Another Milestone Achieved!

 

Look! It's an incredibly rare family picture!

 

 

This morning, the entire family participated in the "Run Through Redlands" - a day where people willingly torture their bodies and minds to run the 5K, 10K, or the half-marathon. DaddyDude (very) reluctantly agreed to participate, only because I fretted that somebody might steal Marika along the way. So, Mika, Marika, and DaddyDude ran the 5K with Mika's soccer team. The order of finish was pretty shocking...

Yes, folks, this is little girl - who just turned eight years old last month - was the first of the three to cross the finish line (edited later to add: Marika was the first of the family to finish the 5K)! I was so proud of her! Last year, she ran it in 41:08 (that's 41 minutes and 8 seconds) and this year... she finished in 30:18! Astounding! What a huge improvement! She finished in the top 25.4% of all 5K runners and actually placed 6th out of all 59 girls her age (7-9 years old). She was devastated to learn she had missed earning a medal by one place. But look out next year! :)

Perhaps what was second most astounding was - she beat her big sister by 5 minutes! Mika came in next and beat her last year's time, but only by 1 minute, 37 seconds. Not as impressive as her little sister, but she did finish in the top 41.5% of all 5K runners.

THEN, I was shocked when DaddyDude was last to finish. I had been really worried that he'd fallen or stumbled and rendered his knees (both are bad) useless. So, I was pretty relieved when he finally showed up in one piece. :) In his defense, he didn't want to do the run (he really hates running), so it was really a show of love for Marika that he actually did it. He'll never do it again, because both girls left him in the dust (his words).

And what did I do? I ran my first ever 10K race. Now, granted, I usually run 6 miles a day, 6 times a week, but that's on a very flat course (actually, I run in circles within the neighborhood, so I'm near houses in the event I'm ever attacked, someone is bound to hear my blood-curdling screams). So, the week before the big race, I ran the actual 10K course three times. A big part of running (I learned this from cross-country in high school) is psychological - and there's nothing worse than having NO IDEA how much further you have to go. I'm so glad I did, because every time I ran the course, I got a little bit faster. Today, I trimmed off another 3 minutes off my time from two days earlier and finished the course in 50 minutes and 25 seconds.

My goal had been to break 54 minutes (but my dream goal was to break 50 minutes, something I thought was totally impossible, because this course has a couple of significant uphill stretches), so I was satisfied (on a totally flat course, I could probably have finished it in 48 minutes, to give you an idea of how running uphill really slows things down). However, I was absolutely delighted to discover - after I got home and checked my email - that my time was fast enough to earn me a second place finish for all women in my age-group (n = 52).

I was elated. For those of you who know me well, you KNOW that I love to play soccer and that 18 months ago, some bozo shoved me during a game and completely tore my ACL. I had surgery almost 16 months ago and couldn't run for the first 6 months. Today, I have a sense of achievement - that "I'm back!" and that even though my knee still feels wonky and weird most of the time, it's NOT stopping me. And last but not least - WOW, what a good feeling to know IT CAN PAY OFF when you work at something, little by little, day by day.

I may be getting older, but I'm going to fight it every step of the way!

Almost there...

While it's great to have insurance, sometimes the wheels can turn slower than we would prefer. After about 4 weeks of waiting, I finally got insurance approval to schedule an appointment to get measured for my custom-fit ACL brace (last Friday). I've been waiting impatiently, because I'm not supposed to start practicing soccer or roller-blading until I'm wearing it. 

I thought the technician would slather my leg with plaster, but it turns out that things have improved! He simply took some mesh (looked similar to dry wall tape)  that was coated with substance - when submersed in water, a chemical reaction begins, resulting in a slow hardening. I got wrapped up and we rubbed the tape (which got warmer), and then finally, it was rock hard within a matter of minutes. Very cool! It took only another couple of minutes to cut me out of the cast, which is now at the brace-making factory (I should be receiving it within another week). The technician also told me that the facility now has a body scanner so had my appointment been a little later (a few weeks?), the machine could have scanned me just standing there and the brace would have been ready within 3-4 days. I'm constantly amazed by the quick pace of technological improvements!

Mika had her third tournament this past weekend in Indio. In case you didn't know, this city is hideously HOT! Most of the team stayed at a hotel over the weekend, but we were loathe to do so, for a variety of reasons - mostly because we had just returned from Scottsdale and didn't want to deal with the expenses or hassle of packing/unpacking. It turned out to be a good idea, because at least we could escape from the heat! Mika's team lost in the last inning of the championship game (again) against the very same team that beat them at the last tournament. On the bright side, at least they got a medal this time!

