Gall bladders...who needs 'em anyway?

So the day of my gall bladder surgery starts with someone thinking it was a good idea for me to have to get the hospital at 6 AM. Seriously, this is pretty much as close to bedtime for me as it is to morning time. But, I get there (even showered!) and then wait in lines, check in, etc. Arnel and I are escorted to the ambulatory pre-surgery area...not an actual "room" but long hallways with privacy curtains. A series of people come in and ask me things and have me sign things, most of which I don't remember as it was, you will recall, very early in the morning. Since my surgery is where it is I have to take everything off to put on the always-lovely hospital gown...but I do get my own special pair of gray non-skid socks that I got to bring home! Woo hoo!

Filipino anesthetist comes in, looks directly at Arnel and asks him where he is from. Brief discussion ensues about languages and food and then she tells Arnel she will take good care of me. Good to know.

After a thankfully-uneventful trip to the restroom in above-mentioned hospital gown, it is ensured that no catheter will be required. Yea.

As I am the first surgery scheduled for that OR in the morning, I am wheeled in just a few minutes after the scheduled time of 7:30. People come at me from all sides, as I was warned they would, I feel groggy and mention the medicine must be working, and then someone is nicely yelling at me to wake up.

This is where it gets fun. I don't want to wake up. I mean, I want to, but some part of my body is rebelling. I DO wake up...but yet...not. And my legs are inexplicably shivering. Strike that. Shivering doesn't do justice to what is happening. They move me from the 'recovery' area to the 'phase 2' area, which means I get to sit in a strange chair instead of lay on the gurney. My legs stop "shivering" but will bear absolutely no weight. They have that horrid restless feeling, made all the worse by the fact that I am still sort of going in and out of consciousness. There is a small TV next to my chair but I overhear the nurse tell Arnel (who has been paged to join me at this point) something to the effect that I'm too out of it so he can turn it his direction and watch what he wants. Which he does.

We'd been told the surgery would be an hour to an hour-and-a-half, and it was an hour fifteen. Recovery was to be about 45 minutes to an hour. I was there four hours. I slept-woke up-slept-woke up...I honestly don't know if there were longer sleep cycles in there or just a whole lot of short ones. I remember Arnel swinging the TV around at one point to show me the Monty Python sketch he was laughing at...might have been the parrot one??mMy legs still felt just...icky, antsy, restless, weak. I was instructed to drink water to flush the anesthesia out of my system and I could go home after I peed. I did drink a couple cups of water, eventually, but had no urge to pee. When I finally did have the urge I failed miserably. That meant I got a bladder scan which confirmed that there was indeed, product to be eliminated. All the pressing encouraged me to give it another try. Sweet gal wheeled me down to the bathroom again (because my legs are still most uncooperative!) and waits, and waits, and waits some more. Finally I've done all I can, and it turns out it is enough! Go, me!

At this point they can't get me out of there fast enough. Doesn't seem to matter that I have a slight fever and can't walk so I guess that isn't really out of the norm. They call to sweet teens to wheel me out since I'm still not walking and I make it to the car. It feels GREAT to prop my legs up on the dashboard on the way home, and I continue to doze off on the ride home.

I make it up the stairs surprisingly easily, crash on the bed and it feels great to be able to get in a more comfortable position. More sleep, more leg ickiness. At this point I also notice my mouth is dry. Like, REALLY dry. Oddly, annoyingly dry. I get into a routine of sleep, wake up to pee, repeat. Every. twenty. minutes. TMI WARNING: I peed so many times I went through an entire roll of toilet paper and then some in maybe nine hours. Yeah. I do notice some occasional relief in my legs, which is encouraging. I also notice some pain beginning in my incisions, though minor. Arnel has to leave at one point to take boys to football practice and brings me food before going. I'm needing to avoid fatty foods until my liver takes over the functions previously performed, albeit at only like 35% function, by my gall bladder. We settle on raisin toast with no butter. Arnel brings me the toast and heads out. I spend what seems like several minutes trying to get down one bite of toast but my mouth is THAT dry. When I get the one down successfully I'm too scared to push my luck and try more. I get Laura to search for low-fat yogurt for me which is much more successful. I eat two. And then some applesauce before bed. Fortunately I'm not really hungry but I know that I need to eat to get my strength back in my legs. Headache kicks in. (At this point in my writing Gabe has come into the room and learns I'm blogging and I'm told to write about him. So there it is. I'm also getting a lecture on Sylar? Sylor? from him.)

