Some of my battlescars!!

This is Gentry & me in the hospital bed. I still had my triple line catheter in my neck at this point. Gentry always liked to take the balloons that people had brought up home with him!

This is GROSS I know, but it's so much easier to explain sometimes with pictures. For those of you who tend to have a sick stomach at stuff like this...well, consider this your warning!! This is a picture of my neck after they had discovered I had blood clots in my neck. Bruising I knew would go away, but my concern was the blood clots and AWFUL pain!

The other huge bruise was from the port-a-cath that infiltrated and the UGLY bruising that went along with that. I makes me "shudder" to even think about reliving those days!!

Then finally this is the top of the inside of my right arm where all of the TPN (IV Nutrition) filtered out into my body instead of my veins. I am SO THANKFUL for the body's own ability to heal itself if we can just be patient! I hardly have any scars or bruises from my arm or neck.

THANKSGIVING DAY IN THE HOSPITAL!! But we tried to make the best of it. Dale brought in Cracker Barrel's Thanksgiving Dinner and pumpkin pie, and we were so pleased with that, but we couldn't help but wondering what our families were doing and wishing we could be there with them. But we made the most of it. We played games, watched football, walked the halls & played with Gentry. Gentry even curled up in the bed beside me and took a nap with me. Now that is the "sugar & spice" part of parenting I wouldn't trade for the world.

Christmas Evening! We all took family pictures and I didn't want anyone to see my face with it being SOOOOO HUGE from the steroids, but mom finally convinced me in her gentle non-pushy way, that "this is life" and Gentry will want to remember years to come. So, I set my foot down about getting dressed, but fixed my hair and put on my best new pair of pajamas and posed...for what it was worth.

I'm getting sleepy, so I need to head to bed.

Enjoy life and get to living it!!

Melanie

P.S. There will probably be a "Gent-stories-time" soon. He's been saying AND doing so many cute things lately that I want to capture them in prose and film so I won't forget in years to come. Thanks for spending a few minutes of your time reading about The Rutland Household. We've had rocky roads, lots of ups and downs, a lot of dreams come true, a life and laughs and adventure and tears and shoulders to cry on, but all in all, I can say that I am truly blessed among women for what God has so graciously given to me in my life.

Love always - Mel