Mika was moved to right field (a disappointment to us, if she was being punished) and we were very puzzled as to why - until we saw the stat sheet (the scorekeeper is keeping track on a mobile app for stats). The scorekeeper is assigning errors pretty harshly, so if Mika throws it in but whoever is receiving it doesn't catch it (for whatever reason), it's an error recorded against Mika (and only Mika). We were not pleased to see how many errors had been scored against her (at least half the time, whoever was catching it should have caught it), although yes, she has had a few. While we don't begrudge her being punished for her lack of perfection, being sent to outfield should not be used as a punishment AND perhaps more importantly - we are detecting a significant level of favoritism on the team (Mika is not one of those specially favored). There isn't anything we can do about this, because if we say something and get labeled as a troublemaker, that may result in our girls not being selected in future years.

What also bothers me was seeing Mika looking depressed and unhappy, after she was sent to right field. Actually, it broke my heart! You could just tell it was bothering her, even though she denied it. Once we saw the stat sheet, we were sure she was being punished and told her that her shift was a result of her errors (she didn't know what an error was or that they were being recorded against her - it's kind of brutal to be scored that way, when you're only 7-9 years old, if you were to ask me). She was in shock and started crying. We think that Mika's very talented at softball, but she doesn't like to push herself to the limit - so this was a lesson to her that she needs to try harder and even during practice, she has to push herself. Only time will tell if this is a lesson she'll embrace or ignore.
I should point out that we talked to Mika about this Tuesday evening after practice. Thursday - before practice - she told me that at Wednesday's practice, the scoreekeeper had told her, "I put you in right field because you can play there before than anybody else." That was sweet of him to do, but I don't believe him. It made her feel better at least, I suppose.

Some good news - Mika has been batting really well with "Buster, the Green Monster" - she's batting something like 0.520, or fourth highest on the team (the two leaders are over 0.700, which is incredibly good!). She also has only THREE strikeouts for the entire All Star season (the lowest for the team), which is excellent (the person with the highest has 16). DaddyDude is really pleased with her batting stance and I'm proud that she's not intimidated by any pitcher so far!

To brighten Mika's spirits and to alleviate Marika's boredom, we decided to hire a pitching coach to get Marika started on pitching (she's been asking for the past couple of months). Mika is taking the lessons with her sister, even though we are doubtful Mika will be a good pitcher - ONLY because she is very emotional (something a pitcher can't afford to be). We told Mika this and challenged her to prove us wrong - I'm hoping she will start to calm down and be able to focus better, even in the face of adversity.

Both girls were giddy with excitement, before their lesson. We liked the instructor (who has a very impressive resume, I was pleased to see) and after the lesson, the girls wanted to practice, practice, practice! I liked that the instructor broke down the mechanics of pitching to a few steps - the girls only learned the first few and are pushing to do the whole movement, but we are telling them to go slow and only work on what she taught them. We don't want them learning any bad habits, since those will be hard to break. I think it's interesting (and telling) that the girls are so willing to practice pitching, whereas I KNOW I would not see this same reaction if I were teaching them the piano!

Only a few more weeks until the last softball tournament, but we're already getting ready for soccer over here. I've officially committed to coaching Marika's 8U team and have volunteered to coach Mika's 10U team as well (still waiting to hear back from that commissioner). I'm excited! Coaches are allowed one player request, so I took a former player from Marika's team last year (and her younger sister) and Mika will be playing with one of her classmates - whose parents we are good friends with (and are extremely helpful) - and who is an excellent player. Woohoo!

CC Challenge #19 and a Knee Update

12x12 Trinity paper pack, Distress Crackle paint (Clear Rock Candy), bling (MM white gems), pen (AC precision), diecut journaling block (MME), alphabet (MM shimmer), QK star dies

[LO based on a Becky Fleck Page Maps 2 sketch]

The cropchocolate.com weekly challenge this week was to use some sort of "paint" medium. Okay, I tried painting but it didn't work. Then, I started cracking under the pressure (I'm the type who likes my inspiration to develop slowly, stew, simmer, and then fully develop leisurely) and ended up coating some diecuts with Tim Holtz's Distress Crackle Paint (clear rock candy). That is some cool stuff! One of my goals this year is to "get messier" - in other words, to use more Tim Holtz's products!