By late evening my legs are tolerable and I can stay awake for longer periods. I'm encouraged that this isn't permanent. I only slept four or five hours overnight and then did more napping this morning. My legs are almost normal, mouth is much, much better but today my incisions hurt like I thought they should. I'm okay with that...I can deal with the pain much better than that leg stuff yesterday! I'm not even needing any over-the-counter pain medication.

Oh, and I learned last night that part of the reason I didn't have pain yesterday (if not all the reason) is that the nurse gave my some pain narcotics of some kind (vicodin? percocet?) in my IV, which I didn't know about at the time. So, I'm not sure how much of all the side effect were from the anesthesia or the pain meds but I don't suppose it matters much. I'm still taking the day off today but I hope by tomorrow I can be back to doing some preparations for starting school since that is right around the corner!

Is it too early to be thinking about back-to-school?

My first box of school supplies for next year came today, and our BIG box is due to arrive Friday!!! After I order math (site currently down for updates) I will be done except for basics like new folders, etc., that I can pick up when they go on sale here in town.

This years purchase was more expensive than usual (I'd have to say it was probably a record actually.) I've been doing this long enough now that I'm repeating lots of things with younger kids that I've already used with the older ones. This year, however, we are using a curriculum that I've never done with this particular group of grades before, plus we've decided to do more formal schooling with Lillian than we've done for Kindergarten for the others. (For all our mental health we think she will do best with more structure, lol.)

Gabe and Isaac will be studying the Eastern Hemisphere for Social Studies (history and geography); here are the actual booksLillian's history/geography will be along the same lines - Intro to World Cultures. Here are the books I'll read to herFor Science, Gabe will be studying Physical Science with this program (one of the few things I'm not having to purchase new this year)








Isaac will be using the elementary version of the same curriculum and will spend the year studying astronomy. (This is another thing I'm re-using.)









Lillian is my guinea pig for trying out Sonlight's science program again. I used it many, many moons ago and wasn't a fan but they've revamped the program (possibly more than once) so I'm giving it a go again. It introduces biology as well as technology. Here is a peek at her goodies:Language arts is where it gets more complicated.

Gabe will continue on in the grammar and writing programs he began last year.
























This is another thing I've not used in it's current form--Sonlight's Language Arts. I did get this for Isaac because I think we will like at least certain aspects of it and will get some use out of it--








--but I'm also planning on him continuing with his current grammar program. We switched to this in the midst of last year and it is working pretty well so we will play it by ear and see if we want to use Sonlight, this, or some combination.










And, we've also got these for Isaac

With Lillian we are pretty much going to go with Sonlight's program and see how it goes.


Lillian's Bible program consists of getting familiar with the major stories of the Bible using this wonderful book we've used for yearsOur copy is so well-loved that the binding is completely worn out. It is currently hole-punched and in a 3-ring binder.

Isaac will be starting the Discover 4 Yourself series. I've got these three books for him


And, here are Gabe'sGabe also has a little logic book to work in








I'm going to try and throw in a little art and music with these











Oh, and I almost forgot math! We will still be using Math-U-See. These are the books everyone will start with




It is funny to me that by the end of the year every year I am soooo ready to be done with school...yet here it is barely July and I am soooo excited to be thinking about next year! Happens every single year!

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth. Just been a BAD blogger. In my defense, though, I notice my last "real" post was April 23, which happened to be the day before Little League started. And wouldn't you know it, yesterday just happened to be the last day of Little League play-offs. Wonder what has been occupying my time in between...

So, you know how it goes: long, random thoughts/updates to follow. Get comfortable.

Both of our boys played Little League this year. Isaac played for Little Caesar's Pizza in the minor leagues and played all over the place (lots of time at short and outfield...in the minor leagues it is hard to define exactly "where" in the outfield a player is playing.) He got to pitch once which was definitely one of his favorite things. He was a whiz on the base paths and I think we may have a future Ricky Henderson.

