Merry Christmas Everyone!

Here I am, it's Christmas Eve... I'm at my parent's house. Aimee is asleep, Greg has Jack. And I started this post a few days ago before we left. I will italicize that portion of my post, because it is a little out of context at this point. But still good!!

Yes, we are still here. I've been pretty horrible about posting lately. I like the ease and quickness of posting things on Facebook, so when I finally get around to posting on my blog, I feel like I'm repeating myself. But we are far from a lot of family and I think a lot of you guys check this thing... I will rededicate myself again!

That being said, here's some of the

happenings with the Brassfield family. Greg finished his first semester of law school! Hooray!! We are a 1/6 of the way done. It doesn't seem so long when you say it that way. He feels pretty good about all of his finals and he studies so much I'm sure he did awesome. I was prepped by many law student spouses to be ready for finals week. About how awful it is, how you never see your husband, ho

w stressed out they are, etc... and it really wasn't that bad, or maybe, I'm just used to it. Maybe a little bit of both.

Greg hit the books really hard from the get go. So I've become adjusted to him studying at the library until 11:00 pm (or later) every night. Don't get me wrong, there are those days wh

en I am so done and I'm dying for him to get home. Plenty of those days, but we've been really blessed all semester.

As of yesterday afternoon (Thursday the 16th) Greg started his well deserved Christmas break. Not much of a break though, I am sick with the flu or some sort of nastiness. Greg is pulling out the super-dad/husband card! The house was vacuumed, Aimee's room was cleaned, my room was cleaned, my bathroom was tidied up, the living room was tidied up. Today Greg is running some errands for me with Aimee in tow. It's good for the 2 of them to stay busy.

Speaking of keeping Aimee busy, that seems to be how I plan out my weeks and days. There has to some allotted time for her to go out and play. Otherwise, she gets so stir-crazy. We live right by a bunch of families with little kids. That is a life saver!

Aimee has her little buddies. It's so funny when they see each other too! As we walk over to the little side road all the kids and moms hang out at, Aimee yells, "Kids! Kids! I coming!!" And they all shout, "Yay! Aimee! Aimee!!" Hugs are usually exchanged and then they all get busy either digging in the dirt, or riding their bikes and scooters up and down the road. One of the other moms told me that I need to have a documentary crew come and follow Aimee around. They think she's so funny. I'm used to her rantings and ravings, her super expressive face... but yeah, she's got a lot of personality (and a lot of drama) in that little b

ody. Plus she does this busy-body power walk thing when she's determined to get somewhere (if she isn't running) and it's pretty dang funny.

Oh and the things that come out of her mouth now... The other day at dinner she told Greg, "Daddy, you making me crazy in my brains."
She has quite the imagination these days too. There are monsters, bears, and alligators in our house. Out of no where she'll yell, "Mom! Mom! Look!" (And she will continue to yell until I acknowledge her)
Me: What Aimee?
Aimee: Look! A bear!
Me: Oh really? Maybe you should feed him a snack so he's nice to you.
Aimee: I feed him a snack?Me: Yeah, I'm going to throw him a cookie. (Pretend to throw a cookie)
Aimee: I throw him a donut! (Pretends to throw a donut)
And this goes on and on until the bears, the alligators, and the monsters all have a variety of snacks.

Now - back to the present. I wanted to write a bit about Jack too.

He is my angel baby. It's crazy how different he and Aimee's temperments are. I can get Jack to sleep in his crib, even though he's not sleeping through the night - it's a big improvement in comparison to Aimee. I think once he starts the rice cereal he'll sleep better. He just likes to eat so much! Even though he eats (what seems like a lot) he's not very large. Measuring in the 40th percentile for weight (14.4 lbs) and 50th for height.

I love love love this happy little guy. He's really only sad when he wants to eat or is tired.

Easy to please - a true little man. There is something so very sweet about having a little boy. I was worried when I was pregnant. How would it be, to have a baby boy? I was worried about loving him as much as Aimee. Those concerns disappeared the moment he was born... and his sweet disposition makes him so easy to love.

