Quick update on the knee & pregnancy

I thought some of you may be wondering how my broken knee cap is healing since I haven't posted any updates on it. I has been a little over 8 weeks now since I broke it, and just last week the doc told me to take the brace off and start really trying to bend it and walk normally. And it seems to be doing just fine! I was nervous about walking sans brace w/ the Bean underfoot, but after the first day or so my leg started feeling stronger. I am still limping, and the knee is still sore and stiff, but I am making definite progress. The doc thinks I'll more or less have full mobility back by the end of this month. And the OB doesn't think my knee will interfere w/ trying to have a VBAC (vaginal delivery after caesarean).

Speaking of, I've got 8 weeks left in my pregnancy! It has FLOWN by! Soon we will be working on getting the new nursery put together. Crazy how time flies. I am feeling good, just a little tired and swollen like every other preggo w/ 8 weeks left. And I'm trying to enjoy every minute w/ just the little Bean to play w/ and take care of. :) (She thinks Baby G is in her tummy most of the time, by the way.) She is so sweet and is growing up so much...not a little baby anymore. :(

Have a great day!!

The Klutz strikes again

Well, it has been a crazy past few days, folks. As some of you may know, I slipped and fell on Monday morning and hurt my knee. I was on my way to an OB appt, so they checked out Baby G and he is fine. (Praise God!) But my knee was pretty hurt, and I couldn't walk on it. So on Wednesday morning I went to an orthopedic doctor, and as it turns out, I have a broken patella. That's right, I'm 6 months pregnant and have a broken knee cap! I broke the heck out of it...clear in half down to the cartilage behind the knee cap. This sounds very bad, but it's actually a pretty good diagnosis, all things considered. God was very gracious and allowed the knee cap to stay together, which apparently is rare w/ this type of injury, and not separate or shift. This puts the bone in perfect position to heal. Also, there was no ligament or tendon damage, which can also be common w/ this type of break. So that means I don't need surgery to repair anything or to put the bone back together, and I won't need rehab since it was just a broken bone, and my pain is minimal (also uncommon w/ this type of injury, they said), so no medication either! It could have been very bad for any other outcome: if it required surgery, they would have either had to do local anesthesia (i.e., I would be awake for the whole thing plus I would feel part of it...can you imagine???) or wait to do surgery until after the baby was born (recovering from knee surgery while you're recovering from birth AND have a newborn and toddler to take care of???) or do rehab several times a week (trying to get child care for the Bean all the time) or to stay off of it (and who would take care of the Bean while I was sitting on the couch???). So you can see why we are praising God for this outcome. The doctor said I can go about my normal activties, including picking up the Bean and walking up stairs. All I have to do is wear a knee immobilizer (like a big brace) for the next several weeks to keep my knee straight. If it bends, the knee cap could separate, so believe me, this brace is staying on 24/7 except for showers. And after a few weeks, it should heal up fine! I can walk w/out assistance as long as I have this brace on, and it doesn't even hurt.

And if y'all are wondering about my Germany trip now, I am actually still going. I leave tomorrow. Maybe I am crazy, but both my knee doc and my OB gave me the green light to still go, plus my parents and husband are still encouraging me to go. I don't know why this happened, or why it happened at this time, and I will never know. And I don't need to know. Without getting into a theological dissertation, what I do know is that God loves me and will use this situation for my good. He is not out to punish me. I heard a quote the other day on the radio that went something like this: "Don't judge God's love by your circumstances, but judge your circumstances by God's love." And God's love has been very evident to me even in the midst of this "trial." God is good.

Romans 8:31, "What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."