And what's this, you ask? I saw my orthopedist on June 15th (24 wk post-op check-up) and he gave me clearance to start running again! He also warned me to start cross-training, to save my knees - less running and less frequently. This is simply not me! I was also given permission to go back to playing soccer at the end of September (9 months post-op), providing I felt okay. I was elated to hear this, because I didn't want to wait until the end of the year (12 months post-op). The knee still feels wonky so I have a lot of work to do, strengthening more muscles. I also have to get custom-fitted for a brace (which  I'm required to wear for a full year, playing soccer), but I'm still waiting for insurance to approve it before I can even schedule an appointment (*twiddling thumbs impatiently*). I start coaching Marika's 8U soccer team at the end of August so I need to be in top shape by that time!

Other than that, I feel pretty darn good - was able to run 6 miles straight after being cleared (that was the whole purpose of torturing myself to walk 5 miles every day as fast as I could) and am still biking 30 minutes after that. AND - and this is the best part - I can now take one day off a week, to sleep in and NOT workout. Whew! It's been a long 24 weeks!!!

Works in progress...

Echo Park Playground collection (patterned paper, cardstock, alpha & heart stickers, sticker with date), brads (MME Lush - orange) Tim Holtz distress ink. Misc items: Offray ribbon & twine (The Twinery). Tools used: QK pinwheel die, Fiskars border punches, staples [Based on a PageMaps card sketch]

Cropchocolate.com has been keeping me busy, with what little free time I have left. Today, our February challenge submissions were due - we were to try and use pinwheels, at least 2 kinds of ribbon, at least 3 colors, and staples. I managed to fulfill all 4 requirements, so I was pretty happy - especially since this was a layout I'd wanted to do for a long time.

Hey, who am I kidding? There are a million things on my "to do" list but most things will have to wait. I'm still spending a few hours a day working on rehabbing my knee. The mental/verbal list of exercises had gotten so long (things kept being added on) that I finally had to ask for a new copy of instructions today. On the bright side, I was permitted to "graduate" from several exercises (some of which were pretty painful, like having a 5-lb weight sitting on my repaired knee for 20-30 min [as long as I could stand the pain], to increase my knee extension) and a few more challenging ones were added on. It sounds funny, but one of my exercises it to bounce a ball against a wall and try to catch it while balancing - on only my bad knee - on a balance disk. COOL BEANS! PLAY BALL IN THE HOUSE!

I did my first 12-min mile while walking today, so I am pleased with my progress. The orthopedist told me I could stop wearing the brace after 4 weeks (it took 1 week to feel ok, and another week to feel significantly stronger) and in two days, it will be 7 weeks post-op. The knee is still feeling stiff - I was only able to start going down the stairs (like normal) last Thursday. I'm not permitted to take my bike outside (it's still on the trainer, but at least I found out how to increase the resistance on it) or run - not that I could, without killing myself - until after I see him again at 12-wk post-op. I don't know about you, but this rehab program feels really slow! It's hard to believe, 4.5 months before I can go play soccer!

But still, I'm lucky. I ran into another soccer friend when I took the girls to the Lowes clinic last Saturday. I hadn't seen her in awhile (we started to play on different days) but as things turned out, she had apparently broken her heel back in September, and hadn't returned to play yet (and it's been about 6 months for her). So really, I'm pretty fortunate - I should be in pretty prime shape at the end of my 6-months of rehab, unlike people who have broken bones or had a baby (there's a whole host of issues there!). My skinny jeans still fit, so I think walking 5 miles every day and biking for an hour is keeping me (relatively) in shape.

On the other hand, I am watching A LOT of television now, while doing my biking exercises. I try to watch mostly HGTV and DIY (although I liked OWN's "Extreme Clutter" show, and now The Style Network's "The Amanadas" show for home organization) but I will admit to watching "America's Next Top Model" (there wasn't anything else on! And then I *had* to see how it all ended!) and American Horror Story (since it was created by the same people who developed "Glee"). As a result, I finally cleaned out my dresser drawers and closet - something I'd dreaded doing, because I finally had to toss out all of my business clothes (bye bye, business suits) and my "fat" jeans.

Okay, I'm off. I have one more CC project to finish (a Valentine's Day card or layout, using non-traditional colors) and must make special valentines for the girls' teachers - and finish my PT exercises. ARGH! I need more hours in the day... getting 5 hours of sleep/night is going to kill me... Zzzzzz..... :)

I'm resolved - are you?

As I've mentioned earlier, a good chunk of my day is spent rehabbing my knee (walking 5 miles, biking (on a trainer) for 50 min, and then doing a series of exercises at least 5 times a day, for multiple repetitions. I'm making that my priority, because once I stop, I know it will all be downhill from there on. I'm determined to make a full comeback and so, for my Cropchocolate Focus Group submission, I had Marika take a photo of me (in my brace) and made a layout.