It's so fun to watch him watch Aimee. You can tell he's soaking up everything she does. Which may not always be a

good thing... He's grabbing things too.

You can see him make the connection once he grabs a hold of something. He looks at it in his hands, absolutely amazed. Those little wheels are turning, "Whoa... what is this thing? This is amazing!!"

People have asked how has Aimee adjusted to Jack. It's hard to tell what is normal 2 year old attitude versus the move across the country and everything that entailed, versus a new sibling. She loves him, always wants to get in his face, squeeze him, hold him... I feel like I say, "Aimee, be soft." 3 dozen times a day... She does fight for my attention a bit more, she's also more clingy with Greg. Some days are better than others. As I know every mother out there can relate with.

As for me, if you read my last post, you can get a small glimpse of some of my days. Really, it wasn't meant to come off as depressing! I was just having some major deja vu. I never mentioned the daily smiles, the hugs, the giggles, the crazy things that come out of Aimee's mouth... I wouldn't trade it for anything.

So fam and friends... this will have to suffice as our Christmas letter!! I just was not on the ball this year. I still have tons of pictures - things from way back in October to post. My goal is to get all of last year's things posted before the new year begins. This is very ambitious of me.

We hope that this last year has been full of good things for you, and that the new year has many good things to bring.

Merry Christmas and check back soon!!

Routine.

Sink full of dishes. Start to wash. Dang it.

Dishwasher is still full of clean dishes. Put clean dishes away. Wipe down counters. Ignore floor.

Wipe table. Dang it.

When did Aimee decide to tattoo my table?

Pick up the toys.

Disney princesses smile up at me from the floor. Dress up purses crammed with fake food, small books, a calculator, another princess... Put in Aimee's room. Ignore Aimee's room... that's for another day.

Baked brownies. Gave away most of them. Still, ate too much. Never gonna lose that baby weight that way.

I should run. I should do some sit ups. Some push-ups. I should eat better. Tomorrow. Tomorrow I will put on one of those work out videos. I really want a salty snack though...

More toys. More books.

Ignore bathroom.

Plan for tomorrow.

Library. Play group. Exercise?? We'll see. Grocery store.

Waste time on Facebook.

Back aches, mind wanders: Wish I could get my body scanned to make there isn't any hidden cancer anywhere. People always seem to find it too late.

Salty snack. Ate too much again.

More mind wandering:

Am I being a good enough mom? Aimee still doesn't know all her colors. Still uses a pacifier. Still crawls into my bed every night.

Bills to pay. Check bank account. Ouch.

Papers to file. Three unfinished to-do lists. Expired coupons.

Movies out of their cases.

Waste time on Facebook.

Diapers. Laundry to do. Checking the weather... at least there isn't any snow.

Check on the kids. Still sleeping. Still breathing.

Try to fall asleep. Replay to do list. Can't sleep. Waiting for baby to wake up. Hear him stir... get up and check. Still asleep. Still breathing.

Pick up clothes. Throw in new pile on bed. Dirty clothes in hamper. Put Aimee's shoes in her room.

Ignore mess.

Repeat.

Law School Living

We went to the Lex Vitae fund raiser this evening on campus. They had BBQ, a bounce house, dunk tank, pony ride, and petting zoo (which was really just 2 goats, but the kids liked it). It was pretty fun. I have to say, even though the hours are long and Greg is at the library studying all the time, I am enjoying law school! It's nice to be around so many young families in the same boat as us. And there are so many kids for Aimee to play with - it's made this transition easier. Anyway, here are some pics from today.

All four of us - and Jack is getting so big!! (PS - yes, I got my hair cut. It is a lot shorter than I thought it was going to be, still have mixed feelings about it)

Pony Ride! Aimee LOVED it! She totally did it by herself, no help from mom and dad. Here she is waving "bye" to everyone watching.

