A Christmas to remember

While December has been a very memorable one for the Beck family. We got to spend out first Christmas in Iowa as a family first because of baby boy who will be here in 20 days and second because of Andy and his leg injury. While it is not what we were use to we made the best of the situation and had a Christmas to remember. MeMe came to spend this time with us and we can not thank her enough - that will be another post in itself. Here are some pictures from Christmas day.

Braxton got an TAMU (Texas A & M University) football outfit from cousin Karson for Christmas. It has been a big hit with both boys. Santa brought helmets for the boys and they were excited to have them, but the Aggie helmet was still more exciting than the other.
Braxton wanted to wear his Aggies uniform on Christmas Day - we did not argue. This kid is not brainwashed!
Brazos and dad hanging out waiting on Braxton to finish eating breakfast so we could open presents.
Braxton excited to get some dishes to play with - those things have already been put to good use.
Brazos showing dad his new microphone

Braxton very excited to get a new bulldozer (John Deere) from MeMe and PaPaw
Dad reading Braxton a new book
MeMe reading to Brazos
Brazos and his microphone - this one has been a big hit as well.
MeMe helping the boys open their presents

Santa saved the best for last as they 4-wheelers would not fit in the house. So when all was said and done we told Braxton to look outside. He was super excited!!! He wanted to go and see. Here he is standing beside his 4-wheeler - he did not want to get on at first.
So he decided to ride Brazos 4-wheeler in stead. Brazos was okay with this - he was not so excited about something that moved on its own. Maybe this summer it will be more fun.
MeMe and the boys checking out the 4-wheeler
Brazos protecting what was his as long as it was not moving
Braxton excited and ready to go. He is ready for Karl to get home so he can get to ride it. The one pretty day we had we did not get it started and it has been snowing ever since. So hurry up Uncle Karl.

Santa is coming

While this year has proven to be eventful in a lot of ways one of the most memorable for us will be that we will be in Iowa for Christmas. This is a first for us. We have always been able to be with our family during this time of year, but due to our new little boys coming on the 17th and Andy's knee we get to stay here.

MeMe (Andy's mom) came to spend the week with us and help us out. I am so thankful to have her here to help me out with the in and outs of the week. Thanks MeMe for taking the time to help us and be away from the rest of the family. We appreciate it! What an adventure this has been.

Here are some pictures from our adventure with Santa.

Braxton sending his letter to Santa.
Brazos writing his letter to Santa.
Brazos watching Braxton ride the train with Dad - he was not interested in riding the train at all.
Braxton riding the train
Braxton with Santa
He really did have a lot to say
Brazos on the other hand was not as excited to see the Jolly old man
He wanted up and in a hurry. We did not torture him long.
Cousin Kaden seemed to enjoy the whole Santa thing this time.

Happy Anniversary

I wish I had some really good pictures to post but I don't so let me just say Happy Anniversary to Dad and Mom - 37 years today
Happy Anniversary to Karl and Andrea - 6 years today.
Each day brings more adventure and love - thanks for always setting the example for others to follow - we love you all!

What Happened?