Patterned papers (MME So Sophie - Clever), QK License Plate 4x8 alphabet, MME Stella & Rose Bits & Pieces, Distress Inks (Tim Holtz - Aged Mahogany), MM crystal brads, QK flower die

Speaking of the focus group, our last challenge was to make something, inspired by a picture of spiraling stained glass. I had all these visions of heat embossing vellum and trying to mimic stained glass, but I have no idea where my vellum went! Plus, it's hard enough to get around the fun room (scrapping area) right now, so I just worked with what I could reach. 

Pattterned papers (MME - Blink of an Eye), Basic Grey Tree Hugger stamp, bling brad (MME Lush - orange), Stickles (crystal), embossing powder (AC Zing! - opaque white), black cardstock

So, yes - I'm resolved. My New Year's resolutions are to rehab my knee (making a full comeback) and to make time to do creative items, especially sewing. I think the girls really need more dresses (I think I do, too!) so I might as well start creating space in my linen closet by clearing out some fabric (by using it).

Right now, though... I'm totally exhausted. I had one heck of a PT appointment, where my knee was bent beyond what I was comfortable with (you know, I just wanted to scream, "OWWWW!"). I need to work on this, because although my knee is flexing well from "normal" angles, when I'm on my tummy trying to bend it back (see above), well... it's not going back too far. I started going this Monday (100-degrees) and today, I was only up to 110-degrees. Yup, folks, that's as far back as my right knee goes right now...

Oh, I have ONE more resolution - to take a photo every day. I read about this in my Scrapbooks Etc. magazine - supposedly, you can end up with some interesting layouts based on a week, month, or year at a time. It's only the 20th of January, though, and I've already missed one day (yesterday) and it's difficult to take an "interesting" picture. Today, though, I have the picture above. What's that around Snowball's belly, you ask? It's a harness leash for small animals. Shouldn't it go over her chest? Why yes, it should - but Marika says it won't stay (I had custom-fit this for chunky Daisy a long time ago). So, here's Snowball being "walked" while on a belly band. :) I don't know about you, but Snowball looks less than thrilled...

Freedom and fly balls

We removed my steri-strips on Friday. The scabs still have to come off but things look pretty good! In the past, people with ACL surgery had had huge jagged scars afterwards. The biggest incision was the bottom one (about 1", running horizontally) while the upper two (vertical) are pretty small, less than 1 cm. At my physical therapy appointment today, my PT person was amazed at how small and subtle the incisions were. I'm thrilled! And today... my knee brace was completely unlocked. This means I can start building up my quads again, since my leg is going to have to start working again (I no longer have to walk completely straight-legged). The muscle atrophy after 2 wk was astonishing and shocking.  

We had a very busy holiday weekend! Mika had a soccer tournament and DaddyDude had a baseball tournament. I gave DaddyDude persmission to go play and not worry about missing Mika's games (her team lost both pretty badly, so he didn't miss much), but it was rather difficult to get around (I still had to bring and set up the soccer banner), since the soccer fields were very clumpy (weird grass). Saturday morning, Mika also had her softball evaluations. The girls are all ranked on hitting, throwing, pitching, and fielding (grounders and fly-balls) - using these rankings, the teams are formed as they're as equal as possible. Mika did pretty well (batting is definitely her weak spot) and we had fun saying hello to many old friends.

DaddyDude had a great time playing ball this weekend! We couldn't make it to any of his games until Sunday afternoon. I finally got the shot I'd been wanting for years - unfortunately it's a blurry (my camera's not great) but there's DaddyDude, sliding under a tag at home plate. So cool!

Unfortunately, they ended up in second place but it was a really exciting game (final score: 5-3). I love how all of the guys posed so well (unlike little kids)! DaddyDude got an unexpected surprise when he was awarded the Golden Glove plaque - he had made some really nice saves and outs. We are very proud of him!!!

Improvement over time

It was kind of a funky week, what with the holiday and our schedule, so I only had one PT appointment this week. Still, I'm responsible for doing a series of exercises - repeatedly - throughout the day on my own. I calculated it yesterday and if I can do 5 sets of each (each with multiple repetitions) - with icing time in between - and go for a daily walk of at least an hour (3 miles), then I'm spending a minimum of 5.5 hours a day on rehab. Whew! And that is why, one of the first things DaddyDude told me, was that I was lucky to have the time to rehab the knee, because I'd be able to do it quickly and well (but the graft still needs enough time to heal - there is still no way to return to soccer until July 1st or so, when it's supposed to be at 80-85% strength). After one full year, the graft is considered to be at full-strength. While I'm rehabbing and icing, though, I can watch TV, read, or be on the computer - or all of the above! I'm finally working my way through season 3 of True Blood.



