Merry Christmas: We bought a house!

My last post talked about giving thanks, and we have some major thanks to give today...
As always, I wasn't sure how much to share, but it's time I tell you how grateful we are for some really amazing people.

Remember when we found out Graden had to have surgery? I'll never forget; it was January 2013. We made some major changes after that appointment.

You may know that we made the decision to sell our house and move in with Phil's parents. You may know that we lived with them for over a year, and you may know that we moved into our "new house" in February. What you may not know, however, is that we did not buy this house until yesterday.

At first, I was embarrassed. I didn't want anyone to know that we couldn't buy a house yet. I even blogged and talked with a few friends about it. When we found this house, though, we knew wanted to buy it; we just weren't sure we could make it work. We had worked for the last year to pay off medical bills while they continued to come in... I finished my Master's but wasn't working full time yet. So many things were still holding us back, and I was embarrassed. It took me a long time to accept that we didn't do anything wrong. In fact, we have worked so hard to get exactly where we are today. (We've had some great help along the way, too!) Are there still some hurdles to overcome? Sure. But, that's nothing to be embarrassed about. Someone along the way said, "It's not like you were out wasting your money." True. I could probably fund an entire wing of Lutheran or Riley Hospital, though, and I'm okay with that. Really. I can't complain about doctor bills; those same bills keep my boys, especially Grado, healthy and here.

Still, money was tight, and it wasn't a big secret. Insurance helped, but those of you with medical expenses can understand that they never cover everything, and somehow, all the "major" expenses are the ones covered the least, leaving you to pay the difference. Regardless, we managed and didn't do "without," but we didn't have a house, either.

In February, I blogged about finding this house. It was a quick, easy process. We signed "papers," got the keys, and moved right in within weeks of when we first looked in the windows.

But, we still knew we couldn't afford to buy the house just yet. I knew I would be looking for a new, full-time job, and we needed to finish paying on those last few (large) medical bills... so, you know what the sellers agreed to?

They let us pay rent and wait to buy! These sellers, the people who had this house on the market and who had been through ups and downs with trying to sell this house, let us wait. They knew most of our situation and, despite theirs, they helped us without hesitation or question.

I'm here to tell you:  If it weren't for them, we would not have this house. They gave us the best gift ever this Christmas. Thank you, Pickens family. Thank you. We will be forever grateful for your understanding and support.

And, I could write a book about my in-laws. Sure wouldn't have this house without their help, either. This past year, they've been our "go to" support in so many ways, and we will spend our lives making it up to them. We are forever grateful. Forever.

Another special thanks to our friend, George Raptis; if you're looking for a realtor, call him. I'll spare you the details of how great he is, because you only have to meet him once to decide for yourself. And... we have never met people who worked as hard as Greg and Jathni at Ruoff Mortgage. There's something to be said about working with people locally; they fought for us and did a lot of leg work to get us the best deal. The best part? They took time to understand our past and never made us feel like we were anything less than millionaires. Truly.

So, as of yesterday, December 23, 2014, we are happy homeowners - officially - once again.

Needless to say, this Christmas will be a special one for the Hirsch family.

Thoughts on Giving Thanks...

Date of last post:  July?! I can't believe it's been that long since I've blogged... So much has happened in four months. I've used social media as my way of updating, because I haven't made the time to sit still until this weekend... this Thanksgiving weekend.

Here's a condensed version of the past four months:  I got a new job in August. Actually, my hire date is my birthday: August 14th. It's cool that it's on my birthday, except that school started two days later. Needless to say, I had to get things together quickly, and, honestly, I think I'm just now getting to the point where I feel slightly organized. I won't lie and tell you the transition was easy, because it was nothing like I had hoped, which is one more reason why I haven't blogged. But, it has been so worth it, and I'm so glad I made this career move. I love being a teacher, my students, my coworkers, and my school, and I wouldn't change a thing about it. As you can imagine, working full-time was a major change for our family, but we're starting to get into a routine. I didn't leave IPFW all together, though, and am hoping that I can still teach a class or two throughout the year.

