KJ donned a tuxedo, and we went to a party hosted by a couple of girls in our church. We had a lovely evening, but as Anne would say, "The best part of it all was the coming home."
I'm glad I get to come home with that man, and we came home to a quiet house! It's always such a weird feeling when we can go in any room and be as loud as we want because there's no danger of waking the children.
Saturday my dad came to pick up the kids for the weekend, and we had a chance to visit with my youngest brother and just enjoy a quiet house all day. KJ had some more work to do on his Sunday School lesson; I worked out and showered. It was rainy and chilly, and we turned on the fireplace, and I read aloud to him for an hour and a half from his grandfather's autobiography. It was so good. I enjoyed reading about Daddy's Jim's mother, Ethel. I wear her diamond on my finger.
Saturday and Sunday felt like the days before children. We've never had a weekend at home without them. We've gone off for a weekend on camping trips but never been in our house alone in years. It was peaceful and relaxing to say the least. It made me realize that I truly do spend most of my time meeting children's needs.
We enjoyed church and uninterrupted conversations with people, but again, the best part was in the coming home.
Monday my mother returned the children, and the whirl of activity resumed around us. I told KJ last night that I want to enjoy these days and greet the craziness with a smile. I want my children to remember me as a joyful and happy, not stressed and frazzled. That is a greater challenge on some days than others, but I realized afresh this week my dependence on Christ and my need for His grace. Oh, how I need His grace.
I took Luke and James to Wal-Mart this week. I felt completely crazy doing it, but I put Luke in the baby carrier on my body facing out where he could see everything, and James (thankfully) was willing to ride in the buggy. It went surprisingly well. I really wish I could have taken our picture, especially during those times I was feeding Luke his bottle while walking through the store. I was a sight, to be sure, but the boys were happy, and that is a miracle in any Wal-Mart trip.
I had a doctor's appointment yesterday. Last month when I was sick with a sinus infection I went to the doctor where they took an x-ray of my chest. In the process the doctor discovered a significant curve in my spine and was flabbergasted that I didn't look crooked. I was flabbergasted myself when I saw the x-ray. I'd always been told I had a "slight" case of scoliosis, but this was pretty crazy crooked.
The doctor told me the danger was that as I aged and naturally hunched forward I could have trouble breathing because of the pressure on my lungs. We talked about corrective surgery, and it was all very disheartening. It was two days before my 30th birthday, and visions of me a crooked old lady with limited activity or having back surgery that rendered me incapable of movement and caring for my home and family for months. I cried. And felt deformed and hyper-aware of my spine the next couple of days.
Of course, this doctor was no specialist, and she referred me to an orthopedist, and KJ and I decided if he did recommend surgery, we'd pursue it several years down the road when the children were older, and I stopped thinking about my spine and went on about my business. I had no pain, and if I were an anomaly now, perhaps I would be as I aged, too.
But yesterday we just marveled at God's grace, because the orthopedist told us that three bones on the left side of my body fused together when I was 8 or 9, causing one side of my spine to curve. But my fearfully and wonderfully made body responded by readjusting and curving slightly at the bottom as well, so that the bottom of my spine is perfectly aligned with the top of my spine, which is why you can't tell that I have a curve in the first place. To quote the orthopedist, "With the bottom and top lined up, it doesn't really matter what happens in between." I think he was jesting a little bit, but all the same good news for me.
If the curve had been in my lower back it could have caused some problems, but because of where it was, "If you have to have a curve that's the place to have it." It's in my upper back and so doesn't affect my lungs at all. He recommended we do absolutely nothing about it. Hallelujah. I'm so grateful for grace upon grace.
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