By The Grace Of God

Many people look at our family and ask how we do it.  The absolute truth is we don't.  It is truly by the grace of God, that the children are cared for, all needs are met, all house hold duties get done and all barn chores accomplished.  Tim and I work very hard from before the sun rises, till way after it goes down,  just to meet the necessities.  We try to squeeze in fun times amongst busy daily life, home schooling and the many appointments we have. 

We in all aspects are a normal family, plus some. 

Some of the children relaxing and watching a cartoon. 

I try to keep things real here on the blog.  To let people know what it is like to have a large family, foster, adopt and care for children with specific special needs but truthfully, I could never squeeze it all in.

I could never portray us as always happy and never with out great struggles.  I could never portray my children as always happy, well behaved, easy going children, as that is just not reality. 

Our life is happy and blessed but at times very hard.  We live daily with more than the average amount of behavior issues, tantrums, Dr/therapy appointments, surgeries, hospital stays and childhood emergencies.

When I say it is by the grace of God that we make it thru every day, week and month, I mean it with my whole heart.  My husband and I rely on God daily for strength, energy, sleep, peace, joy and all that we need to get thru each day and God always provides just what we need.  When I say we are blessed abundantly, I feel it daily.  God is so good.  We are happy and content.  We just have to take certain parts of our life in stride and except it as part of who our children are and the seasons we are going through right now. 

This week started out with yet another unexpected emergency.  Carolyn has low muscle tone, from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.   She and the other children with low tone, in our home, trip and fall often.  On Monday morning, Carolyn was just walking across her room and tripped.  She hit her mouth on the corner of the blanket chest.  It bruised and scraped up her mouth, knocked out her front top tooth and hit the roof of her mouth hard.  I quickly called Tim so he could head home to watch the children, called the dentists office, to find out what to do and tended to her. 

I was amazed at how huge the root is in a front adult tooth.  She was in so much pain.  I put the tooth in milk and took her to the dentist.  They were able to re-implant the tooth but don't know if her body will reattach to it or not.  Only time will tell.  Because it was an emergency situation, the dentist just glued her tooth to the teeth on each side of it to stabilize it.  We  made an appointment for three days later, to let some of the trauma heal and then they were going to do a more permanent and aesthetically pleasing job. 

She was in so much pain that she started vomiting and could not stop.  She shook constantly and I could not manage her pain, so I had to take her in to the ER.  We were there till almost midnight before everything was under control and we had a way to manage it all at home.  She was also very dehydrated so they did IV's.  This all  happened on the day she was supposed to start back to ballet, so she was very upset and miserable. 

The next day I was very busy caring for the whole family and trying to keep her fed, hydrated and comfortable.  She does a lot around here and we have all had to chip in to pick up the slack and give her a chance to rest and heal.  She can not chew, bite down or use a straw for six weeks!  Any of those things can put pressure on and move her tooth and prevent it from reattaching.  So I am pureeing soups for her to trickle in thru the side of her mouth.  My sister bought her a huge box of puddings, yogurts and soups.  Thank you Aunt "S" and uncle "B", that gesture blessed her heart. 

Tuesday evening, just before bed time, she came into my room and said she thought one of the glues had popped off.  I looked and it had.  There was now only one glue holding her tooth in.  It was now much more painful as it was not as stable and moving some.  The dentist office was closed that could fix this.  I told her to be as still and careful as possible and I would get her into the dentist as soon as they opened.  I did not know how on earth I was going to manage, as all of the other children had to be at therapy by 8:00 a.m. the next morning.  Tim could not help me, as at work, he had a huge order that had to be filled.  Glory to God, William was able to help me out and did not have to go to his GED program.  He watched the children at therapy, while I took Carolyn in to the dentist.  The other glue fell off in the dentist hand while we were there.  Thank you God for keeping that tooth in thru the night. 

They put a metal wire behind all her upper teeth and glued it down well.  From the front, her teeth look as it did before the accident.  We pray her tooth will reattach and be fine.  If not they will have to do an implant.  Her mouth and face is very swollen but it is going down every day.  The pain is manageable with regular Tylenol now.  Praise God.  She is eating and drinking a bit more at a time but lost four pounds since Monday.  She is sleeping in the recliner, as she says if she lays down flat, her mouth throbs.  Bless her heart. 

I am way behind on blog posts and have a lot more to share...all in good time.  :)

May the One True and Only God, Maker of heaven and earth and all that is there in, be with you this fall and guide you in all you do. 

Isaiah 26:3  Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

Blessings,

susan