The sutures came off yesterday, at 9-days post-op. It would look better without the marks from the Ace bandage wrap, but apparently I can't get rid of that til I can ditch the brace itself (hopefully by the end of this month). In the old days, people would be left with huge scars from ACL reconstruction. Arthroscopic surgery, however, has really reduced recovery time and scarring. A parent of Mika's soccer teammate was telling us how he had ACL surgery back in 1994... they had to open his knee up and he was in the hospital for a week, on a morphine drip. Yikes! So like I've said before - I'm pretty fortunate, all things considered. :)

Only another couple of days remain before the kids head back to school. They continue to enjoy a mellow weekend, complete with a trip to the Home Depot Kids clinic (built a savings shed)...

And giving some lovin' to the guinea pigs. It's amazing how different the guinea pigs act, by having a roommate and an awesomely big cage. They scamper and run around, enjoying the springboard action of the coroplast. It's amazing how much lighter they are, compared to most of the other guinea pigs we have had. It will be interesting to see if healthy fitness increases their longevity! Their habits will have to change a little, though, because by the end of the month, their bedding will be changed from wood shavings (very messy!) to fleece (machine-washable) - poor things, they won't be able to fish-tail or spin out anymore! What will they do? ;)

Adding insult to injury...

Last night, I was sorry to realize that my immobilization brace is going to adversely affect my picture-taking. Here, Marika is enjoying a rather unusual seat while waiting for Mika's soccer practice to be over... it'll only be a matter of time before she's too big to get away with doing this...

After Mika's practice, we raced to DaddyDude's co-ed soccer game. It's only been 2 weeks since I last played, but I already miss it. It was nice to be back on the fields, even if I couldn't play. Our team was playing the same team that destroyed my ACL. I couldn't remember what the guy looked like (literally, I'd been playing about 2 minutes before the incident) but was pretty surprised when several people pointed him out - he was a BIG guy (225+ lbs) and probably a few inches taller than DaddyDude (5'8"). I really had no chance against this guy, so it's a matter of contention as to why he had to shove me. Lil' ol' me? He weighs well more than twice what I do! It's depressing to realize that his poor choice of action has resulted in 6 long months of rehab for me... *sigh*

Oh, and why is this post called "adding insult to injury"? I knew there was a risk of being at the soccer game - and being between two games - but I figured the chance of getting hit was pretty small. Well, lucky me! DaddyDude's game was ALMOST over (2 min to the end?) when I got whacked in the back of the neck/head by a soccer ball from the team behind us. It was more of a shock than a painful thing and honestly, if I hadn't gotten bashed by balls and big brothers growing up, I probably would have been pretty irate. It wasn't too bad, but really - I'm used to pain from heading the ball, not from being hit from behind! I still have a headache today but apparently, I'm still alive. :) I am, of course, INCREDIBLY LUCKY that my hurt knee didn't get bashed. But seriously? Out of the 30-40 people standing in the sideline, I'm the only one to get get hit? Sheesh!

But... I still can't feel too sorry for myself. I ran into a captain of one of the womens soccer teams, who asked what had happened to me. She then told me how she had snapped her lower leg bone in half while sliding in the snow up at Big Bear. That imagery just made me cringe... she continued telling me how her rehab took about a year, how she gained a lot of weight during that time, and how although she can run, it's never been the same...

And, this morning (yes, I am back to waking up before the kids are up and walking a few miles), one of my fellow morning exercisers stopped his car when passing to ask what had happened. Then, he tells me that HE has a foot injury now and can't walk for 6 weeks! Yowsers! I felt really bad for him, because his situation is definitely much worse than mine - and because of the job he has, he won't be able to work at all during those 6 weeks.

So, in a nutshell, I feel pretty fortunate. DaddyDude told me from the very beginning, that was I could probably rehab very quickly, since I had the time to. It does take A LOT of time (I feel like it's most of what I do now) but the rehab has got to be done, little by little. My PT person told me yesterday that I was progressing ahead of schedule, that I could get rid of one crutch (Yay! But I had asked to be rid of both! She said maybe Friday), and that I'd probably be able to drive (soon). She also said I might be done with the immobilization brace in another couple of weeks (versus three). I'm not too excited about that last part, because my leg feels so much safer in the brace (when locked). But, hopefully in another couple of weeks, I will have built back some muscle mass. I'm allowed on the exercise bike now to try and increase my range of motion - no, I can't turn the pedals all the way around (especially since she locked my brace at 90-degrees flexion), but it's encouraging. I'll probably be cycling around the neighborhood before I'm allowed to run.

