Man, Am I on a Roll...

Day #4 in a row to blog. I must have caught the Blog-bug!
So Caleb and I went to Jumping Party this morning for a MOPS playdate. It is a gigantic space filled with at least 6 inflatables for the kiddos to just go wild on. The beauty of this place is that while they do charge $6.50 per child, parents may accompany them for free. As was the case with several of the other children, Caleb was afraid of the inflatables. So, I got our money's worth by sliding down the slide and squeezing my way through the obstacle courses.
Sorry, no pictures today; I flat out forgot the camera!

Scheduled for Surgery

Ladies and Gentlemen...
Jadie is officially scheduled for a Lumbarectomy. Next Tuesday, March 4th at 5:45 am, we will report to the hospital for admittance. The surgery is scheduled for 7:00 am. The neurosurgeon will make a small (approx. 2 inch) incision, go in through a natural window between the spine and tailbone, use a scope to push the irritated nerve aside, and shave off the portion of the disc that is making contact with the nerve. This surgery should immediately alleviate the pain Jadie has been dealing with for almost 3 months now. He will stay overnight at the hospital on Tuesday night and return home sometime on Wednesday (as long as everything goes smoothly). Jadie will be out of work (hopefully with approved disability time) for about 6 weeks.

Jadie's mom plans to be at the hospital with me on Tuesday and my mom plans to come to Waco to be on hand for taking care of Caleb. Praise the Lord for a supportive family!

Please continue to pray for Jadie to have a calm spirit as he prepares mentally for this surgery. Pray also for a smooth, straightforward surgery and quick recovery.

I have included some information below that I dug up from http://www.webmd.com/.


What is a herniated disc?
The bones (vertebrae) that form the spine in your back are cushioned by small, spongy discs. When these discs are healthy, they act as shock absorbers for the spine and keep the spine flexible. But when a disc is damaged, it may bulge or break open. This is called a herniated disc.
See a picture of a herniated disc below.
You can have a herniated disc in any part of your spine. But most herniated discs affect the lower back (lumbar spine). Some happen in the neck (cervical spine) and, more rarely, in the upper back (thoracic spine).

What causes a herniated disc? A herniated disc may be caused by:

1. Wear and tear of the disc. As you age, your discs dry out and aren't as flexible.
2. Injury to the spine. This may cause tiny tears or cracks in the hard outer layer of the disc. When this happens, the gel inside the disc can be forced out through the tears or cracks in the outer layer of the disc. This causes the disc to bulge, break open, or break into pieces

I've Been Keeping a Secret

Here it is...I got a HAIRCUT! I haven't really been hiding it, but I know not many people have seen me since last Tuesday, when I got it cut. You may not notice much of a difference, but I decided to keep most of the length (except the split ends) and I have new layers. Oh yeah, and my face is pasty white. I think I'll blame it on the flash.

We go to the neurosurgeon this afternoon for Jadie's consultation. He'll look over the MRI results and we'll discuss what to do next. Please pray for clear communication between us and the doctor and calmness for Jadie. Thanks!

Sick Little Kiddo

We started the weekend off with a very productive Saturday. Jadie caulked and painted sections of the house and finished off painting he shed. Go hubby!!! Jadie's mom and I pulled some weeds, dug up an overgrown bush, killed two garden snakes, saved a frog from the shovel, and pruned our rose bushes.
When Debbie got Caleb up from his nap, he was burning hot, so she took his temperature. 103.5!!! Not to worry, I thought, I'll just take it again. He must have just been hot from sleeping. 104.7 and then 105. Wowzers!!! I called the pediatrician's office and they paged the on-call doctor. I got a call back in about 5 minutes (very prompt, thank you). She asked tons of questions about his symptoms and behavior. Overall, he was acting just like himself, very energetic and still eating and drinking and peeing well. He is only exhibiting a cough and very persistent runny nose and the fever. So, she recommended Children's Motrin for the fever and just letting this run its course. He did lose the fever Saturday night, but it returned at 100.5 Sunday morning and again at 100 this morning. I am not at all a patient mother when it comes to staying home for days on end. We'll see how this goes...I think I can at least make it today and possibly tomorrow.

