Proof...

...that he's doing OK. See, we even get out of the house on occasion - we took a trip to Wal-mart this weekend.





And don't judge the contents of the cart. I already admitted we could be eating healthier. What do you want from me?

Care, Love and Patience

I have to apologize for my neglect to the blog the past few weeks - I've been a bit preoccupied. Tomorrow is the 3 week mark of Mr. Cob's ankle incident and we're both still speaking, haven't killed each other yet, and actually are doing quite well ("well" being a relative term...)

Since Mamma Kae flew back home to the Midwest I've been Mr. Cob's sole caregiver. Well that's not exactly true - friends and family are still coming over with dinner or coming to just hang out - and Mr. Cob's work family is helping him be as comfortable as possible at the office. But aside from that (which is huge - please keep coming by!!!), it's all me. And this world of care giving is new to me.

My prior care giving experience can be summed up quite briefly:

1. My first (and last) job as a babysitter was for 3 little boys who I just couldn't handle. I had a legal sized notepad full of "things" they had done "bad" in the 5 hours their parents were gone. I was trying to use it as a way to get them to cooperate and never meant for the parents to see the "bad" list, but alas, I forgot and the parents were pretty sure I was the unfit one of the bunch.

2. I've cared for many a plants. But, they've all died aside from the 2 currently in our sun room.

3. Bailey Ann is 4 years old and she's still alive - however, she doesn't require much maintenance. Food + water + clean litter box = healthy cat.

4. When I was 22 years old I flew out to California and "kidsat" my two cousins for a week while my aunt and uncle rode their motorcycles to North Dakota for the Sturgis Bike Week. My male cousin was 7 or 8 years old and very "energetic". I called my mom and promptly apologized for every bad thing I'd ever done to make her life difficult/miserable. I then called my aunt and said thank you for the heavy dose of birth control! However, we all made it out alive and happy - I just knew I wasn't ready to be a mom at that point (6 years later, I'm still not ready, but that's another story for another blog post).

5. I've taken care of myself for the past 10 years, with some help along the way, and I think I'm doing OK.

But aside from those 5 experiences, I've never been much of a caretaker. And I'm learning I have a lot of learning and growing to go.

But I'm making sure Mr. Cob is fed, clothed (I even altered some pants to accommodate the cast! this is way out of my comfort zone...), bathed and as happy as can be. We're doing OK. Sure the house could be a little cleaner, the meals a little healthier and the smiles a little bigger, but all in all, we're doing the best we can. And my parents have always said, "Do your best, and that's all anyone can ever ask of you."

Who doesn't love a Makeover?

A little "before" and "after" picture always makes me smile. I love all things makeover. I can spend an hour looking through the Oprah show's before/after makeover pictures online. How Do I Look? and What Not to Wear are two of my favorite shows. And the makeover episode of America's Next Top Model is always my favorite of the season. (Disregard what all this TV watching says about me...)

So it should come as no surprise that I'm intrigued by Mr. Cob's "before" and "after" pictures. Only, his before "picture" (aka "x-ray") is before the ankle was put back in the right position (i.e. the dislocation picture) and the after picture is (duh) after the docs numbed him up and popped the ankle bone back in its socket (sounds painless, yes? Morphine, please). I have hopes to get my hands on his "after" surgery pics - you know you'd love to see the steel plate, pins and screws.

BEFORE:



AFTER:

Not all news is BAD news

Mr. Cob had his 1 week post-op appointment with the surgeon this afternoon and was given some great news!

In 1 week (i.e. 2 weeks after incident ("WAI")), he'll go back to the doctor and get a new cast.

2 weeks after that (i.e. 4WAI/1 month after incident ("MAI")), they'll do new x-rays and Mr. Cobb will probably get a removable boot that can be taken on and off so the foot can be stretched (a bit).

2 weeks after that (i.e. 6 week mark), the doc MAY let him walk with tennis shoes - if not then definitely at 7 weeks. (Sidenote, anyone have any recommendations for tennis shoes that "go" with a business suit??? Hum, we're going to have to get creative!)