Sibling Love

Bounce house = good times.

You would never know it was the middle of October from these pictures. It's still in the high 80s. We even went to the splash park by our house that morning. Even though I do miss the fall in Utah - I have to say, I am enjoying what feels like an extended summer.

The Rancor Keeper

Remember this monster the Rancor (thanks Google) from the old Star Wars movie? (Not sure which movie, Google could probably tell me though)


And remember the guy that "took care" of the rancor? And cried when it died? (His name is Malakili btw - thanks again Google)


Well, for some reason, Jack reminded me of this guy at the time:

Okay okay okay... a bit of a stretch, I know. But we had a good laugh about it.

Someone's in the Kitchen...

Bisquick + Water = Endless Entertainment

Quick Visit

Earlier this month we packed up the kids and drove the whopping 4 1/2 hours to my parents' house for the weekend. Greg stayed the weekend, the babies and I stayed a few more days and my dad drove us back. They (the babies) did so great both ways!! They just need a break about halfway through the drive and then they were good to go.
Anyway - it's so nice to be so close to them! Here are a few pics from the trip...

Self-timer. Soooo... it what it is!

Mom in baby heaven.


We were there for my mom's birthday - she got a laptop, as you can see

Aimee stuck to my mom like white on rice! Maybe she's feeling a bit attention deprived? She got mad when my mom tried to hold Jack. But towards the end of the trip, she totally became buddies with my dad. She has a thing for grandpas.

Whitney was such a good auntie! AND babysitter. It was so nice to have an extra set of hands.

We love you family! And we'll be back soon!

More smiles and goos

This is for the fam! Since you all are so far away and don't get to see him be so cute all the time! He is turning into such a happy baby. So pardon my baby talk, there is a lot of it.

Jack: ah-gooing

My Jolly Babies

Yes... mostly Jack, but we got one of the big sista too.

We made it!

I have sooo very much I want to blog about, but very very little time! Well, we made it. We are here. As sad as I was to leave Utah and all our family and friends, it feels good to be in law school! Well - good to be here, having Greg in law school. I think he really really likes it. It's hard work - he is studying at the library 6 days a week, leaves before I'm out of bed (but that is partially due to jet lag/newborn nursing throughout the night) and is home for the night by the time I'm ready to be back in bed again. BUT we live in one of the on-campus apartments and Greg's classes are literally a 2 minute walk away - so we get to see him a lot. He comes home for lunch and dinner and a few other little breaks throughout the day. It has made adjusting to being a 1-car family, no adjustment at all, because I get the car all day! Ha!

My mother in law, Roxanne, flew out on Monday with us and was a super super big help to me getting adjusted. We ran lots of errands but managed a quick visit to the coast to check out the beach. I am hoping we just didn't go to a good one, because even though the sand was super soft and nice, the water wasn't very pretty and smelled a little too oceany. We didn't go to swim (are you kidding me, not with a newborn baby!) but Aimee got her feet wet and LOVED it! She kept telling us that she wanted to go back, "I swim in the ooocean mommy."

We are still unpacking - a lot of it is done, if not very organized. I'm getting there. Who would have thought putting your home together would be hard with a new baby and a 2 year old? Speaking of - I feel a bit guilty blogging when I have sooo much to do with the house. Earlier today Greg said, "Why don't you put that little baby (Jack) to bed? I will put Aimee to bed and you can go have a bath." (We have a HUGE jetted tub in our bathroom! Sooo random!) I said, "No, I'd rather clean up and unpack some more" Then he said, "Yes, but the unpacking will still be there tomorrow, a time for a bath might not be"

Good point.

How about some blogging time instead? I've hardly been on the computer to waste time on facebook and read other people's blogs. This is partly because the computer is set up in the office - and this room is a total wreck that I'm not willing to tackle until the rest of the house is done, so I'd rather avoid it all together!