Much Can Happen in a Week

On Monday, Jadie and I have normal days at work and home, and we have the "usual" chiropractor appointment at 5:15pm.
***Major Detour***
We have gotten to a point where Jadie is beyond fed up with the pain from whatever is going on with his sciatic nerve that has been shooting pain down into his leg for nearly 2 1/2 months now. He's been seeing the chiropractor for 8 weeks now. In addition, I decided to design and implement a new budget system last weekend. In designing the budget, I looked back over our last few months of expenses. This was a reality check for me. We have spent a small fortune in co-pays over the last 8 weeks. Fortunately, we do have insurance to cover some of it, but still...a $20 co-pay for each visit, 2-3 times per week. This is getting ridiculous. Needless to say, this realization and the stress of trying to figure out what we're supposed to do about this whole scenario has been taking a toll on my "positive thoughts" bank.
***Ok, back on track***
So we went to the chiropractor on Monday at 5:15pm. Thankfully, Jadie's chiropractor is a Christian man who has proved to be easy to talk to. Jadie voiced his frustration with the unrelenting pain. I voiced my frustrations with the financial strain of the situation. He responded by saying that he had already planned to order an MRI with our consent. Finally, we made some headway. So, we secured an MRI appointment for Thursday (Valentine's Day).

On Tuesday, Jadie had another painful day at work and I enjoyed a quick lunch with my sister before making the trek to the dreaded grocery store.

On Wednesday, Jadie had another painful day at work and I ran a few errands. Melanie came over a little later in the afternoon for a visit. I baked a heart cake for Jadie, Caleb, and I to enjoy for Valentine's Day.

On Thursday, Jadie had his MRI at 8:30am. I should mention that we had been praying since Monday for a clear-cut obvious reason for Jadie's pain to be revealed by this MRI. After the MRI, Jadie got a haircut and we visited my favorite sit-down restaurant, Cheddar's, for a nice lunch together. We rented a couple of movies (since Jadie had Friday off for another doctor's appointment and then it would be the weekend) and returned home to cozy up on the couch.

On Friday, we had an appointment with our family doctor to consult with him about Jadie's sciatic nerve pain. Although we had set the appointment even before we knew there would be an MRI, we were now hoping that he would be able to get the results and advise us based on the what the results would reveal. So, here's the low-down. Jadie's L5 disc is dried out, making it shorter in height than it should be (this normally happens with age, which is why little old ladies are so, well, LITTLE). Jadie, however, is only 28. We neglected to ask about what may have caused this for him. In addition to the drying out, the L5 disc has bulged out into the hollow area where the nerve passes through. The MRI shows that the disc bulge actually appears to make contact with the nerve. Well, it doesn't take Einstein brains to figure out that this kind of set up would be the source of such excruciating pain! But to confirm our hypothesis, the doctor said, "This appears to be the clear cause of your leg pain." Just what we had been praying for (along with others)! What to do next...several options...1. See a physical therapist, massage therapist, or chiropractor (not really an option since we've been doing this for 8 weeks!)...2. Order an epidural steroid shot to reduce the swelling in the area from the irritation (which would need to be repeated each time the pain flares us again). Remember, this pain has been unrelenting for 2 1/2 months...or 3. Visit with a neurosurgeon and consider spinal surgery. This should be a permanent solution, but not the most appealing.

Friday afternoon we visited the chiropractor again. He looked over the MRI results and said our next step would be to make an appointment with a neurosurgeon. Sound familiar??? He recommended 2 names, both of which were our family doctor's top 2 recommendations. So, there you have it. Surgery of the spine. Jadie has an appointment in the afternoon on February 26th. Yes, we too are very excited about this. Honestly, we're both nervous. Please keep praying for Jadie as he prepares emotionally for this procedure. Pray for me to be a good support and a loving encouragement. There is a small chance that the neurosurgeon will recommend another course of action, but both the family doctor and the chiropractor believe that surgery will be the way.

Wonderful Weather Makes For...

...a very productive day of working in and around the house. Jadie had a chiropractor appointment this morning (AGAIN), and I had breakfast ready when he got home. Breakfast is his favorite meal, in case you're taking notes. After breakfast, I did some laundry, vacuumed the house and cleaned the oven. All very exciting chores. Around one o'clock this afternoon, we began doing some work outside. I am totally surprised at how much can be accomplished! I finished taking the Christmas lights out of the bushes (yes, I know it's mid-February) , I pruned a crepe myrtle by the garage, Jadie installed/replaced 3 sets of outdoor floodlights, I swept out the garage, and Jadie is weather-stripping the shed in the back yard. It feels quite nice to get some things done. And even nicer to enjoy the weather outside!