And best of all, he said Mr. Cob's soccer days don't necessarily have to be over...he just has to be careful and perhaps not play in such a violent league. The doc also said that he has football players who come in with broken ankles after being tackled that are not as bad as Mr. Cob's break. Point being, Mr. Cob is very lucky as this was a really bad break and could've left him with a bum ankle.

So our spirits are rising and the pot of gold is starting to appear at the end of the rainbow. Just one thing, how do you get suit pants over a cast????

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

It's hard to believe, but tomorrow will be one week since Mr. Cob's unfortunate soccer injury. It's been a long, emotional week, but it has also been an eye-opening week. I've truly seen the generosity and love of our friends and family. So I'd like to take this time to give a shout out to you all!

First I have to thank my dear mother-in-law. I called her and asked for her help, and she got on a plane and flew down here the very next day. I'm not sure we'd have gotten along as well as we have had she not come down. I definitely wouldn't have felt comfortable going back to work and leaving Mr. Cob at home if she weren't here. So thank you - I feel blessed to have you in my life! (And I know Mr. Cob wanted you here, even if he didn't ask. I know from experience that sometimes you just need and want your mama! A wife DOES NOT replace a mother - he now just needs us both!)

And thank you to my own mama. She sat with me at the hospital for 2 days and did her best to keep my mind off the surgery as it was going on. She helped me clean the house from top to bottom and just held my hand when I needed her. If you ever need someone to wait with you at the hospital, Sip is the first person you should call - she has much experience and is an amazing caretaker. I've learned from the best and only hope to be as caring and loving as she is.

Bret & Tedra - thank you for the flowers at the hospital...they certainly helped brighten up a dim room! And Bailey would like to thank you for her new litter box - she loves it! And our bellies thank you for the BBQ - we managed to get at least 3 or 4 meals out of it! Oh, and the squirrel thanks you too :)

Gene and Lauren - thanks for cooking us dinner and spending time with us. And especially thanks to Gene for "babysitting" Mr. Cob and Lauren for being my date to the wedding - it was so kind of you to relieve me for a few hours! And Mr. Cob needed someone else's company by Saturday night!

Kristin and Scott - thanks for the soup - SO DELICIOUS! (I'm going to need that recipe soon). Also the Arrested Development DVDs have kept us laughing, and as they say, laughter is the best medicine! I'm just sorry I wasn't here to thank y'all in person!

Mr. Cob's work family - when we returned from the hospital a bag full of gourmet food was waiting at our doorstep...what a wonderful gift. I highly recommend checking out: www.insteadofflowers.com - delicious, and so nice not to have to think about what to eat after a long couple of days.

And all the friends who have called and emailed. Your support, prayers and love has definitely shown through and helped us this past week. We love you all! We're truly blessed with the most incredible friends and family!

Meow Dad, Meow

Our little girl has been very concerned and very confused about her papa. She doesn't understand why he's home all day long - usually she only has us home all day on the weekends. She asks, "Why is he hobbling around and only moving from the couch to the bed?" And she's not quite sure who this extra lady is staying in her house. We've explained to her that its her grandmama Kae, but I'm not sure she "gets" it (I think she's hard of hearing....with all that hair in her ears, can you blame her?). And she really doesn't understand why her own mama is sleeping in the guest bedroom on the futon.

But she does know one thing - there's more room in the bed/futon for her! For some reason, our sweet kitten doesn't like to sleep on the bed when there's more than one person in it...I guess she feels as though she's intruding. But I've woken up the past couple of nights, and there she is, curled up right next to me. If I can't have Mr. Cob next to me, at least I have my sweet kitten!

Update: more evidence of the kitten's concern...

A Broken Swan

It has been a long week from the Swans. Mr. Cob was injured playing soccer last Wednesday night - his ankle was broken and dislocated. We spent about 48 hours at the hospital and Mr. Cob has a new steel plate and steel screws holding his ankle bones together. He has been a trooper and we're managing the pain as best we can. Thanks for all the well wishes and prayers!

And now a warning - pictures aren't gruesome, but they're not exactly pretty....