Speaking of lucky... we've been enjoying an incredibly warm bout of weather! When it hit 84-degrees today, I decided to let the girls play with their pool. They admit that they're still cold but I guess it's worth it, because they wouldn't quit!

Going, going, gone! Oh, my!

One minute, the other front tooth was hanging by a thread (ew!) and then a few minutes later, she'd worked it loose and out it came! I've always thought kids who had no front teeth looked pretty strange and now I'm the mother of one. Hmmm... wow, the tooth fairy sure has been visiting here an awful lot...

I'm feeling pretty good otherwise, 6 days post-op - the girls went around the neighborhood twice with me again today. Yesterday was really slow (31 min/mile - a minute longer than it took me with my fat knee on the first walk) but today, I got it down to 27 min/mi and then 23 min/mi. Woohoo! I'm trying to build strength so I can shake off the crutches - which means I'll walk slower but hey, more muscle-building. The less activity, the more atrophy. I can't focus on speed, but strength - have to be super careful not to break the new ACL. It's so weird to think I ran 6 miles around the neighborhood a week ago and now I'm reduced to crutching around the neighborhood. Well, I'm 6 days closer to playing soccer again, I guess... gotta take things one day at a time... :)

Time to get ready!

In case you didn't already realize, we're a family that's pretty serious about our sports. :) Even though Mika still has soccer practice (they have a 2-weekend tournament coming up soon), it's time to get the girls ready for softball. Mika has softball evaluations in another couple of weekends... it's really not a big deal, but all the girls have to be judged and ranked for their skills, so that the teams can (theoretically) be made as even as possible. I told her, she never knows who the All-Stars coach will be this year, so it's better to make a good first impression right from the very beginning.

Of course I couldn't do anything except snap pictures! DaddyDude worked with both of them at the same time. Marika's gotten a lot better (a lot of her throwing last year was right at my kneecap level, which made me really reluctant to throw with her) but I can see she's frustrated that Mika can throw better, faster and harder. I keep trying to explain the two extra years of experience, growth, and strength, but she just scowls at me and says, "humph!" (that is, by the way, her favorite word).

Mika's got to work back up to things, but she can already throw the ball harder and farther than I can. I feel an immense amount of pleasure and pride in watching her - softball has been the one area of Mika's life where she has definitely excelled. She says she won't cry this year when she gets out - we'll see!

Yesterday was DaddyDude's last day at home with us. Today, he went back to work. He really was such a wonderful caretaker these past few days. He even did 3-4 loads of laundry yesterday, folded it all by himself, and put it away - without a word of complaint or a wayward sigh. Where was I? For the most part, Mika accompanied me out while I went crutching around the neighborhood (2 miles!). It felt really good to get out and exercise. I should be done with the crutches within a few days (they're supposed to be for gait correction - the doctor doesn't want me to acquire a limp, because those can be hard to get rid of, not to mention screwing up the good leg). Things feel pretty good with the brace on (it's always locked at 0-degrees, because they want you to keep extension - if you lose it, they say it's almost impossible to get back) but scary as all heck when it's off. I keep waiting for my knee to break and ruin the new ACL. But, the brace should be off by the end of January and that will be a new terrifying experience as well.

You know what really sucks? I have to wear shorts until the brace is gone. I'm soooo lucky that the weather is nice down here but it gets cold at night during Mika's soccer practices. I can't even go walking early in the morning (with light), because there's no way I'll be able to pull my running tights over my leg. Oh, well... at least we're in good weather country... :)

Happy New Year!

Welcome, 2012!

As things turned out, Miss Mika passed out before the ball dropped, but Marika persevered. Both girls bounded awake early, anxious to eat our so-called "traditional" Japanese New Year morning meal, ozoni.

Remember those rice cakes (mochi) I made last week? This was their big debut! Marika helped DaddyDude broil them (to make them puff out) before we put them into the soup. DaddyDude says he is not a big fan of ozoni, but every year, he puts away several mochi and a few bowls of soup. I try to make the soup extra hearty for him, hence some vegetables appear that shouldn't be there. :) This year, Marika ate three mochi! Next year, I better put more into the soup pot... :)
Making the ozoni totally wiped me out, though. Recovery feels negative today, as I had to lay down for a few hours afterwards and am now fighting off a fever. Does my new ACL hate me? Perhaps... so no trucking around the neighborhood today, but maybe tomorrow...
Happy New Year, everybody!!! Hope it's a great year in all ways!