I'll finish off by saying that we had a good time on our "date" last night. I thank God for churches who minister to couples by providing "Parent's Night Out" opportunities once a month! So, we were able to drop off Caleb at around 6:15 and we headed out to Texas Roadhouse for steaks. Yumm-O! Afterwards, we tried to go check out the MacBooks at Best Buy, but it seems that they do not stock them in-store (although they do sell them online). That was a waste of time. But we did do a little more browsing at Ross, which was much more productive. I have been keeping an eye out for some black heels since I outgrew mine when I got pregnant (and my feet never returned to pre-pregnancy size). Over 2 years later, Viola! I found a pair that fit, and more importantly, a pair I actually like!

Ahhhh...

I am one hour away from a date night with my sweet hubby! What will we do? Not quite sure yet, we're looking into a movie or dinner. I know, it sounds so "normal." What can I say? My Jadie is the epitome of a meat and potatoes kind of guy. And there's nothing wrong with that!

Family, Fan, Fried Chicken, Friends and Football

I bet you're thinking that this alliterative title is suggesting a Super Bowl Party with family and friends who are avid fans of a either the Giants or the Patriots that played in the incredible game yesterday...complete with Fried Chicken to munch on. Nice try, but you are "the weakest link" in this guessing game.

This alliterative title actually holds the clues to 5 different events from this weekend...

1. Family--Jadie, Caleb and I went to visit my mom this weekend in Keller. We enjoyed a leisurely time of hanging out at the house until Saturday afternoon.

2. Fan--During our time at mom's house, we (Jadie mostly) installed a ceiling fan in mom's bedroom. Since I graduated high school, only the fan has been working, but the light part would not come on. For mom's birthday this past November, Kristin, Jadie and I went in together to buy her a new ceiling fan with lights. It may have taken 3 months, but the results are worth the wait.

Yes, that is a genuine portrait of Lauren and Kristin Ray, circa 1990.

3. Fried Chicken--A little background is needed for this one. There is a much-talked-about fried chicken house in Roanoke (it's the next town north of Keller) called Babe's. We must be from Texas because the night of our wedding, after the I-dos, we drove to Roanoke to have dinner at this Fried Chicken House. How romantic. As I mentioned before, it is popular and was very crowded that night, with people filling the 20+ chairs outside the front door and many more people standing around waiting outside. So, we opted to pass that night. Not only has Jadie been tempted over the years by my enthusiastic recommendation for Babe's, but over the past 6 years he has also heard other people comment on how tasty this place's food is. For example, our financial advisor lives in Watauga (it's the next town south of Keller), which led to a conversation about the area including her strong, mouth-watering recommendation for Babe's. Another time, Jadie was talking to a guy from work who lives in Waxahachie. This guy said Babe's was so good he'd walk from Waxahachie just to eat there. So, all of that to say that Jadie suggested Babe's for late-lunch on Saturday. We got there at about 2:45, perfect timing to avoid the crowd. Pretty tasty indeed!


4. Friends--Our second motive (along with installing the ceiling fan for mom) was to attend a birthday party for Aaron, the son of my best friend from high school (Nicole). Get excited about me making you feel more human! Apparently, I had it in my head that the party was Sunday afternoon at 1pm. Jadie and I had even planned to arrive early to help set up and get in some extra visiting time. I talked to Nicole Saturday afternoon when she called to give me her new cell phone number and to tell me that she missed us at the birthday party! Wait, back up...we MISSED the party?!? I double checked my planner and the invitation, and sure enough, both said the party was on Saturday. Seriously, this kind of brain lapse can even happen to me. So we kept our date for Sunday (which was supposed to be Saturday) and went to lunch with Nicole, DJ, and Aaron, then went back to their house to visit. 5. Football--We did attend a Super Bowl Party at the Classens with some friends from church. As usual, I could care less about the game, but I wanted to be around friends instead of at home without a husband to talk to (because he'd be into the game). Favorite commercial: definitely the E*Trade baby. Runner-up: Justin Timberlake in the Pepsi commercial. Which was your favorite?