I have not taken the time to tell you what happened and while I am really not in the mood to go into great detail (mainly because I don't know a lot of detail) I will tell you what I know and I have some cool pictures to show as well.
The month of December got off to a bang with the arrival of Kaden at 2:30 on the 4th. Later that same evening Andy went to play basketball with his co-workers (this is a weekly activity). We took separate cars to the hospital to see Kaden and Andy left from there to go play. I took the boys and went home. Once we got home and settled the I was on the phone with mom talking about the day and Kaden's arrival the phone rang and I did not know the number so I just kept talking to mom. My cell phone rang and I could not get to it in time. I did not know that number either so I let it go. While I was still talking to mom amidst all the phone chaos Karl called from the hospital so I clicked over, he told me that Andy had hurt his knee playing basketball and was on his way to the ER (Andy's cell phone was in the bathroom). So I tried to call the number that had called here 3 times and did not get an answer. I kept calling and finally left a message and Andre called me back to say that Andy had left and was on his way to the hospital.
I called Karl and ask him to watch out for Andy if he came to the ER at that hospital. I was not sure where he was going but I was trying to stop him because with most knee injuries all the ER will do is take an X-ray and send you home when your knee is not broken and tell you to make an appointment with the orthopedic doctor. But to no avail Andy made it to the ER and Karl found him after he was checked in. That's when I got a call to tell me that he was there and to hang tight and they would let me know what was going on.
Well 11:30 rolls around and I get a call to say that Andy is on his way home. So I wait and help him in the house when he gets home.
Wednesday he was in a lot of pain so I called and set up an appointment with the ortho doctor and got the first available appointment for the following Monday and that was a stretch otherwise the next appointment was in two weeks. Andy was in bed all day Wednesday, we got him up for church Wed night and back to work on Thursday. We proceeded with life as normal (as normal could be with someone who is on crutches and in pain).
So Monday we went to the doctor the reason we were able to get in was because this doctor was on call Tuesday when Andy went to the ER. Did we see this doctor in the ER? NO Did they take X-rays in the ER? NO. So the doctor decided that we needed to get an X-ray and we did. The doctors PA came in and said well it looks like you broke your knee. We laughed it off and waited for the doctor. He came in a confirmed what the PA said - what we though was a joke and BROKE HIS KNEE - the actual term was that he had a tibia plateau fracture. The doctor went on to say that he wanted to refer us to a knee doctor the following day and that we could expect to have surgery within the week. I think the looks on both of our faces were quite the shock.
Tuesday we went to the doctor early and he confirmed what we had been told the day before that it was broken and that he wanted to do surgery on Thursday. And that he wanted to admit Andy right away due to the fact that blood clots are common in breaks of this nature. WHAT? So we left the doctors office and went straight to the hospital. Once we were there they ran a bunch of tests and I stayed until they were done with that. I can home to get some clothes for Andy and to take mom to the airport. We got mom safely and I got the boys and we went to see dad. In the meantime the doctor came by to say that they had moved the surgery up till Wednesday morning.
I brought the boys home and got them to bed. I got up early the next morning and went to the hospital to be with Andy during surgery. This is where the other blog entry picks up so I will leave it from there.
Needless to day it has been an adventure and there is a lot more to come. So here are some pictures of his knee and what they did.

Side view of his knee before
Front view of the knee before - you see that crack on the bottom half of the knee on the right hand side - that is not suppose to be there.
Side view after surgery - doesn't that plate look nice
Front view after surgery - one plate and five screws - as you can see the crack is gone! While you can still see where it was it is healing. All this hardware and that crack are the reason that he is not going to be able to put weight on it for 2 to 3 months.

Well I will tell you more of our adventure later!

Thanks once again for all the prayers - they are working and we know that our God is so awesome. We have been taken care of by so many and words can just not express how thankful we are to have such a wonderful family (both physical and spiritual.)

Progress

While it has been awhile since my last post but I am finally able to stop for a minute and get something done. We are home and doing much better. Things are most definitely busy around here. We are adjusting to having dad home and immobile. He is doing well and getting up and around more and more every day.
We had a follow up visit today and it went well. Andy will start physical therapy next week. We will go back to see the doctor on Jan 22. Until then, no driving, no weight on the leg, and until we are told different no working (yea right) at least not at work.
The boys are doing well and are handling the adjustment very well. We are working on getting the rules set back in place but they have been troopers.
Thanks to all of you for your prayers, cards and call of concern. We are going to make it through this one way or the other. Here are some pictures to document our adventures.
Andrea, Karl and Kaden left today for Texas - they were excited and ready to see everyone. MeMe (Andy's mom) is coming in tomorrow to help us out during her break (we are very thankful for the help). So we will try and keep you updated.

Andy in the hospital working on his breathing - he did such a good job
The boys came to visit on Friday and took a nap with dad - well at least one of them took a nap
Well maybe two of them got a nap - Brazos fell asleep on the way there and slept almost the entire time. He was really tired.
Andy's leg on Friday pm. Can you tell that the one leg is three times the size of the other. I thought the incision looked good.
On Monday we came home from the hospital it was almost 7 p, before we got home. We got Andy on the couch and he went to work - literally. The boys were really excited to have him home again.
On Tuesday we went to the mall to see Santa (another post coming soon). Andy was a trooper - Brazos enjoyed riding with dad in his chair. We have a wheelchair until he can put weight on his foot with the weather the crutches are just a large risk outside.
Here are his legs again on Tuesday - the swelling is going down and things are looking good.
Side shot of his leg. We hope that he will be able to once again fold this leg up like the other one (ha). One day at a time.

More updates to come!

A New Day

While I would like to tell you that this picture is from today and all is well but that is not the whole truth. While things are looking up quite a bit it will probably be another long day. This pictures is from Tuesday night - the day before the surgery - Braxton was okay until we got the the parking garage without dad and then he was concerned. When we left he was upset and stayed that way for about a hour and half. But we just kept telling him that dad needs to stay so he can get better.