Out with the old...

It's almost time to say good-bye to 2011! This is the one day of the year that the girls are allowed to stay up until midnight. They have been talking about watching the ball drop in NYC for several days now...
Have you made your resolutions yet? ;)

It was a beautiful day today, so we went walking around Cabazon (an outdoor outlet mall). I was feeling so much better today (for the first time in 2 days, I slept in my own bed with my leg NOT elevated) and wanted to get some exercise. I think I did pretty well, but I did poop myself out (my leg's tired and my armpits hurt!). I met another lady on crutches and chatted briefly with her - she was in a bit worse shape, having torn her ACL, meniscus AND her MCL (a ligament that's typically hard to tear, unless there's been some major impact). She was encouraging, though, and said I was doing pretty well if it was only 3-days post-op for me.

Tomorrow, I'm going to try and crutch around the neighborhood a couple of times. I heal faster with exercise and it makes me feel like I'm doing something to get better. PT exercises were much less painful today and I was able to flex my leg 90-degrees. Yay! :) I was also able to help make dinner tonight and wash some dishes, while puttering slowly around the kitchen without crutches. The scariest time was trying to shower without the brace - it makes you realize exactly how secure you feel with it on, and how terrifying (and easy) it would be to fall and rip the ACL again... gosh, would I be willing to go through the surgery again? I don't know...

New smile and a knee update

So now Miss Marika has a new smile - we knew this day would come, but it stilll makes me sad, because the gap makes her look so much older now! I am hoping that the other front one doesn't fall out before the new one comes in, but I don't think I'm going to get my way...

Marika is standing in front of her new cardboard house (she made one from some cardboard boxes and it drove DaddyDude absolutely nuts - so we got her a new one instead). These were great Xmas gifts - on sale at Michaels and it has kept the girls busy for hours each day!

It's like we have our own little neighborhood within the house! And yes, you can fold them for storage!

Apparently, it's even comfortable enough for them to sleep in (that's Mika!), but she almost broke the house when she stretched out! All in all, though, the houses have been a great distraction for the girls while I am recovering from my knee surgery...

I went to see the orthopedist on 12/22. He came in, snapped my leg around and said, "Yup, your ACL is totally gone!" Sure wish I had known that back in early November! That's okay, I don't think I would have scheduled the surgery for any other time than winter break, because I wouldn't be allowed to drive for a week. Now there's some discussion that it may be longer than that, so I may end up walking to school to pick up the girls - although I'm hoping to power through PT to make the driving happen sooner than later.

Good thing we didn't have the surgery last week, since we all had a stomach ailment. As things turned out, I was terribly lucky to have been the first scheduled surgery - the doctor told me he got food poisoning from lunch and had to cancel the rest of his surgeries that day! I was amazed he managed to pull himself together enough for clinic the next day (I doubt I could have done that), but he's a real trooper. He's gone through THREE ACL surgeries so he knows what the recovery process is all about.

So... I ended up having my ACL repaired (allograft from a 19-year old) and he shaved down part of my meniscus ("a very small tear", he said). So, on the bright side, I'll be on the crutches for 4 weeks or less and I am allowed to bear my weight on it (I wouldn't have been able to for 6 weeks, if he had had to suture my meniscus back together). I'm wearing that big brace you see above - it's to keep my leg straight because apparently, it's really hard to get extension back whereas it's easier to get flexion (range of motion). It's already driving me nuts having my leg locked like that but I had my first PT appointment today and flexing my leg hurt like you wouldn't believe! I can't believe I was running around the neighborhood on Tuesday!

DaddyDude has been totally amazing, taking care of the kids and putting food on the table. He's been getting everything I need and I haven't detected a single bit of resentment - yet! I told him to sleep upstairs last night because I felt so bad waking him up - by the second night anyway, I was able to move myself around and get to the bathroom without help. What a great guy! He's a keeper! I love him! *smooch* 

So yes, I camped downstairs on the sofa for the past two nights, but will try to go upstairs today. Every time I stretched on the sofa, the guinea pigs would be startled and dive for shelter, spewing wood shavings and poop. Really, you'd think their memory would be longer than a couple of hours, right?

