Happy LRBWTW Day!

Today was a proud day. Jadyn has officially shed her training wheels and can now ride her bike without them. We worked hard today at it, and it really only took about 5 tries down the street. We both took turns running along with her, and finally Mark couldn't keep up with her - you should have seen him trying to run with his brace on and a leg that can't bend all the way - so he had to let go... and she just kept going!

It was a very proud moment for both of us, but especially for Jadyn. She still took a little encouraging to keep going - there were a few crashes, of course. But she kept at it, and just a few tries later she was turning both directions, stopping with her brakes, and even starting by herself. What a big girl!

When it got dark out and we finally came inside, we sat her down and told her how proud of her we were for not giving up and pressing on. It was a great moment and a great lesson in life. As we headed up to bed, she said, "Mommy, what day is today. Wednesday? We should celebrate this day every year! Or every week!" So April 23rd is officially "Learn to Ride a Bike Without Training Wheels Day" in our house. Happy LRBWTW Day!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Karina!

It makes perfect sense...

Jadyn, looking at a deflated balloon: "Daddy, look! All the air from inside Mommy's body came out of the balloon last night!"

Karina: "I don't want to be 3. I want to be 5. How can I be 5, Mommy?"

Another quickie...

Mark's doctor appointment yesterday went great. They took off the wrappings from his knee, removed the stiches, and were impressed with how well it is healing. The swelling has decreased faster than the doctor expected, Mark's range of motion is already better than this time 5 years ago, and his muscles around the knee haven't atrophied as much as they had last time. X-rays showed the new ACL is still looking great. All wonderful news!

The doctor even said he could start walking without the crutches (but still the brace for 6 weeks) as soon as he felt the knee was stable enough. So we got home from the appointment and he set the crutches down and hasn't picked them up since! Last time took about 3 weeks after surgery before he was free from the crutches.

So we're praising God for the speedy recovery so far! We still have a long way to go, too. Tomorrow he has his first of many Physical Therapy appointments to come. Hopefully that process will go quickly as well, his muscles will continue to mend and regain their strength, and his rangle of motion and joint stability will all come sooner than later. We're definitely optimistic and thankful for the great news we've had so far. Thanks for all your continued support and prayers~

Just a quickie...

Sorry it's been a while... we've had a busy week. Mark's surgery went well on Tuesday. They reconstructed his ACL, found that he'd also torn his meniscus, repaired that, and cleaned up everything else in the knee. Recovery has been very good so far - no nausea from the medicines, very little pain (thanks to the meds), and overall a night and day difference from 5 years ago when he did the same thing. This has been a very good experience so far, so praise God for that.

For those who like gory pictures... here's a one of his leg the first night we were home. We had some trouble stopping the bleeding, but thanks to our local fire station were able to get the supplies we needed to get things under control. Here's a picture while changing the dressings - no, that's not colored on there from a marker... it's Mark's blood.

So thanks for all your prayers. Please keep them coming. Next Wednesday he will go in for a follow-up appointment where he'll get the brace unlocked so that he can begin bending his knee. He'll then also start the 3-4 month process of physical therapy to get the knee back to full strength.