I've met a few other law-student wives that live on-campus. They all seem really nice. Greg has been here a few weeks and so many of the ladies I've met came up to me saying, "Oh it's good to finally meet you!" etc... it was nice, very welcoming.

We all went to church today too. No, it's nothing like the ward in Provo (but really, there aren't any other Provo wards like that ward) but it's nice. Lots of babies! Our nursery has 30 kids in it! I met a really nice girl whose husband just graduated from Ave Maria, took the bar this summer and got a job in Miami. They are moving this week! Oh well - there are still a lot of other young moms in the ward. There is a nurse anesthetist school in the area, and a lot of young families are in the ward because of that.

I've been asked, how do you like Florida? Well, the area we live in is very pretty. Very green, lots of trees, newer homes and shopping centers. But it is hot. Dang hot. AND humid.
Walking outside is kind of like walking into a bathroom after the shower has been running at the hottest temperature it can for an hour. Oh, there is the occasional breeze, which is also very warm. And it rains.... A LOT. Every day this week, massive thunder storms roll in around 2-4 pm, like clockwork. And then it pours buckets of rain for maybe an hour - then stops. We are learning to be done with outside errands by 2 pm.

We are adjusting well. Aimee is as moody as ever, but I think that's partly because she is two. And I am beginning to think that this is also her personality. She lives in the extreme of all her emotions... and we aren't even close to puberty. Those are going to be some good times! Jack is just my sweet baby... when he is asleep. Most of the time he's awake is spent eating, or wanting to eat. And when he wants to eat, man you had better (or rather, I had better) be ready! Because he will tolerate being hungry for like 2 seconds and then it's meltdown time. This kid is noisy too. Noisy eating, noisy sleeping, noisy pooping. My little grunter. I love it!

Well, I think I've exhausted my blogging time. There is still lots to catch up on - Jack's baby blessing and all the pictures... It will get done eventually!!

Growler

This is what Aimee does when she gets mad at me. The video quality is a little dark, but hopefully you will get the gist of it.

Sweetness

Jack Ryan Brassfield

Baby Jack Ryan Brassfield made his debut into the world yesterday, August 10th at 9:59am. He was 7 lbs, 13 oz, and 21 inches long. Fair amount of hair (which I am sure he will lose), chubby cheeks (not as chubby as Aimee's were), and a very sweet disposition.

I went in for my induction at 7 am yesterday. Even though I would have liked Jack to come earlier, it was kind of nice going in knowing that I would be having a baby that

day. After lots of checking in the nurse got me

started on pitocin. That was probably around 8... maybe a little later. The first dosage she started me on wasn't bad. My contractions were coming a little stronger - but no big deal. She asked me earlier if I wanted an epidural. I told her probably - but I wanted to wait a little bit because with Aimee, the epidural slowed my labor down a lot.

Big mistake this time around!

My doctor came in not long after I started the pitocin to break my water. I think I was only dilated to a 3 when he did that. Almost immediately I was being slammed with crazy bad contractions. It felt like a hot band of pain wrapped around my lower abdomen and back and on the tops of my thighs. I was caught a little off guard, that's for sure. I told Greg - get me the epidural!!! The anesthesiologist took a loooong time getting to me. I was starting to feel pressure... like pushing pressure by the time he arrived. I didn't think I would be able to sit still while he gave me the epidural. He asked my nurse, "How far along is she?" My nurse told him that the last time they checked I was at a 3. He says, "I don't think she's at a 3 any more."

Nope.

After he got the epidural in, they told me that it could take up to 20 minutes for it to be effective this far into labor. They checked me and I was at an 8. The pressure was getting worse with each contraction. I told my nurse, she checked me again and I was fully dilated, his head was there. It was go time!

Wait, I thought! But I can still feel my legs! I can still feel everything!

By the time the doctor and rest of the staff were assembled my legs felt tingly and heavier - my contractions still hurt like you know what, but they didn't last as long.