Gabe played in the major leagues for USWA. He played lots of first base and left field as well as doing some pitching. His team's coach has a great record and this year was no exception. They won the first half of the season which took them to the play-offs at the end of the year. They won first place in the Bay County tournament. Gabe had 3 RBI in the final game and got a mention in the newspaper and on the local news.

Completing the school year meant Laura finishing her first year of public school as a freshman at Western High. She had a great year, finishing with a 3.8 GPA. We are so proud but not surprised. She also took choir and is learning how to develop her natural vocal talents. Gabe completed 7th grade, meaning, if he follows in his sisters' footsteps, that we will have just one more year at home with him. He enjoys the sleeping in but is looking forward to high school sports. Isaac completed 5th grade and I can see the beginnings of some maturity with him. There was such a difference between the beginning and the end of the year!

Starting in May I took the online photography class at Jessica Sprague dot com that I've been wanting to take forevah! I followed it up with her portraiture class. It was GREAT to finally learn some basics about how to use my camera but let me tell you I have LOT of work to do! The main thing I've accomplished thus far is to be able to recognize what it is that I don't like or isn't working about my photos. Practice, practice, practice! So glad I'm learning this in the digital age and not having to develop rolls and rolls (and rolls) of film! One of my assignments:

May meant both boys had birthdays! Isaac is now in double digits at 10 and Gabe is onety-three. (Some refer to this as 13 but I've decided we have enough teenagers in the house so I'm sticking with onety-three for now thankyouverymuch.) Apparently that magical birthday caused him to start sleeping in and his voice to start changing. Even though this is my third child it is my first time going through this process with a boy so it is fun to be experiencing it almost like the first time.


Let's see...in June we finally broke down and replaced our non-functioning oven and are the proud owners of our first gas stove now! It seems as if appliances just don't last as long as I think they should. I'm not sure if it is a sign of today's workmanship, the workload our family places on them, or a combination of both.

In June I also had the pleasure of hosting a Hasbro Game Night, thanks to House Party dot com! They offer a fabulous program in helping companies publicize their products and I was selected to receive the just-unreleased latest Trivial Pursuit game, Bet You Know It! The company provided me with a free advance copy of the game as well as two more of their games and lots of snacks and coupons to share as well! I think everyone had a great time and I must say that the twists in the new game were a lot of fun and made it very fast-moving for a Trivial Pursuit game! There is betting involved and a chance to win a wedge on every turn. You ought to check it out when it is in stores August 1!

The week prior to our Game Night Pablo very graciously offered to paint most of the interior of our house. When we first painted right after moving in in 2003 I wanted a gold color but chickened out and went with a paler yellow. I was never really happy with it. Well, we never finished the painting and after all these years even the parts we had done were in need of touch up. Since we needed to repaint all of it we decided it was time to rectify our prior mistake and go ahead and make the change! So, after many experiments with color we finally found one we were happy with and Pablo has repainted the entire main level and just has the small hallway upstairs to finish, plus some red accent places for which I need to purchase more paint. Looks so much warmer and richer and happier now!

The end of June was spent at what we've come to think of as "our" summer cabin, at Rose Hills Resort in Rose City. It has become such a tradition that going there feels almost like going home. We stayed a full week but as always it felt too short. It was especially fun this year to see Lillian and Isaac's advances in swimming. Elaina loved the water as well! A couple of personal highlights...I caught the biggest fish (excluding Lucifer the catfish) and I was told that I got as 'dark as vanilla' from all the sun. I also got my picture taken with a dandelion almost as tall as I was.





Speaking of Elaina, she is teaching her Mama and Dada what us more experience parents already know...how very quickly babies grow and change! She is sooo happy and is pretty much crawling. She may not look too smooth with it yet, but she wants to get places so bad that she gets the job done.


This summer has also seen us returning to work with the youth group! I've missed the kids so much and it is fun to get opportunities to hang out with them again. I hope they don't mind too much having us around again!

And just to share one recent glimpse of all my babies all together...


