Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Bailey's Knee Surgery

We knew it was coming. We were content to stay with an older doctor with a conservative view of surgery. We prayed she would outgrow it. We tried to keep her knees safe. We did all these things over and over until it became clear that our only option, our only permanent fix (we pray!) was surgery. Bailey's knees have dislocated a combined 13 times since December 2010, but the right knee has been a consistent problem, dislocating a mind-boggling 11 times. The last time it happened, when a friend bumped into Bailey and she came down on it the wrong way, it was so much more painful and swollen than all of the other times before. We knew it was coming. Her semi-retired, good-as-gold, gruff-in-a-kind-sort-of-way orthopedic doctor was unavailable to see her until the following week and we needed answers immediately, so we took the first available appointment with a young, new-to-the-practice doctor. Bailey liked him from the get-go. He told us that surgery was a necessity and that sooner rather than later was best. He and Bailey talked about Scripture. I cried. And we scheduled the surgery for the Monday of fall break week to minimize missed school. With surgery more than a month away, I safely put it out of my mind until it was really time to deal. My entire life, I have worried and worried and WORRIED until I'm exhausted over things in the future. But with kids and my aging brain, I have chosen to focus as much as is humanly possible on today. You'd be amazed at how much more peace I feel by doing that, but it's hard and I often have to force myself to not stew over next week's or next month's challenges. We sprung Bailey from school on the Friday before her surgery and she and her daddy went to Knob Creek, a mega gun show in Kentucky that they love attending! This time, her cousin Sam and his daddy met them and they had a fantastic time together, focusing on everything but her surgery, which was sweet and special for her little mind, and mine. Sunday night, after enjoying a wonderfully fun birthday party for our nephew, we had to face the music. Tomorrow was the big day and we had to get ready. And I wasn't ready, not by any stretch of the imagination. This was my sweet girl, my #1 daughter, my baby, who had never had any sort of invasive medical procedure, who'd never really been sick, outside of that one little trip to the ER several years ago. We were both pretty terrified. But Bailey came up with a fantastic idea that really help channel our nervous energy - draw on her legs! We knew we were going to write "this one" on the knee facing the operation, but we took that about 10 steps further and drew all over both legs . . . with Sharpies! It was so much fun and took our minds off the scariness of the surgery. And I think I even surprised her with my enthusiasm for our little art project! Sometimes, you just have to forget the "rules" and have fun with your kid, and that's exactly what we did!
The next day, we were up bright and early for our 6 a.m. curtain call. It's always eerily quiet at that time of the morning and seems surreal, like people don't REALLY get up that early. We left at 5:15 a.m. to make sure I got my required caffeine fix from Starbucks on the way. Shortly after we arrived, my sweet daddy arrived as well. It was so nice to have someone to talk to and for Bailey to talk to to take her mind off her surgery. We were also blessed by visits from my dear friend, Michele, and our pastor, Daniel, who was just coming back from medical leave following heart surgery. Bailey really likes him and he definitely lightened the mood and put her mind at ease.



Bailey was most terrified by the thought of the IV, so once that was in place, she was much more at ease. Once the "happy juice" was on board, she was goofy and giggly and telling jokes! I was so grateful for that silliness. They wheeled her away to surgery shortly thereafter and we were left to wait in the lobby for our precious girl. Thankfully, the surgery was over fairly quickly and there were no surprises, but I was not prepared for how pale and sickly Bailey looked after her stint in the recovery room. There was some trouble managing her pain and she hurt terribly when we picked her up. Do you remember driving home at a snail's pace with your brand-new baby? Driving home with a child post-surgery is infinitely worse! Once we finally got home and administered the first of several meds Bailey would be taking for the next few days, she was able to rest a bit and so were we. I pray that once Bailey heals completely, she will be able to walk, run, and play without the constant worry of a dislocated knee. We are so thankful for the wisdom of her doctors, the care of her nurses, and the love and prayers of family and friends!

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Morgan's First Day of Preschool

Morgan could not wait to start preschool!! We had talked about it for weeks and after Bailey started school, Morgan asked every day if she was going, too!! She has two precious teachers and several friends in her class. Even though the kids play outside, paint, and do all sorts of "dirty stuff" at school, Morgan wore the cutest little dress with smocked crayons on her first day. I know it's ridiculous, but she looked so adorable!! She's a pro at putting her lunchbox away and washing her hands before class. She's having such a great time and we are so proud of our sweet little preschooler!

Thursday, August 15, 2013

First Day of 7th Grade {sniff, sniff}

 
 
 
Oh, sweet Baby Jesus! Our precious Bailey started 7th grade this week and I am amazed and overwhelmed!! She was both nervous and excited to see all of her friends, and we truly lucked out again this year - honors classes with nearly all her buddies. It's obvious from the start that this year will be fairly intense, but she is getting off to a good start. In addition to school, Bailey is #16 on the volleyball team. With practices nearly every day after school, we may see even less of her than we did this summer (didn't think that was possible!!). But she is enthusiastic about all the new opportunities and challenges that are coming her way, and her entire fan club is praying for another fantastic year!!

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Happy {belated} Fathers' Day!!

This year for Fathers' Day, I made extra special gifts for Chris and my dad (Pops) from the girls. I saw this idea on Pinterest and LOVED it!! I bought the letters at Hobby Lobby and it was super easy to put together, but so very special to the recipients. The girls' personalities really show in the photos making this the best gift ever!! This would be a great gift idea for any special friend or relative for any occasion. Below are some of the other pictures I took for this project.We are so thankful for and proud of our beautiful girls!!

 
 
 
 
 

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Happy Half Birthday, Bailey!!

 
 
 
 
 
Before Morgan was born, I made the executive decision that there was no way I could plan a birthday party around Christmas with a new baby, so we started the tradition of having a party in June instead of December. I. Am. A. Genius!! And since my parents have a pool, we have our parties there, and they are always so much fun! We had a great group of kids this year (we always do!) and they had a blast laughing and talking and performing tricks off the diving board. We had lots of soft drinks and a delicious mint chocolate chip ice cream cake from Marble Slab. With all of the rain we've had recently, we were really blessed to have such a beautiful party day!

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

More proud moments!

Those crazy Methodists!!
 
Four generations of Lemmons!
Bailey in the stole she designed during her class retreat in April.
After nine months of confirmation class at our church, Bailey was confirmed on Sunday evening! We are so very proud of her and what this decision means for her as a Christian!! She and many of her best friends have worked hard and had lots of fun during their classes and it was such a meaningful end of one journey and the beginning of a new one. We were thrilled that Chris's dad and grandmother as well as our sister-in-law, Kelly, were able to come celebrate with us as well as Grammy & Pops.

Monday, May 20, 2013

National Junior Beta Club induction

We are so very proud of how well Bailey has done during her first year of middle school!! I had no idea what to expect but I can honestly say she has far exceeded any expectations I might have had in the back of my mind. Her grades have been fantastic; she has made lots of friends; she has been faithfully involved in youth activities at our church; she has continued to be a wonderful big sister; and she recently made the middle school volleyball team!! And last week, she was inducted into the National Junior Beta Club - what an honor!! We are truly blessed by our amazing and beautiful #1 daughter and we can't wait to see what the future holds for her!