An Update or Two

I had my gallbladder yanked out yesterday.  FINALLY!  After years of having issues off and on, and then it getting worse and worse, I finally went to see the surgeon (he's pretty much become our "go-to" surgeon since doing Margie's 3 surgeries) in June, and his recommendation was "yank it - it's obviously making you miserable and you have a family history of bad gallbladders."  So when he took it out he said it was very inflamed and scarred from extended inflammation and spitting out gall stones. So I guess it is a good thing that I went ahead and had it taken out.  He assures me that I will feel like a champ now :)
The worst part of it is the CO2 gas that they pump you with so that they can see easily inside at all your organs.  Wow, that leftover air is quite painful when it settles under ribs and in shoulders and collar bones.  Made it impossible to lay down last night, and the little bit of sleep that I got was done sitting up on the coach.  Hopefully that will go away soon!

Jim (Grandpa J) was moved into a hospice facility this week.  It's tough to know he's not in his cabin with a view of the pastures and lake, but it's good to know that he's getting the needed 24/7 care and it lifts a huge weight off of Emily. We'll spend Thanksgiving in NY this year - a first for us all to be together on Thanksgiving :)

Silas made my day this week when he enthusiastically hugged me one morning and said "I love you more than a poisonous snake!!" - really the only thing better would have been if he said he loves me more than his beloved "junk food"!

We've been in the thick of Parent/Teacher conferences.  All of the kids are doing very well in school, and Ella and Silas definitely have their teachers fooled again.  "Really??  (insert Ella/Silas) punches, kicks, throttles, (his/her) (sister/brother)?  I never would have guessed based on how good and cooperative he/she is in class!"  That is when I whip out the Flip cam and show the teacher just how they behave at home!