A Hospital Update and Thank You

For those of you who have been praying, thank you! Brandon is HOME! Those words are so sweet to type! I sleep so much better when all 4 of us are under the same roof at night!

Before you run off to celebrate, stick around, because we still need your prayers! ;)

Brandon is scheduled to have surgery on October 7th... the key word here is "scheduled." He may not make it until then, but as of right now, that is the plan. (Plan is a funny word to me... for all my fellow planners out there, you may be chuckling too, because for all our best intentions and plans, lots of times it just doesn't work out that way!)

Everyone has asked, "how is Brandon?" And I say "better" because he is... he isn't laying in a hospital bed on the GI Surgery Unit, but "great", and even "good" are a bit of a stretch. He's eating like a bird, because that's all his body will allow for, and I don't know how the man is functioning. If I don't eat for 2 hours, I'm irritable and lightheaded, and bordering on "hangry." (Hangry = hungry + angry) From the outside looking in, you'd think he was fine. He's a magician of sorts, and pleasant. So, so pleasant. The nurses and hospital staff love him. When we were discharged, they gathered in a crowd around the nurse's station and wished us well (and a happy anniversary too! How sweet of them!). I think that is such a testament to what a pleasant patient he is - the man doesn't complain! I gladly do all the complaining for the both of us - sorry yall, that finds its way to this blog a lot of times...

We stuck close to the house this weekend because his stomach wasn't all that happy with him, and so we figured it would be best to enjoy some family time around the house. And getting ready for Brandon to undergo major abdominal surgery again is ironically a lot like getting ready to have a baby. There's lots of preparation and nesting and laundry getting done around here. I feel like I can't rest until my house is clean, the boys have clean clothes that will last a week, and Paxton's lunches are portioned out and ready to dump in his lunch box each day. My fear is that we won't make it to October 7th and I'll be desperately calling my neighbor down the street to come take the boys to school and I'll need everything in order, so I don't have a breakdown.

And speaking of not having a breakdown, I've had some really sweet friends show just what friendship looks like lately. Everything from getting cards in the mail, to finding flowers and gift cards on our doorstep, to having meals for a week hand delivered today, we've been loved on and prayed over. The roses on my counter remind me that there are sweet friends praying for our family and willing to sacrifice so they see we stay sane in this crazy time. The meals in my fridge remind me that there are people who care enough to provide hot meals for my family. The Panera and Walmart gift cards say "I know you won't have time to fix dinner between hospital visits" and "let us buy groceries since Brandon will be out of work." All of these acts of kindness - not to mention these - are wonderful, beautiful reminders that we aren't alone and that we are loved.

Thanks for sticking with us during this absolutely unexpected and unpredictable wild ride we've been on the last 2 years. For now, you can join us in praise that Brandon is home and in prayer for his surgery on October 7th. We love you, friends, we love you so much! We are richly blessed!