Visit From Oma

We enjoyed a wonderful visit from Stan's mother, Karen.  She came to help out with everything while Stan went back to work.  She said she was coming to help, not to be a guest.  I think we worked her pretty hard because occasionally you might find her asleep when she took a minute to sit down.  

The girls call her "Oma," which is German for "Grandma."  They had a great time with her.  She played, read stories, colored, painted, watched cartoons, fed, clothed and loved on them.  

 She was a huge help to me as well.  Not only did she help take care of the kids, but she did dishes, cleaned and cooked all week long.  And you can tell that everyone enjoyed her cooking:

But we weren't complete slave drivers.  She stayed with us for 10 days, so we had a chance to do some fun touristy things as well.

We took her to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

Stan and the girls took her to Branson, Missouri.  I stayed home with Dallin since he wouldn't have enjoyed the day as much as the others.  

They went to one of our favorites restaurants, Lambert's Cafe, Home of the Throwed Rolls.

They went to the Christmas Shop.

What a bunch of cheese balls.

And they went to see the Chinese Acrobats show.

We all had a great time and are so thankful she could come visit.  It was especially great for myself and the girls to get to spend all that extra time getting to know and love Oma even better.  Usually we just have a few days when we come out to visit in Utah, so this was really nice.  

Everyone was sad to see her go, but we look forward to later in the summer when we get to see her again.

Smile

Since we have 1:00 church this year, we have a little more time to get ready Sunday mornings.  I actually had a few minutes before we had to leave, so we tried to take some family pictures.  

I guess that's why photo shop exists, since there is not one picture where everyone is looking and smiling at the same time.  

Here's reality of a taking pictures of a young family:

(I love Dallin's face in this one)

I guess that's why you hire a professional.

  Oh well, I do love this family, silly faces and all!

Getting to know Dallin

A new baby is always an adjustment and an adventure.  It's fun getting to know this newest member of our family.

He currently doesn't like baths.  Here's his first:

He just loves to sleep.  That's no surprise.

Here he is passed out next to cousin Philip, 9 weeks his senior.

He captivates me with his eyes and tiny mouth.

Miriam and Eliza just love Dallin and have been very good with him.

  

  Eliza loves having her picture taken.

  

Here she mixed a little of Universal Studios with Disney (notice the hat).  Proof that they can get along.

Stan got to take 2 weeks of Paternity leave from work.  We ALL loved having him home (and NOT working like he was when I first broke my leg).  He got to relax a little more and spend some quality time with the girls.

Final Appointment

I had another appointment with my orthopedic doctor to check on my leg.

For perspective:

Doc says it looks good, it's growing and filling in like it's supposed to, so he doesn't need to see me anymore.  The physical therapy person also said he doesn't need to watch me exercise anymore and also released me. 

It's a strange feeling to know that I'm officially on my own to finish out my recovery.  I still limp slightly, can't stretch/bend my legs in certain ways, can't kneel down (but can kneel up if I don't move around) and have discomfort going down stairs.  

BUT--let's look at how far I've come in 5 weeks since putting weight on my leg:

After 3 days I was done with the aircast boot.

After a little over a week I was completely done with the walker and could (sort-of) walk at my baby shower.

After 2 weeks Dallin was born and I was able to limp around and carry him (yay!)

After 5 weeks I can walk a little faster with only a slight limp and I can sleep (sort of) comfortably on my right side again (double yay!)

Let's not forget to address the swelling.  The pregnancy was not helping:

 Here's after a busy morning of appointments and not getting a chance to put my feet up (notice the dimple).

After Dallin was born, the swelling in my foot went down considerably.  I now have a few more options of shoes I can wear.  The ankle and lower shin (where the break is) is still swollen and the Doc said it could be for the next 6-12 months.  Ugh. 

Here's the side-by-side comparison for perspective: 

Soon I will be 6 weeks post-partum and can start working out again and strengthening the leg even more.  My goal at maximum is to be able to run the local half-marathon in Spring of 2015, and at minimum be able to run a 5K by then.  Guess I better get to work on eliminating that limp so I can begin work on the running thing.

Overall, the worst is definitely over and I will forever be grateful for the ability to walk.  I know many are permanently without that ability and I hope to never take that for granted again.  I still occasionally do things around the house that are seemingly small and remember how big they once were to me.  Like standing at the kitchen sink and doing dishes, walking around the house turning off lights and picking up things off the floor or carrying my water cup around the house with my hands.  I am so grateful to walk again.