Pillow Talk

Jon and I were laying in his bed this morning, squeezing some cuddle time in before he was barraged by physical, occupational and speech therapists.  He whispered to me, "What are some descriptives of how you are doing?"  I said, "I am content.  I am filled with hope.  I am grateful."  He paused briefly and then said, "Are you scared?"  "Nope."  I said without hesitation.  "Me either." He said.  And we hugged and kissed.  

This is God at work.

Rehab: Day 3

I realize these posts are probably getting boring to most people.  How many different angles can one post of their experience in rehab?  I'm not sure, but I'm finding out!  :)  Regardless, thank you for letting me post them anyway.  To us, these pictures are victories.  They are hard work.  They are images of the grace of God.

Here's a glimpse of today:

*Today's shirt is brought to you by Transformers.  A friend gave it as a gift.  Jon loves it. 

 God is transforming him - inside and out.  Cheesy.  But it's true.  :)

Jon's eye is very sensitive to light and to air, so sometimes he needs to wear shades even indoors.  

Yup, he's one of "those" guys.  ;)

Jon went up and down a flight of stairs!  TWICE!  

(Why twice? Well, because the therapist asked Jon to do them once.)   ;)  

We're now cuddling in his hospital bed.  We keep his room pretty dark, thus the grainy pic.  

But still wanted to capture the best part of our day.  ;) 

Rehab: Day 2

Well, I went home to do OC Kids Choir (I know, I know! But I just couldn't cancel choir again for 50 kids!) and I accidentally left both my computer charger and phone charger in the garage. Oops! So with 16% left of battery on my phone, I will share with you a quick snapshot of our day.  (And before I begin, don't even start me on the shirt.  "Shalom" yesterday.  "People of the Second Chance" today.  His t-shirts could be a blog of their own!!)

There was a lot of this:

And this:

And even this:

(His balance was one of the areas effected by the tumor - he's getting better and better every day. His goal? Surfing, of course!)

Then he got to do this:

A short walk outside was just what the doctor ordered.

Literally. ;) 

After 9 days in the hospital, this was like a breath of fresh air.

;)

LOL! Man, I'm killing myself here! Ba dum bum chhh! 

(Can you tell it's been a long day?!) :)

He also got to try this:

A little electroshock therapy to help stimulate those facial nerves and muscles. We'll see if they respond...

And finally, when all was said and done, we ended the night with these 2: 

Family game night makes everything right in the world. Or at least everything right in our little world. 

Sweet dreams, friends. 

Our hearts are full. 

Rehab: Day 1

Today was Jon's first day in rehab. What an amazing experience to see my hubby work so hard. Today I heard things from the therapists like, "Wow, I've never had anyone have this much strength on the first day!" and "Um, you're the only guy I've seen be able to do a reach that far." So basically, I'm trying to say my husband truly is a rock star. :) When they ask him to do 5 reps, he does 10. When they tell him he did good, he asks for another shot at making it great. Cue Rocky soundtrack. For reals.

Meanwhile, the staff is asking him what the word "Shalom" means, written on his shirt. So he's talking to them about God's peace and things "as it should be" and other Shalom-y goodness. ;) It couldn't get more awesome, right? 

Oh wait. Then this happened. 

I brought Jon his Baby Taylor and he played for the first time post surgery. The song? Healer. Oh man. So good. But so emotional.  Song 2 was the old "Never Let Go." That one about did us in. 

"I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on. And there will be an end to these troubles but until that day comes, still I will praise You. Still I will praise You."

Nothing more need be said. 

We praise Him.

Still. 

