It's us again!

It's been awhile since our last blog. Things are some different each day. There are some days we're going full speed ahead and other days that we feel like we're falling backwards. I know that's all part of the recovery process, it's just all so different from two years ago.

Friday was a VERY hard day. Sherrianne really had a huge emotional breakdown over her knee. There were things she had shared that went clear back to when she was four. Of course, I was totally not prepared, I mean, it wasn't like she woke up and said Mom, I'm going to have an emotional breakdown today--just thought I'd let you know! But, it really caught me off guard. It did give me great insight into the fact that she keeps a lot of her pain and disappointment inside. Hopefully as time goes on we can help her learn how to deal with and vocalize her emotions. We sat in our car; we were out doing garage sales when this breakdown happened and we just sat and cried and I held her and we talked. She feels very out of place with other kids. She said she feels like a baby when they play running games because she can't run. She's tired of always feeling left out or picked last because everyone knows that she can't do anything. Thankfully, God was with us and help supply words for me to say to her. Of course, my heart was totally broken and by the time we were all finished, we ended up going home and taking a nap. We were both so exhausted. I really believe this was a great step for us as painful as it was, just to help get emotions out and to talk about everything. It's a lot for my 43 year old mind to grasp, I honestly can't imagine how a 7 year old mind can understand it.

Since Friday we've been trying to be more sensitive and more aware. I'm still just so surprised at how much energy it takes for her to just get around. She is truly amazing.

We have therapy again tomorrow. Some specific things we would like you to pray for are: 1. That the insurance would cover the therapy, it's not really an option whether or not she has it, it will just be an option of who pays for it. At $110.00 a session, we really need the insurance to help cover the cost. 2. That Sherrianne will feel free to open up to us more so we can understand better where she's coming from and feeling. 3. Continued healing and continued success in therapy. 4. That Mike's over-time would kick back in or that I can find some work or more piano students to help cover the cost of the surgery and therapy.

Once again we covet your prayers and your friendships!!

Love,
Wendy

To get you caught up!

We are all doing very well, especially Sherrianne. On Wednesday she bent her knee to 55 degrees. She is doing so awesome. She has figured out how to get herself down to the floor, so now she has even more freedom. I'm so thankful that God has given her such a persevering spirit. I pray we are able to help that grow.

I'm doing okay--having lots of trouble sleeping and then the vicious circle of sleep routine gets out of whack. But I know it will work out okay and God gives me the strength for each day.

Thank you all for your prayers. Continue to pray for strength for us--God has been ever so faithful.

Love,
Wendy

YAHOO!!!

WOW! How do I put all of this excitement into one blog. We have had the most awesome week with Sherrianne's knee and her recovery. Around the house she is able to walk without the walker and has mastered the stairs up and down all by her self. Of course her parents are totally freaked out!! We started PT today and she was so excited to be back with Jenn. They did a great job and Sherrianne was able to bend her knee to 45 degrees. The goal for the first three weeks are for her to be able to bend it to 90 degrees--so we're already half way there. When she reaches 90 degrees her reward is that she gets to go to Moo Roo's! Pretty good incentive if you ask me.

I just want to take a quick moment to thank all of you for checking in on us and helping us through this time. You have all been so wonderful. But, God has once again shone His might power and we praise Him for that.

Feel free to stop by and see us sometime--we're always up for visitors--if you want a clean house call ahead--if you don't care, come anytime! :-)

Love,
Wendy

An Awesome Day!

Well, we headed down to Iowa City VERY early (even for me) to our post-op visit. Everything went great. There were NO stitches, jest steri-strips to take off! PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!!

She was able to bend her knee, flex and point her foot, push against the doctors pushing, flex her quad muscle and the BEST news of all!!!!!!!...Her kneecap didn't move!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She can begin to do weight bearing while she's using her walker and we will start physical therapy on Monday.

Thank you all SO much for prayers and support. We could not have made it through any of this without God and our family and friends.

Pray for her physical therapy that it will go smoothly and that the pain will be minimal.

Love to all!
Wendy

Great improvements!

WOW! Things have been going great at our house. Sunday, Sherrianne took a good turn and really began to trust herself more. She's walking around mainly with her walker and doing a great job. It does wear her out--which is a bonus for mom because then I get a nap in the afternoon! :-) We haven't had to take any pain pills for three days now.

Tomorrow we go down to Iowa City for our post-op and getting stitches out and then we're going to go do some "girl" stuff at Build-A-Bear.

Overall, we're doing well. We're still pretty emotionally tired but physically and spiritually we're doing great.

Thanks for all your prayers, visits, and phone calls.

Love,
Wendy

Thank you all for praying!

Friday afternoon, Sherrianne, Bella and I were kidnapped by my best friend Jenni. We have been "hiding out" at her place. It has been so wonderful just to be out in the fresh air.

Saturday afternoon, we took a little drive around town and to Denver to catch some garage sales. Sherrianne, really felt like she was finally getting to do something, but of course as night came, so did the pain, but, it was a good pain.

Thank you all for praying, we have so felt your prayers. She is getting around so much better with her walker. It's so wonderful to hear her say with each step. "Trust Jesus, Trust Jesus". We had a really long talk about how the devil was holding her in fear and she has decided that that is not going to happen.

As a funny side note, you get things for a much cheaper price at garage sales when you have a cute girls in a wheelchair and leg brace.

Anyway, Aunt Jenni in her wonderful way has been spoiling both of us and helping to renew us physically and emotionally.

I really feel that we have turned a corner, please continue to pray!