By the way, if you are not particularly sensitive to language and are in a silly mood, scroll down and play the video clip below, "Ninja Say What?"

Be prepared for a few "light" curse words...

Every once in a while I am extremely grateful for these Advanced Reader’s copies of books because they bring to my attention an author I was unfamiliar with. This is one of those times I want to give a big Thank You to WaterBrook Multnomah for the free book!. Actually, it may be more correct to say that the program finally got me off the fence about reading an author whose name I was familiar with but whose work I was not. Indivisible by Kristen Heitzmann was a very pleasant surprise, a book in my “go-to” genre of Christian suspense, but a step above.


An inseparable bond.
An insatiable force.

Battling his own personal demons, Police Chief Jonah Westfall knows the dark side of life and has committed himself to eradicating it. When a pair of raccoons are found mutilated in Redford, Colorado, Jonah investigates the gruesome act, knowing the strange event could escalate and destroy the tranquility of his small mountain town. With a rising drug threat and never-ending conflict with Tia Manning, a formidable childhood friend with whom he has more than a passing history, Jonah fights for answers—and his fragile sobriety.

But he can’t penetrate every wound or secret—especially one fueled by a love and guilt teetering on madness.

From best-selling author Kristen Heitzmann comes a spellbinding tale of severed connections and the consequences of life lived alone.


Heitzmann does a masterful job bridging the gap between those books that are pure, escapist fun and those that edify. On the surface this is a great mystery with characters you feel you get to know and want to know better, with a healthy dose of romance thrown in the mix. But you don’t have to search deep to see how the interactions among these characters reflect not only one another’s, but our own lives, in multiple ways.

Intrigued? Read the entire first chapter HERE and you will be hooked for sure!

Isaac made the papers...sort of...

http://photos.mlive.com/baycitytimes/2010/04/southwest_little_league_openin_7.html

Yes, I'm still here! As usual when I've gotten this far behind, be prepared for a rambling and random post.

1. Lillian has decided that some days she wants to be a boy. I never know whether to expect her to turn up in her 'boy clothes' or her pink sparkle shoes.

2. Gabe is getting drums for his birthday. Actually, they arrived today. I'm expecting my life will never be quite the same.

3. Both Isaac and Gabe start their Little League season tomorrow. Looks like for the next couple of months we average 5 games a week. Why do they each only get one game shirt??

4. Laura had her spring choir concert this week and had a solo to the opening of "Good Morning, Baltimore" from the musical Hairspray. The whole show was a lot of fun...they did a medley of show tunes wearing sparkly clothes, a medley from Forrest Gump wearing tie dye and then the Hair Spray medley. All complete with choreography.

5. Another year of AWANA is pretty much done; all that is left is the award ceremony this week. So proud of my kiddos - both Isaac and Lillian completed their books and are well on their way to joining their older siblings in receiving Timothy Awards!

6. The weather has finally warmed up enough here for the Ruiz family to make themselves at home again in their mini "apartment." (That basement is too cold for a newborn in the winter!) After some reshuffling everyone is settling into their own beds and bedrooms once again and I think all sleeping the better for it.

7. Like all babies, Elaina is growing so fast! She is inching up on four months old and big enough now to interact with us all a lot...so much fun!

8. I'm finally taking the online photography class I've been trying to get into for ages and LOVING it! It was the kick in the pants I needed to figure out how to use my camera and I'm just falling in love with photography all over again.

9. Weight loss...nothing major to report other than that after a few months heading in the wrong direction I'm going the right way once again and am back to the lowest I'd reached before that "relapse." Hoping to get magically motivated to exercise a little so I can focus on that end of things for a bit.

10. Got a free sample of a new shampoo and conditioner that I've fallen in love with! It is called EverPure by L'Oreal. Love it! Disclaimer: I can't say anything about how good it is on color or if it is really better for your hair...all I know is I love the way it performs and the way my hair looks and feels. Your mileage may vary.

Okay, quite certain I've overlooked a lot but ten things is pretty good for a quick catch-up, no?

Just for kicks, I'll top it off with some pictures.






And just for good measure, how about some belated Easter pictures?