Seriously, before I knew it - I was pushing that baby out. I think on the 3rd push his head was out. One more and the shoulders were out. I could totally feel it and the pushing wasn't so bad. It felt good to push when I was having those painful contractions. So weird. This experience was nothing like my experience with Aimee. With Aimee I had no idea when to push... hardly felt any pressure... and it was a lot less painful!

If I ever have to be induced again, I will remember to get an epidural before my doctor brakes my water.

I think natural labor is something you have to be mentally prepared for and I really wasn't. Although I will say that it was a lot easier to push the baby out, especially since I could feel an urge to push!

And even though those contractions hurt like nothing I've ever felt before - I am grateful that I was able to be induced and that it went super fast.

When I got to hold baby boy, I knew his name was Jack. Greg said that he had the same impression when he saw him too. As soon as I said hello, I could tell he knew my voice. It was the sweetest thing. He knows his daddy's voice too. It's amazing.

I love his little squeaks and squaks! His little gremlin grunts... his bright and alert eyes... I'm so excited baby Jack is part of our family, I love our little baby!

Still counting my blessings

I know I mentioned in my last post that I didn't feel too overwhelmed with everything going on - that didn't last long. I became overwhelmed rather quickly when Greg's doctor told him that he wouldn't (rather shouldn't) be able to make the 3-4 day drive from here to Florida. Apparently sitting too long with a blood clot is sort of dangerous!

It was the straw the broke the camel's back... BUT those feelings of discouragement didn't last long. Greg and I have amazing parents. We really do. When I called my mom and explained our latest dilemma, she said that she'd try to fly out to Utah and drive our car to Florida for us! Greg's parents even volunteered to make a road trip out of it - if my mom couldn't come. But come she did - for a day and a half!! She couldn't stay any longer, unfortunately - and I was rrrreally hoping that I'd have the baby while she was here, but baby had other plans.

So I'm counting my blessings again. The car is on its way! We kind of made my brother volunteer to make the drive with my mom - he was going to go out to Florida anyway, for a friend's wedding - but by plane of course. I guess we owe him one :)

Anyway - car is on its way. Our stuff is all packed up and on its way too! Now I'm just kind of waiting for the baby to show up.

At my last appointment I asked my OB how big he thought the baby was. He told me, "Oh we'll have you get an ultrasound this week to check that." I was a little surprised. My OB with Aimee didn't have me do that. I left his office without scheduling it - I totally forgot. I did get my induction scheduled. Tuesday, 7 am! I called the office later and asked if I really needed to get the ultrasound. Honestly, I just didn't want to pay for another one and I figured I'd be seeing baby boy soon enough. Well, they told me that I needed to.

Ok, whatever.

On Thursday I went in for one. I mean, it was neat to see him again, even though he wouldn't look at us! His little face was buried in the crook of him arm. I think he was sleeping.

The size estimation: 7 lbs, 15 oz. SO I'm really glad I'm getting induced a week early. He'd probably be a 9 lb baby if he went up to my due date!

The tech also measured my fluid levels - they were on the high side, so I had to get a non-stress test. I had no idea what that was. And in case you don't know either - they have you go to the hospital, sit on a bed for 30 min or more with 2 monitors strapped across your belly to measure baby's heart rate and your contractions. I passed (well - baby boy passed) the test with flying colors! His heart rate is good and strong, as well as his activity level. Actually, I was almost hoping they'd see some sort of need to induce me that day, but no such luck. I get the feeling this guy is totally content to chill out in my belly until Tuesday.

It's weird to think we're finally here - at this point. The baby. The move. Law school.

Greg got the doctor's ok to fly to Florida, he just needs to get up and walk around every hour or so. We have his flight scheduled for Saturday. Then he's gone until September 3rd. I don't like to think about him leaving so soon. It's going to be hard with him not here. I'm fortunate to have tons of family here to help... but it won't be the same. I know Greg isn't looking forward to not being around the new baby (or Aimee) for so long either. Thank goodness for Skype!!!

