Humpty Dumpty

I cracked up when my dear friend JoAnne who is a physical therapist saw this X-ray of my shoulder reconstruction and replied, "I'm glad they were able to put Humpty Dumpty back together again!"

I started physical therapy, but it is a slow process.  As you can see in the picture, there are still several broken bones in the ball and a few on the shaft sticking out to the right.  Currently I am only allowed to work on moving my elbow.  It is so foreign having a lame appendage!

How far a healthy arm an extend.

How far robo arm can extend.

LOVE this man!  Adam helping
with therapy - every day!

The cool part is being able to feel metal under the skin.  Every so often I ask the kids, "Do you want to feel your ROBOT mom?"





I have to admit, I was a little disappointed when I did not set off the metal detector at the airport.  Maybe it will happen when I get some metal in my head.  Oh dear... When in the world did my goal in life become setting off a metal detector with my head??   I need to stop now.

Christmas - A Gift

Christmas was a lovely time spent with family.  We drove all over the place, but we enjoyed waking up with Adam's dad and his incredible wife Gloria.








We ate a mountain of food at my parents' house with my brother and his wife Teri and my Aunt Carol, and we enjoyed a traditional shot or two of anisette liquor with Adam's mom, sister and her husband and daughter.  By 7:00 I was exhausted and crashed out on the bed.

This entire Christmas season, we have been in awe and humbled by the kindness that has been showered upon our family.  I can not even begin to describe how unworthy I feel from the generosity shown to our family.






We were shocked when Christmas presents started arriving for our children from anonymous friends. Did I blog that I wasn't buying presents this year?  I don't remember!  It is true - for the first time ever, we didn't sent out Christmas cards or buy gifts.  This year we were celebrating the gift of life, which is fine when you are 42, but not so much when you are 9.  Needless to say, our kids were thrilled with the stockings and gifts and love they received.




It was also beautiful to watch them find joy in giving gifts to others.  My dad took them to the Dollar Store prior to Christmas, and they had a blast carefully selecting gifts and spending their earned money (and I am sure some of Grandpa's money) to bring joy to others.

What do the KIDS think?

After nearly a month apart, I was missing our kids terribly!  When they finally arrived in California, I was ready to squish them with hugs and smother them with questions.  I wanted to know everything... How were they doing?  What were they thinking?  How were they feeling?  Were they worried?  My questions were endless.





Caleb, our happy go lucky child, maintained his positive spirit and had no interest in my peaceful interrogation.  He just wanted to play.  He made swords with tinker toys and candidly told me that the only thing that he was upset about was that he missed a playdate at his best friend's house in Puerto Madryn because he had to fly to Buenos Aires to see me in the hospital!  Wow.  Awesome - I think?!?!






SoJo, who is most cuddly and chatty, said that she cried every night before bed, and that she missed us, but she wasn't afraid.  She LOVED my short hair and wanted to cut hers in the same fashion.  Once I colored my hair, she loved it even more, and thought I looked totally cool.  She enjoys looking at my body and scars and stated, "Mom, with that scar, and that scar, and that scar and the one on your head, you look tough!"  Yeah!!  That's right.  You have a kick-ass mom SoJo!


Carmela was candid and clear that she wasn't worried because I wasn't worried.  She remembers seeing me in the hospital two days after the accident, and I was a hot mess.  She didn't like seeing the tubes with "cranberry juice" coming out of my head, but I was talking and acting "normally enough," so she thought everything would be fine.


She admits that the only time she lost it was went Grammy and Nonno said that they had to visit me in Buenos Aires because I might die.  That freaked her out, but when her analytical brain asked what was the precent chance that I would die, and they said 2%, her fears were relieved.  Then she was upset because she had to get back on the plane again and miss a school party.  She has also been an adamant supporter and lover of the new hair - her first question was, "Can I color my hair the same as yours?"

It became apparent that the kids and I were in the same state of mind throughout my hospital stays in Buenos Aires.  We were all living in La-La land that there was really not much wrong and everything would be fine.  What a blessing from God, and so far, I continue to get better every day.  I am back to assigning and checking homework for the kids, and I am loving it.  There is nothing better than listening to Caleb read me a dragon story!

Brightening up the World

The nasty dreadlock I begged and begged
Adam to cut out.

When I had my nasty hospital dreadlock still attached to my head, I told Lisa (Adam's sister) she had free reign on my hair the next time I saw her.  Whatever she wanted.  I just wanted that dreadlock gone.

The time came this week.  The first thing she did was clean up the haircut Adam gave me with paper scissors, and next came the bleach.  She got my hair white, and BAM, she brought some color and love into the world.  How can you not smile when you see this hair-do pass you on the street?  Well... my mom freaked, but really, it is a shot of joy.  

Aside from a run in with hydrogen peroxide in the seventh grade, this is the first time I have ever colored my hair.  Go BIG or Go Home!! Right?!?  

