Lightning, Houston visit, IVC filter, and other Updates

I'm writing from the waiting room at Clements University Hospital at UT Southwestern.  Hunter is currently in the operating room in the process of getting his IVC filter removed.  This protected his lungs and heart from clots traveling from his legs.  He no longer has clots in his legs (praises), is on blood thinners, and doctors like to take filters out ASAP before they get too imbedded.  I will come back and update once I hear how the surgery has gone, but I thought writing a blog post would be a great way to pass the waiting time.

UPDATE:  FILTER OUT:)
 
After all the excitement from coming home, the honor of the Hunter Hanner Community of Hope with Rwanda Children, and the Kirk Goodwin Run, I felt like we needed a little media break.  We were feeling a little overexposed and needed some time to regroup with just our little family.  Hunter checked back in with his first round of doctor visits, we settled into some routines, and were starting to hit our new normal.  I did some much needed spring cleaning (aka changed out the three seasons of clothes still in the boys' dressers and purged the toys available to make messes).  Last Saturday morning I told Hunter "I think life is beginning to calm down for us."  Later that evening lightning struck our house and came in through an outlet in the twins' room.  Thankfully, Caleb and Clayton were with Nana and the house didn't catch on fire.  We have repairmen at our house almost solid for the past five days, and while there is still a long way to go I am very grateful the damage wasn't worse.  It's just stuff, and we have insurance.

Hunter continues to go to therapy 3x week.  We've been going while the kids are in school....but now it's summer break so we will be readjusting.  The easiest way to show where he is in recovery is through video, so the youtube videos below are from this week.  His upper body and hands continue to get stronger.  He can now lift his body wight with his arms, so that makes moving around in his wheelchair a lot easier.  If needed, he can get himself from his chair into bed, and from bed into his chair with a sliding board.  That has to feel great to know he's not stuck anywhere.  I was cooking breakfast Saturday morning and he wheeled into the kitchen surprising me by transferring himself for the first time.  That seems simple, but it takes a lot of work to sit himself up in bed from a flat position, to swing his legs down off the bed, and also to get his feet back up on the foot rests of his chair.  I usually help him do all those things.  I'm so proud of how hard he's working!  Even turning a door knob takes many attempts and Hunter is doing much better than I would at remaining patient.  He still can't feel his feet unless almost all his body weight is on one foot, so Jodi has been using the box to help facilitate nerve feedback.  His hip flexors are getting stronger, and he can lift his legs pretty well.  Our homework is to work on his quads to help stabilize his leg once he's standing.  We are doing a lot of praying for nerve healing.  He can't feel if he's too far forward, backwards, or to one side which is rather important for independent walking.      

In other news, we are surviving!  I don't think I'm winning any "mom of the year" awards, but I'll settle for "world's okayest mom" at the moment.  Erinn and I took the boys on a bike ride one quiet evening, and Benton and I took a very safe selfie on our tandem bike.  

 Naptime was interfering with bedtime, so I tried moving the twins to quiet time a few days a week.  It's obviously going well, as this is how I found Caleb fast asleep.  Clayton was face down in a book.

And this is Caleb all dressed up for Nursery Rhyme day at school as "Little Boy Blue."  I went all out as you can see.  And it was a week early.  He sure did wear it again the next week.

In other "world's okayest mom" news, Benton's mother's day "About My Mom" page also included that my favorite food is "brought food" and that I "hated to cook."  I don't really mind cooking if I have time, but I got a big laugh about his perception.   You'd better believe that after the lightning strike I checked and rechecked that the deep freeze containing the meals Melissa brought earlier that day were still good and frozen!  Seriously, thanks so much to Phyllis, Valerie, Melissa, M'chelle, Honey Poppa, Nana, and the many others who continue to feed us and help with everyday tasks.  Wouldn't mom life be so much easier if we didn't have to eat or do laundry so often???   

 Ready or not, end of school programs came our way.  Benton was a very cute cowboy, and I've heard Texas songs in the car for many months now.  I'm so proud of him!  Despite all the changes around him, he had a fabulous year in Kinder!

 Hunter has been trying to get out to work on non-therapy/non-doctor visit days.  This isn't as much as he wants, but the kids and I have been trying to pack all the fun we can into those afternoons.

Not really my definition of fun, but time together pulling weeds:)

 Our families have also jumped right into helping us survive.  Hunter and the boys went fishing with G-Daddy while I went out to eat with my sister and got a pedicure.  Everyone wins!  Especially the Caleb who was sure to tell everyone that he "caught" a ten pound fish.

This is my mother's day....3 AM in the closet under the stairs for tornados close by.  We were quite a sight as Hunter was in his chair right outside the door in case I needed to throw him on the floor too.

Happy Mother's Day Nana!

And to their "second mama"

Cajun cones are the best!!!!

Friday night movie night:)

 On Saturday, Michael graduated from the Abilene Fire Academy and joined the Fire Department.  We were so excited and proud to watch Erin to pin him in his ceremony.  I'm sure the boys will be making lots of visits to the fire station in the coming years!  We love you Uncle Michael!

 And then Saturday night hit....

Hunter and I were watching some Parenthood and we noticed a lot of lightening outside.  I never have really liked storms (more like I'm a huge chicken), so I was making Hunter check the radar when a giant boom and flash of light hit our house.  The lights in our room flickered several times, but stayed on, so I was hoping that we weren't directly hit.  I put Hunter in his wheelchair and he sent me to investigate the attic.  The lights were out on the kids' side of the house and I smelled something singed.  I immediately called my dad, and Hunter got on the phone to the electric company.  It turns out the strike came in through the outlet in the twins' room.  It exploded the air purifier and white noise machine plugged in, sent burnt piece of carpet, foundation, and carpet tack down strip all over their room.  Our electrician sent us pictures of the attic where the lights shorted out.  He said if we didn't have spray foam insulation we probably would have had a fire.  Two nights later a house about a mile away burned to the ground from a lightning strike.  I'm thanking God for his protection over our family and that the boys were with Nana and G-Daddy.  Pretty much everything electronic was fried, including Hunter's adjustable bed.  Thankfully, the weather was cool while the air conditioner was getting repaired.    

The attic.  So scary!

NOOOOOOO!

Just imagine I had the time to print out "Last Day of School" signs:)

 Also in the past few weeks we checked in with Hunter's transplant doctor in Houston.  We hadn't seen him since September when Hunter's weakness started.  They thought he looked great, considering all that he's been through.  We had hoped that they would take him off some of his preventative antibiotics, antivirals, and antifungals since he's off him immune suppressant.  They weren't ready based on his bloodwork.  That was a big bummer.  Hunter is ready to close the chapter on his transplant book.  But we will go back in August.

We also will be seeing and ENT about the trach hole in his neck.  It's about the size of a Q tip head and is such a pain to have to cover to talk.  Please continue to pray for Hunter's immune system.  He has had a couple colds, which is to be expected when he doesn't have an immunities to illnesses.  It takes him a little longer to get over stuff, and then has a hard time breathing well enough to do his therapy because he loses air out his hole in his neck.

It is not lost on us that we are fortunate that Hunter is still with us.  We know that God healed him and has big plans for Hunter.  It's just so hard to be patient with his recovery.  He wants to be working, walking, husband, and a more active dad to our three boys.  I want to step out of the caretaker role and go back to wife, mom, and friend.  So we continue to work on be content where we are.  The boys are happy as clams to have us "home for good" as they each pray every night.  Please pray for the Hunter's nerves to heal, his pain level to subside, and for strength and endurance for us both as he gets stronger.  Lots of love to all of #teamHanner who have prayed for us and taken care of us for over two years now!