Check back on Tuesday - hopefully the next post we make will be to announce baby boy's arrival!

Blood clots, relo-cubes, and raspberries

What kind of post is this?? Well, you'll see...

Our moving pods, "relo-cubes" technically come on Monday. I feel like I am 90% ready for them. I suppose I should finish something while Greg puts Aimee to bed. But I've got 2 1/2 days left to wrap up packing! And I really don't think baby boy will come this weekend. Even though I'm starting to have an occasional contraction that makes my lower back hurt. With Aimee, I only felt them in my lower back. Maybe that's a sign we're getting closer?!

I have a lot to be grateful for. As always. But especially these last few months. The other day we took Greg in to see his orthopedic surgeon to check up on his leg. It started swelling again and was looking a bit purple. Greg's mom noticed more than I did, so I'm glad she raised the alarm. The doctor told us to expect swelling - even for a few months. The back of Greg's calf and knee were getting sore again and the swelling had gone down, only to go back up again. That worried the doctor. He ordered an ultrasound. We took Aimee home (had her with us), then went back to the hospital. After lots of scanning, picture taking, live video sent to the radiologist, and a phone call to the doctor - we were told there was a blood clot in Greg's leg. I never did think to ask how big it was. But it was a little above the knee, so they sent us over to the ER right away.

You can't do that to a 9 month pregnant lady! I felt fine dealing with all of this until we had to go to the ER. Umm... yeah, blood clots are kind of serious. We were in and out of there pretty fast (thankfully). Greg has to give himself shots twice a day for 10 days and he started taking some blood thinners. Not sure how long he'll have to be on those - a few months at least. Craziness.

When it rains, it pours I guess. I think I should be more stressed out than I am. I mean, I don't feel super stressed. Greg might be able to tell you otherwise... but maybe it's just not hitting me yet?
Greg's knee surgery, now the blood clots, TONS of hospital bills - and more to come after the delivery... I have to pack up most of our stuff (except what I think I'll need for the baby, me, and Aimee for the next few weeks - but not so much that I can't take it all on an airplane). I'm going to have a baby by August 10th/11th for sure... my husband will be driving across the country without me in 2 weeks, and I'm leaving the place I've called home for the last 4 years in just another month... not to mention getting settled and situated in a new place with a new baby and a 2 year old.

Yeah. Lots going on.

But I feel really blessed. I know the Lord has been guiding and directing us. He's blessed us with amazing family members and support. I know we'll get through it all - somehow!!

Really, I meant to start this post to jot down some of the things that Aimee does lately - before I forget. She's changing so fast!

Lately, because of my large baby belly I make the more-than-occasional grunt or sharp intake of breath. ANYTIME I do that within earshot of Aimee she asks, "Mommy what happened? What happened mom?" And if I don't give her a satisfactory answer, she asks again - but uses this growly monster voice! It's so random!
Also, when I'm frustrated with her (which happens frequently these days) and tell her not to do this or that, she looks at me, makes "claws" with her hands and growls at me! "Raaarrrww!!" What the heck?! Makes me wonder if that's all she hears when I scold her.

There is lots of "Doo-do-do-doo-Doooora" watching at our house too. We DVR the show. Probably a bad idea. She knows if you have the remote "shmote" you can turn Doooora on. And if I won't turn it on - she begs Poppy to! "Come on Poppy, come here" as she pulls him by the hand to the TV. "Where's the shmote, Poppy? I watch-ah Doora!"

She's already not doing this as much, but it's so sweet when she does. If she's in a cuddly mood sometimes she will take your face into her hands and say, "Oh, I love you soooo much!" It's one of my favorite! I think she learned to say it like that from Nanny.

She wears her emotions on her sleeve. When she's excited, she'll let you know! I love when she squeals/screams with joy! With just as much energy, she'll let you know when she's angry. Tantrums are a normal occurrence these days. They are explosive, but usually short lived. And this girl can pout. My father in law told me that he feels sorry for me when she's a teenager. Don't I know it!

