two weeks prior to surgery

it's been almost 8 weeks since we went into hiding, preparing for isaac's surgery.  the nurses suggested we keep isaac and brothers away from germs in order to keep them well(clearly a small miracle).  if isaac had even a sniffle they would'nt have let him keep his cleft revision surgery.  knowing that we would have to wait until the middle of next year if he missed this surgery, we decided to stay home and make the best of it.  turns out it was good and bad for all of us.  asher made a habit of taking his diaper off and playing with his poop(please see picture above).  that was definitely not my favorite part!  we now put his pajamas on backwards to avoid issues like this. 

we also found ourselves surrounded with support and encouragement.  family and friends spoiled us with fun treats, books, toys and games to help the time fly.  THANK YOU!!  a few times isaac said, "i don't have friends because i have to have surgery."  each time we laughed and reminded him that he did have friends and they were the ones that had thought to give him all these fun new things to use while he couldn't play.  he soon was talking about how excited he was for surgery so that he could play with his friends.  we didn't have the heart to tell him he would have to spend several weeks recovering before spending too much time with his friends.  stew also reminded me that we might want to let him in on the fact that he would probably be in some pain after the surgery.  isaac seemed unphased, true to his typical self.  clearly he had no idea the pain that we were talking of.   

thank goodness for brothers!  these two surprised me with how well they can get along.  much to my surprise at the end of the two weeks they seemed closer than i've ever seen them.  i guess there really are glimpses of grace in all situations.  

my birthday fell into this pocket of time.  to be honest, all i could think about was making it through surgery and staying well.  stew still took the time to help the boys spoil me with a sweet art project.  and as much as i tried to see the day come and go, our friends and families were so thoughtful.  i truly felt celebrated.    

  it's not a birthday without cupcakes in this family!

as tough as those couple of weeks prior to operation were for us, they were also filled with sweet moments. 

we also found that coloring is a true favorite!  let's hear it for markers:)