Phil is still working as hard as ever and has been super supportive of my stress-driven mood swings over the past few months. Thank goodness he is a patient man! In September, we celebrated our 10th anniversary! Who knew he'd keep  me that long? :)

Landen has grown several inches and has no problem telling everyone that he's almost as tall as them, especially his aunts. He's doing very well in school and is finding neat things to take interest in -- history, art (drawing and designing), and reading. I am also happy to report that he has been writing! I'm saving the stories he creates... they're funny and so creative! He will begin basketball season, soon, and with his growth, I can't wait to see how he has improved his shot. All in all, he's loving 3rd grade and life in general. He is so happy and sweet, and we love watching him learn and grow into an amazing personality.

Graden is... well, he's Grado. :)

Over the past several weeks, he's had a few appointments and tests. We had a few concerns about his brain (based on some of his comments and behaviors), so we got him in for his 6-month follow-up (medicine free, remember?)... it didn't go so well. He's grown, too, of course, so we were truly hoping that he was just experiencing some changes due to that, but the results showed that he's having several series of seizure spikes. So, it's back to medicine.

He started a few days ago and seems to be okay so far. It takes 3 months for the medicine to get into his system, which means 3 months of possible side effects and waiting. And, waiting is the worst part! The last time he was on this medicine, he was extremely sensitive; he would cry and couldn't tell us why. He would be tired without doing anything. It was frustrating for him and us. We sat him down to tell him what the doctor said, and he just looked at us and said, "Okay, if that's what it takes." Clearly, I took the news harder than he did. I know it's just medicine, and I really need to be thankful he's still here...

This morning I heard the terrible news that one of my former students died in a car accident last night. I didn't know her well, but we became connected via social media and remained in contact. She was young, beautiful, and had a contagious personality. I loved having her in class and am heartbroken that I can no longer hear about her adventures. When I hear stories like this, I want to squeeze both my boys and lock them in their rooms, but I know that isn't fair. Instead, we live each day and enjoy the moments we do have... we never know when our moments will be gone.

When someone asks me about Graden, I justify his health in weird ways... I always make sure that they know he's okay by saying, "Oh, you'd never know he has trouble," like I'm afraid they will judge him. Maybe I say it for myself, as a way to downplay how serious his illnesses really are? I just don't know why I feel like I need to make him "fit in" or seem "normal." Regardless, he is okay. He does fit in, and I think he's pretty normal. :) He's been reading nonstop, which is so crazy to me. Just one year ago, he didn't think he could ever read; he thought he was slow and behind all the other kids. Now, though, he's thriving in 1st grade. He's still a little rough and tough, but, honestly, I will take that over being down sick any day!

Overall, I'd say we've had an eventful four months, but we're starting to slow down and remember to enjoy each other. This Thanksgiving (and every day, really) we have a lot to be thankful for, so we made sure to give our thanks. We've discussed our gratefulness as a family, and I hope we never forget how far we've come. May we also never take for granted that our path could change any day...

Happy Thanksgiving weekend, friends. I'm happy to be back. xoxo

One week... ago!

Can you believe it? This time, last week, we were saying our goodbyes to Graden, watching him laugh, without a care in the world, as he rode back to the operating room on his hospital bed, preparing for what could be the worst surgery of his life...

I say worst surgery because it was scary. Risky. Major. It involves hours of precision, care, and attention. It's at the base of his brain -- so very close to his spine. They actually touched my child's brain stem...

But, that's not all! The recovery is horrible. Long. Challenging...

Or, it is supposed to be!

But, for our Grado, it's been difficult - not horrible. Just another challenge he is determined to overcome. I should have known...

Makes me wonder why I was ever worried in the first place? (Yes, I'm being sarcastic!)

I will always worry about him, and we do still have a long road ahead of us, but overall -- this kid is amazing! Honestly. Doctors and nurses, Neurologists, Neurosurgeons, and Neuro-technicians all commented on his ability to respond, move, and tolerate pain that most cannot after a surgery like this - no matter their age. 