Eating raspberries we picked from the yard. She stuck her whole face in the bowl... like a dog. That's my girl!

Happy Birthday Greg!

Happy birthday love! So while in Provo, we've taken advantage of Tucano's birthday club promo - for a few years now. Buy one meal, get one free! Endless tasty meats and buffet for under $8/person (if you go during lunch) and something like $12/person if you go for dinner. Not too shabby!!

Tucanos throughout the years...

(Aimee at 6 weeks)

(At one)

And 2!

And some more pictures from our outing:

Aimee arguing with Greg about her middle name being "Jean". Greg was saying something like, "Is your name Aimee Jean?"
"No! I NOT Jean!"
Haha.

The arguing didn't last long. Aimee wanted to be held and Greg was making this goofy face with his glasses. Aimee thought it was hilarious.

I love my babies!

Oh and PS!! Congratulations Laura to baby girl number 2 this morning!!! I have like, zero details other than she's 8 lbs, 9 oz. Uncle Greggie is excited to share a birthday with you!!

The Infirmary

On June 30th Greg went in for his ACL (repairment) surgery. We dropped Aimee off at Greg's cousin's house. (And I just want to say right now, Rebecca, Geoff, THANK YOU so so so much for watching Aimee all day!)
Anyway, we were asked to be there by 8 am. We were actually early, so go us. But then we spent most of the time waiting... and waiting and waiting. Who knew that waiting could be so utterly exhausting??
Greg got to have his leg shaved (the leg-shaver lady was really nice and funny) and an IV put in... and that's pretty much all that happened until around 10. They took Greg back to get a nerve block in his leg and I got to go with him for this part. Then we waited some more. Greg started to doze and I don't know if it was because I was already tired, not to mention pregnant, or a combo of both - but I cried. Yes, and I totally couldn't help it. A nurse came in and brought me a box of tissues and chatted with me for a minute, I think to help me feel better. It wasn't like I was scared that the surgery was going to go wrong or anything...
Anyway, they told me it was time to say goodbye. I gave Greg a kiss and off he went.

Then more waiting.

And waiting.

Greg probably went back into surgery around 10:30. The doctor told me that the surgery should only take about an hour. So after about 2 hours of waiting for them to wheel Greg into the recovery room - I got antsy. I finally asked a nurse what the hold up was. She went to check and it turns out that my husband has a very low tolerance for pain. Either that or the surgery is super painful. Probably both.

They said that he wasn't handling the pain well. They gave him morphine and had to wait to see how he'd react. Apparently that wasn't enough because they gave him 2 percocet (sp?) and had to wait some more. They ended up bringing him back into the recovery room around 1pm anyway. Poor, poor, Greg. He was miserable. And really out of it. I gave him sips of sprite, tried to make his leg comfortable... there isn't a whole lot you can do.

More waiting...

Oh, they gave him a shot of demoral (sp?) too! I thought, there's no way we're going to make it into the house, he's SOOO doped up!
In the midst of all this Greg told me, "Thank you. I love you so much."
And then there was some more tears on my part... I was on a roll.

After chatting with the doctor (who said everything went super well), and filling Greg's prescriptions, we finally got the OK to go home!

When we were all home and settled, I think I cried a little more. I was so exhausted. I don't know the last time I've felt so drained in my life. The day took its toll. Aimee was pretty wiped out too. She didn't nap that day - but that only meant a nice and early bedtime for everyone.

Greg is doing pretty well now. He's had 1 round of physical therapy, which didn't kill him. I was surprised. Everyone had us braced for the worst. He's getting more mobile everyday. Which is a good thing, because it won't be long before it's his turn to take care of me.

Here are some pictures the day after surgery. Aimee was Greg's little buddy. She would cuddle right up next to him. In this one, she put herself down for a nap :)

Another shot... you can see the brace we call "ro-bo" leg.