Love,
Wendy

September 11th

Seven years ago I was walking into Lattin Photography to get Sherrianne's 9 month pictures taken when the first tower was hit in NYC. They always say that you'll remember where you were when some major national catastrophe happened. It's true.

So here's our update. Pain is still there. But, fear is even bigger than the pain. The fear of the pain, the fear of the heaviness of the leg, the fear of it touching the floor, the fear of moving it on her own, the fear of me holding her leg, the fear of getting into bed, the fear of getting out of bed--the fear of the bathroom. I'm not making fun of her fear because it is really real and it is really debilitating. Tonight we were in the bathroom and she was using her walker and went to start to turn around and somehow fell. Thankfully I still had a hold of her leg, but she landed hard on her bottom and her arm got pretty scratched up. She already is beginning to fear next Wednesday when we go for her post-op appointment. I'm just at a loss as to how to acknowledge her feelings, but yet help her to give that to Jesus and to trust Him. I'm still learning to do that!

This has been one of the most emotionally tiring weeks of my life.

I would just beg you to pray for the spirit of fear to leave Sherrianne and that God's comfort and peace would fill her. I would also ask you to pray that you would give me physical as well as emotional strength. I look forward to the day that I can share good news and a good prognosis.

Thank you all for understanding and caring about us.

Love,
Wendy

It was a long days night!

One of the hardest things I've ever had to do as a parent is to watch my child go through pain and can't make it better. I can only begin to understand the feelings that God must have went through watching His child die.

Sherrianne is doing okay. Last night was very rough for her. Today continued with a large amount of pain. She is also having a lot of pain in her left foot. Any type of movement that she does or if it's touched just send pain through her leg. Dr. Wolf said that was somewhat normal, but to watch it and make sure there wasn't a lot of swelling or discoloration associated with it. Please pray for sleep that it would be deep and extremely restful. Also pray for a lift from discouragement. It's so hard for her to lay there.

Thank you all for caring for her and us so much.

We Love you all!

W

Our first day alone

Sunday was okay, pain was still an issue but improving. Sherrianne was able to sleep through the night--too bad Bella can't!! LOL! We woke up today and she hasn't had pain and hasn't wanted any pain medicine. That's a BIG Praise the Lord. She's been a great patient. We haven't had any problems with swelling which is wonderful and she really enjoys controlling the remote! :-)

Now, I'm going to be selfish. Please pray for me. Physically I'm very tired. My back is extremely sore and it seems each time we move her she gets heavier. I'm thankful for the work outs I had done before because I know that they have helped. I'm not sleeping as well, I feel like a new mother, you here every noise, etc. I am looking forward to getting some little things done around the house that I've wanted to get done for awhile.

Thank you all so much for your prayers, notes and phone calls. They are so wonderful!

Love,
Wendy

Day 2...

Today has been hard for us. Sherrianne is very emotional today and is feeling more of her leg "waking up" and reality is setting in. I'm running on sleep deprevation which doesn't help with my patience level. But God is good and we will make it through.

Please continue to specifically pray for less pain and more security for Sherrianne and that God would give me the right words to comfort and help her.

Thank you all for calling, coming by and praying. We couldn't go through this without all of you!

Love,
Wendy

Our first day

Overall, things are going well. She had a hard time sleeping last night. It's very hard to stay on your back with your leg up and feel comfortable. Her pain level has been pretty high today and she's running a slight fever, all of which are normal.

Pray specifically that her fears would subside, they tend to sabotage our efforts to get up to go to the bathroom or to move in general. Pray also that I will be sensitive to her and be able to deal with my frustration of not being able to make things better.

Thank you all so much for your love and prayers!!

Love,
Wendy

We're Home!

WOW! What a long day! We were up this morning at 3 am, not my nor anyone else in my family's normal time. We headed down to Iowa City at 4:30 and drove in rain all the way. We got there and the process started. Everyone was very friendly and things moved quite quickly. We (Sherrianne and I) went into the operating room at about 8:20 and talked with her until she went to sleep with the gas. They came and got us around 10:30 and we talked with Dr. Wolf at 10:45. Everything went great. He was able to accomplish what he wanted to do and said that he couldn't get her knee cap to dislocate out at all!! Praise the Lord!

She slept off and on until about 1:30 and we were heading out of the hospital by 2 pm. Her pain is pretty well controlled by the medicine. Trying to conquer her fear is harder. But each time we've had to move it's getting better. Thankfully Mike will be home until Sunday, and hopefully by then she and I will be able to work together.

Thank you all for praying for her. We all felt God's peace all day.

Here's a couple pix of our little trooper.

We Love you all!

W

Labor Day

We went and visited my dad today at the nursing home. He's doing and looking much better! This last stroke has taken it's toll on him. I was very surprised and pleased at how well his memory was, but every so often you could tell his mind was somewhere else. Mike went to Moo Roo's and got him some ice cream, he really enjoyed that. They're working with him on getting in and out of his wheelchair. His balance is very bad. He really wants to get out of the nursing home, which I can understand--but I really don't know how he can live by himself, even if he has nurses to check on him. He's not going to be able to get his own meals and other things that he needs and what happens if he falls when no one is there? But, I've just got to put that into the Lord's hands and leave him there. I can tell Dad how I feel, but the bottom line is that it's out of my hands.

The rest of Labor Day was spent well laboring. Something's wrong with that! LOL! We're just getting everything ready for Thursday and then it's down hill from there.

I hope that everyone had a relaxing weekend and enjoyed the beautiful weather.

Love to all!
W