the first time. He had a lot of fun with it. We were wondering if he would do anything funny with it, and he ended up putting all of the animals and people in a line. This is how I found it when I got home from the store tonight (Harrison was already in bed- I’ll have to get some pictures of him playing with it later).
I think he liked it. Kelly got a real kick out of teaching him to call the donkey an ass. Yes, my two year old son was walking around calling his Little People Nativity Scene donkey an ass. And he said it plain as day. I have to admit I was laughing pretty hard…for like 30 seconds. Then I felt like I should put a stop to it. Just from our reaction, he knew it was funny. And that he shouldn’t be saying it.
He is now calling it a donkey, and hopefully won’t remember what daddy called it. Especially at just the right time, like in Sunday School or something.