But yes, I'm doing fine. I felt well enough after PT to go with the family to get something to eat, and then do a little walking around the shopping center. Hey, did you know Slice cartridges are on sale at Michaels for $9.99 on clearance?! What a great time to go! :)

Preparing

Last week was a busy one - getting ready for Christmas and for my knee surgery. It was nice having the girls on winter break, so we could all relax. We began the week by going to the library, since the girls had been looking forward to playing the yearly Christmas ornament game.

 

Every year, the children's librarians put ornaments depicting well-known children's story characters. They made it easy this year, only asking for 10 correct answers out of 14.

They got some new ornaments this year - here are some of my favorites! Can you name them all?

Besidse pruning my rose bushes (I know, it was a little bit early, but I wouldn't have been able to do it otherwise until mid-February), I had to hurry and make a new batch of mochi, or Japanese rice cakes. I hadn't done it in a few years... hopefully they'll turn out all right! In the old days, they used to pound the rice but we are fortunate to have an actual mochi machine. After soaking the rice for about 12 hours, you drain it and then put it into the machine to be steamed. Once that's completed, the machine kneads the rice into a smooth ball. The last step is to separate the hot rice into individual rice cakes. We'll be enjoying that for breakfast on New Year's Day morning - I'll make a hot soup (dashi-based) with vegetables, chicken and rice cakes. YUM! DaddyDude isn't too thrilled by it all, but he suffers through it silently - the girls love the rice cakes. Although, I wonder if Mika will be able to eat them this year with her braces!

I played my last soccer game last Thursday night (12/22) - the last for at least 6 months! *sigh* We only had 6 people (it's supposed to be 7 vs 7) but we still managed to tie the other team (they won 1st place last season) 5-5. I even got a goal! Yay!

So in the meantime... until July 1st or so... I have to be inspired by remembering the soccer fields and what it felt like to be able to run really fast on it and cut.

Oh, and I have these beautiful cleats to look forward to wearing once I get back out onto the fields. It's the first time I've purchased flashy cleats, so I better be good or I'll look like a poser! :)

A New Soccer Player in the House!

Before we introduce the latest new soccer player in the house, I'd like to announce that Marika got her first goal of the season a couple of Saturdays ago - she dribbled up the left sideline and then shot it in. I was so proud! I forgot to get a picture of her after the game, so she agreed to pose with Snowball... :)

And there he is - yup, that figure in black in the goal - that's DaddyDude! We joined a coed soccer league a couple of weeks ago (men over 40, women over 30). We got slaughtered our first game but that's where DaddyDude learned that his best position is probably goalie - the stretching and diving necessary to play third base is not that different from stopping balls in the goal! He looks AWESOME and hasn't gotten hurt yet! I'm so proud of him, too!!!

As for me... I got shoved (by a guy, of course) during last week's game. As I valiantly tried to stay on my feet (since bouncing on the ground makes my knee swell up), I heard and felt my right knee go *POP!* That, by the way, is never a good sign - in fact, it's pretty indicative that you've done something very bad to one of your ligaments, namely the ACL. I had to limp off the field, something I've never done before. I tried to come back on after a few minutes, but was completely unable to cut or twist and had to have a teammate help me off the field.

Naturally, I was terrified - after my last knee injury, I iced it as soon as we got back home and wrapped it up. Twisting my leg hurt like crazy but other than that, it wasn't too bad. I went to see our sports medicine doctor today and she said she thought my ACL was torn, but she couldn't tell how badly because my knee was so swollen (okay, I'd like to point out that my knee looks like it has after it got drained - she kept saying how beat up my knee looked but really, it looks the same!). I might try to get an MRI, though there are some concerns that insurance won't cover it. The doctor said that basically, since the orthopedist we wanted (he's supposed to be fabulous) wouldn't operate unless the ACL was completely gone so I might as well just keep playing until my ACL is obliterated. She said I could start running if I wanted and not to worry about a muscle pull that's bothering me - because apparently, it just doesn't matter anymore. I've resigned myself to the fact that once I rip out my ACL, I'm out of soccer for one full year. Yup, folks, that's how long it takes the average person to recover and rehab. Oh, and the doctor kept saying how she wanted to minimize the amount of arthritis that I was going to be suffering from later. YOWSERS!!!

Running went fine... a little painful but afterwards, I felt much better (managed 6 miles!). The reason I'm so concerned about this injury is because I have an indoor soccer tournament around Thanksgiving (the same team that's going to Vegas together again next April). I texted the captain today to give her the option of replacing me but she said she was willing to wait and see how I was feeling. My plan is to keep running but avoid playing soccer until then, giving my knee a full 3.5 weeks to recover. I'm hoping my ACL is only mildly torn and will repair itself by then. Keep your fingers crossed for me, please!