Love it, and Love you Sista!  Thanks for brightening up the world!

Now I know Carmela and SoJo are DYING to get matching styles with me, but Sista - we have to talk before that happens!!

Grammy, Nonno, and the Kids

Grammy and Nonno, my (Anne's) parents, arrived in Buenos Aires a few hours after I was hit by the car.  They were ready for a lovely three week vacation and looking forward to Iguazu Falls, whales on the Valdez Peninsula, penguins in Tombo, tea in Gaiman....  There was a long list of sites and sounds to enjoy.





Instead they spent their entire vacation taking care of Carmela, SoJo, and Caleb while Adam was managing the details and helping with my daily care.


Grammy and Nonno even flew the kids to Buenos Aires for five days, so they could see me.  It was awesome.

Poncho's birthday - Grammy and Nonno were invited to the party
at the ranch.  You couldn't ask for kinder friends. 

Stella - Sweetest of Friends

With the help of our incredible friends in Puerto Madryn, the kids (and my parents) were well taken care of and so loved.

And the Doctor Asked...Where Is Your Skull Piece???

Back in the States and off to the doctors!  Head and Shoulders!

On Wednesday I saw the orthopedic doctor who took one look and my shoulder x-ray, and gave me an interesting perspective on the damage.  He said there were more than 4 breaks, the ball of the bone was completely broken off and parts were shattered.  We could easily see the 4-6 inches of metal brackets used to hold the rest of the bone together and reattach the humorous to the ball.  Apparently, in the States the injury would have been a candidate for a shoulder replacement, but because I am so young (!!! He said that - so funny because I am feeling SO old), reconstruction is still an option.

Try not to laugh - do a Google image search... 

Next step, physical therapy.  He gave me a referral, and I asked how long it would take.  ONE YEAR.  I almost fell over.   What??  I told him I had been thinking about a month.  Nope.  Not even close.  I was like,  "Um... that is not going to work for me.  I am a bike commuter, and I need to be able to ride in July."  Good news was he said I would be able to ride my bike.  I just won't be able to lift my arm higher than my shoulder for about a year.  There is going to be some really long pit hair going on, but that is cool.  Apparently the hot new thing in CA is bleaching and coloring your arm pit hair.  NO JOKE.  Are you ready Seattle?!

Toni and Lisa - Adam's mom and sister.
Taking such good care of me.

Thursday morning Toni and Lisa took me to see the neurologist.  We had no idea what to expect.  Would I be in the OR next week?  Turns out the doctor is on the conservative side.  He said that the surgery was elective - apparently a lot of people live without portions of the skull, and the surgery involves risk... stroke, heart attack, blindness, paralysis, bleeding, infection, death...  By the time he was done with the risk, I was electing - No Thank You.  He also said that based on my meningitis, he would wait six months from the original surgery to do the replacement.

Then he asked where my skull piece was.  I looked at him funny, and he seriously asked, "Is it in your stomach?"  Then I looked at him crazy.  I know I have an insatiable appetite, but I did not eat my skull piece.  I don't think.  My memory is not so great, but I really don't think I ate my skull.  Was it dipped in chocolate?

Toni pulled out the stack of X-rays, and he started going through them.  When he found my head shots he noticed that the skull was fractured in multiple pieces.  There was more than one piece.  I then suggested that I thought they were probably in the trash - not in my stomach.  He showed us a few things on the x-ray (hematoma and big blood splotches on my brain), and then looked me in the eye and said, "That doctor saved your life.  You would have died without the surgery."

What?!?  One more reality check.  This ordeal has been a little more serious than I though.  I really want to go back to Buenos Aires and give my brain surgeon a hug.  Maybe HE ate my skull pieces.  Maybe they are in HIS stomach.

Mites and Moving

Mites infested our house in Puerto Madryn while we were in Buenos Aires, and when Adam arrived on Monday he was overwhelmed with the nasties.  Little bugs were crawling all over our bedrooms and clothes; my mom's body had been attacked, and Adam had to clean it all up and move out.

The mite infestation came from the pigeons that live all over our corner compound.  The owner of the casitas told Adam he could move in the home next door while they fumigated, so Adam spent the day cleaning, preparing our things to go into storage during our return to the States and packing for the trip.  

It was a huge and dirty task, but finally he finished and fell asleep in the casita next door with the kids.  When they woke up the next morning, all of them had fresh and itchy mite bites.  The new house was also infested and when they stepped outside, the small bugs were being sprayed everywhere by the cleaners who were dislodging the piles of bird poop from the roofs and balconies.  It was a disaster.

At the hotel!

Without hesitation, Adam got the suitcases, put the kids in the car and drove to a hotel.  Done.

Fun with friends!  Stella and Benja!!

They did get to enjoy time with friends.  I miss them all so much. Too too much.