We did have our scare, but it really may have been a "fluke." We will pursue that further as we recover...

So, now we're home, beginning the second week, and we're doing okay. We are all okay...

We still have restrictions:
-no soaking in water (no baths or swimming)
-nothing on the incision (lotion, ointment, or sunscreen - so we won't be outside much)
-no touching the incision (which is one of Graden's biggest challenges because it itches!)
-no "rough" play (obviously!)
-no swinging, biking, climbing, running, or jumping -- feet need to stay on the ground
-and we have to check the incision daily and be very careful of infection, so we're cautious about visitors these next few weeks because even the slightest fever can put him at risk...

We did let him "play" outside for a bit last night, as we sat on the deck just enjoying the weather. He wore himself out quickly, though, and slept soundly last night. He's had very little pain medication, but we made sure he had some before bed so he didn't wake up sore from trying to do too much, which is another of his big challenges.

Overall, though, we're doing better than any of us (doctor included, and especially me) anticipated. This week was supposed to be spent lounging around, taking it easy, and we're still trying that, but he's definitely moving more easily than I could have ever imagined. His range of motion is still limited as his neck muscles heal, but, again, he is bound and determined to climb this mountain on his journey...

And, those of you who know him will be happy to hear he didn't miss a beat or lose his sense of humor. :)

What's next? Well, we recover. Get stronger, and we go back July 10th to visit our Neurosurgeon at Riley. At the follow-up, we will talk about the "next step," which should include follow-up tests to determine the success of the procedure. We know the surgery was successful, but we won't know if it alleviated any of our health concerns until we complete those tests -- MRI and/or Swallow Study. We can't do those tests, though, until he's had time to heal...

We still live one day at a time, and many days, we go one hour at a time... and, I'm okay with that, because he's home. He's doing great, and he's still my Grado. I couldn't ask for more.

Much of his success comes from family, friends - both new and old, and friends-of-friends or -family. The power of prayer, good thoughts, and well-wishes is truly amazing. It seems that as we've been on this journey we have learned about so many others who are also going through challenges. Some are overcoming their obstacles while others still have a tough road ahead. 

I've wondered what I would be blogging about if Graden's recovery wasn't going so well. In fact, that's what I prepared for before his surgery began. I wanted - no, I needed - to be prepared for the worst. And, I'd like to think that I would still be able to acknowledge that everything happens for a reason... but I know that acknowledgement would not be easy, and, while I can't fully imagine, I definitely came close...


Today, I end with this:

I am thankful each and every day for what I have, exactly as it is. While it could be better, I sure know it could be so much worse. For those of you going through similar challenges with health concerns, please know that we are thinking of you and are here if you need...

To all of you:

Thank you. Plain and simple. Not just from the bottom of my heart, but from the whole darn thing -- thank you, thank you, thank you to each and every single one of you. 

In (less than) twelve hours...

In twelve hours, Grado begins his surgery (7:30 am). 

In the past twelve hours, we have been busy... After a wonderful surprise birthday party for our sweet niece, Mimi, we played, finished packing, and prepared for this morning. We enjoyed church with family and friends and listened to an amazing prayer by our Pastor. We felt - as we always do, an overwhelming joy as we left. Our congregation is amazing.

Friends and family followed us home for breakfast, and even more joined. Almost 60 people came to send love, well wishes, and prayers to our G. He loved every minute of it and knew - fully well, that so many people love him and are supporting him through this process. He was all smiles all day. 

As his parents, Phil and I can't even begin to express thanks... Words just don't seem to cut it. In time, though, we will reach every one of you, specially. But, please, please know that you are all so loved.

We made it to Indy around 3 and to my sister's at 4. We had dinner and let the kiddos play. What a great way to keep distracted... Lovin' on our niece and nephew. :)

Now, we are tucked in... Exhausted! G got to play in the tub and is happily cuddled with Ironman and Monkey. He says he's ready to get to the doctor. If he is ready, we are...

I promise to post again tomorrow evening. Love to you all.