Praying in the Potty

Jon was transfered to the ARU (Acute Rehabilitation Unit) today, and tomorrow he starts a 7-10 day live-in rehabilitation program.  We are confident his recovery will only get better and stronger as he is in their care.  As I was unpacking him into his new room, I walked into the bathroom and found a sense of calm and comfort.  Funny, I know.  And no, it's not because I have issues with the potty.  ;) It actually has nothing to do with the toilet - and everything to do with the 4 walls, 1 door, and 1 lock.  What I realized is this: Over the past week, the bathroom has become my sanctuary.  It has been my safe place.  My go-to.  There are no friends, no family, no doctors, no nurses, no beeping machines, no cell phone or computer, and even no Jon.  It has become my place to pray, to plead, to cry, to gather thoughts, to mourn, and to plead more.  Don't get me wrong - I have processed and talked and cried and prayed with family, friends, doctors...  But sometimes you need to be alone.  Just you and God.  Take off the brave face and get real with The One who holds it all in the palm of His freaking hand.  (can I get a "holy crap! that's crazy!"??)  To get real with The One who created Jon's body and knows it inside and out - who knows how many hairs are on his head and who gathers my tears in a bottle.  The doctors are brilliant and the friends are amazingly supportive and the family is in the thick of it with me.  But God?  He's the AUTHOR of peace.  The GIVER of hope.  The SOURCE of comfort.  The Great Physician.  He IS love.  These descriptions sound so cliche.  Until you literally have no control left and no answers and no way to help yourself.  And then the Truth of those descriptions become what you live for.  They become as necessary as air.  And so I've found this need.  This need to escape.  Not in an unhealthy, can't face reality kind of way.  But in a 'I need to commune with the living God' kind of way.  And as it so happens, the only place to do that around here, is in the bathroom.  My new favorite room in this place.  My personal sanctuary.

Now You See It.... Now You DON'T!

Are you ready for this???
Brace yourself because it is THAT awesome.

1. The pathology report came back.... and the tumor was BENIGN!!!!!!   (insert deep exhale, tears, happy dance, whatever the heck you do to celebrate God's goodness)

2. Our neurosurgeon just showed us Jon's before and after MRI.  Now you see it... Now you don't!!! (hint: the big white circle on the left pic is the tumor in the brain.)

The neurosurgeon did an amazing job!  We are SO grateful...
The tiny bit that is left, we will watch via MRI's and if it ends up growing again, we will do radiation.
But look at that pic!!

3. Jon was accepted into the Acute Rehab Unit here at Mission Hospital and our insurance approved it!  Getting into the Rehab Unit is a really big deal - it is very well known as having an incredible program. We have been told Jon's rehabilitation will be much better, stronger and faster by being in this program.  It is a live-in facility and Jon will probably be there 7-10 days.  As much as he'd prefer to be home with the kids, in the long run he will benefit greatly from this, so we are more than thrilled!!


OK.. I'm sure you can hardly stand all this good news all at once, so I'll stop there.  ;)
God's mercies are new every morning - and this morning's came with an abundant, over-the-top grip load!  :)
We are GRATEFUL!!!!!
Thank you for celebrating with us!!!

Our 4 Littles See Daddy!

The day before Jon's surgery, my incredible sister Melanie drove down to OC and picked up all 4 of our kids and took them to Temecula to stay with her family until Jon was out of surgery and stable.  When the kids left, they knew 3 things:

1) Daddy wasn't feeling good so he went to the hospital

2) The Dr found a bump on daddy's head

3) Daddy was going to have surgery to remove the bump

Because of my mom's illness with Frontal Temporal Dementia, my kids are very aware of the brain and how it can effect you if there is something wrong with it.  Knowing they were going away to Temecula for several days, we opted to not use the word "brain" in our explanation to them, fearing they would probably worry the entire time away - wondering if daddy was going to be ok.  We instead used the word "bump." They knew surgery was a big deal, but they were pretty comfortable with the fact that dad would be ok, so off they went to play at their cousins house.  And to say they had fun would be an understatement.  They had the time of their lives!  My sister and her hubby and kids loved on my kids in amazing ways.   My sister has 4 kids of her own, so she was caring for 8 KIDS for 5 days!  Their church stepped in in incredible ways and even brought meals for them while they cared for our littles!  The Body is beautiful.

Well today the kids came home.  They were SO ready to see daddy, and Jon and I were SO ready to see them.  Jon got moved out of ICU and into the PCSU (Progressive Care Stroke Unit) last night.  This is awesome because the kids got to see daddy in a less intense setting - no huge machines, beeping sounds, no IV in his neck, etc...  Before they went into the room, I got to have a special talk with the older 2.  I told them more about the surgery.  I used the word brain.  I told them how strong their daddy is.  And that even though he's super strong, there are certain parts of him that are feeling weak right now and will take a little time to get stronger again.  They really didn't care about the details.  They just cared about the bottom line : Daddy is OK!  Now let's see him!

The reunion couldn't have been sweeter.

These kids adore their daddy almost as much as I do.  ;)
What a gift to be together today.