Andy resting peacefully right after surgery yesterday.
This was the look most of the day yesterday. It is so hard coming off of all the drugs they have to give you.
And today we are on to bigger and better things. While he is more alert it is not normal, still real doped up. But we started the machine for movement and he is doing well so far.
Andy is running a fever right now so we are trying to get that down but other than that all is well. PT is coming in today to get some movement also. We hope to see the doctor later today and see how things look from his eyes.
Thanks again for all your prayers and calls. Andrea and Karl I can never tell you just how much we appreciate you and all that you are doing. I know it is hard to keep 3 boys but we appreciate the fact that you are willing and able. You have been our lifesavers and we will find a way to pay you back for all you do, have done and continue to do. Thanks!

On our way

Update: It is now 4:00 and we have finally made it back to the room. Andy is resting well. He opened his eyes long enough to know that he was in his room. He is in quite a bit of pain but that is to be expected at this time. I am so thankful that God watches over us and protects us the way that he does. I am thankful for a family that is concerned and checks in. I am thankful for a sister who is she-man and willing to take on my kids for extended hours at a time with a new born so that I can be here for my husband. Thanks again to everyone for the prayers.

Update: It is now 1:45 and I just met with the doctor. Andy is out of surgery and in recovery. He is doing well so they say. They had a little harder time getting the bones lined up than they anticipated so it took a little longer than expected. But they got it all fixed and put back together. Thanks for all your prayers and comments. We should get to go back to the room in about an hour or so. The fun part will begin now (2-3 months with no weight on that leg).

Well it is 10:00 and they just took Andy in for surgery. I am a bit of an emotional basket case but Andy was as calm as a cucumber. They said that everything should take about two hours so I will let you know when we are back in the room. Thanks again for the prayers.

What's going on?

Well I have been running in circles lately. Andrea did a great job of describing what is going on. I will have more updates tomorrow. Andy would really appreciate your prayers right now and Andrea, Karl, and Kaden could use them too. Thanks in advance for being prayer warriors for us.
The Beck's

Blessings

As I sit here looking out the window at all the snow falling I am reminded of how blessed we all really are. After reading some of your blogs and just reflecting on how much we have I am just so thankful for each and every blessing we enjoy as Christians. I have said a lot of prayers today and I know God has heard everyone. I pray that we will continue to look to our Father daily for guidance and wisdom because it seems those days when I think/feel that I am in control are the days that bring the most pain. Today I am thankful.

For little boys who want to make cookies
And others that just want to eat the icing
For family that we love and cherish
For crazy uncles
and for aunts that give my kids cookies (even when they don't eat their supper)
for new life
and the joys that it brings
for all the blessings we are given on a daily basis
and for all those little things that we just take for granted
We are truly blessed!!!

Kaden Wayne is here

While Andrea was not keen on me taking these pictures I assured her that all mothers have to have the ugly pictures on the day their kids are born so I got a couple. You can go here to get all the details.

The family
Wide awake with the flash
Braxton holding Kaden
Mom and baby
Sleeping peacefully

Baby Here

Just wanted to let all of you know that Baby K is here and mom and baby are doing well. While I do not want to steal their thunder I will let you check their blog for the info. I think Karl will have it updated in a few hours.

Fun times at the park with the cousins

First things first. Andrea is headed up for a c-section at the moment and we should know something within a couple of hours. We will let you know soon!
Here are some pictures we took at the park. We had a good time. Thanks everyone for meeting us there. We missed those who were not able to be there but know that next time out group will be bigger and better. Sorry for the way that Picasa crops the pictures. I will try to get some better ones out later.

Last post from Lamesa

It's Monday again and I am still behind. I can not believe that we have been home for a week and I am still not caught up. Oh well, it will come in time. We had a big ice storm this weekend and we were all home bound. It was kinda nice to spend time with family and not have to worry about having to be somewhere else. Sunday morning they canceled Bible Class and worship so we enjoyed a morning at home again. We did a lot of cleaning and catching up. The baby's room is officially cleaned up and ready for the baby. I still have some odds and ins to take care of before he arrives but we are miles closer than we were before.

Andrea is still holding on and will go to the hospital tonight and they will induce in the morning. Please continue to pray that all goes well. We will update all of you as soon as we know something.

The above pictures are from our trip to Texas and Lamesa. They are the last ones from the trip. I will try to post my pictures from Paris later this week and then play catch up from the last week.

Updates with no Pictures

While I still have a lot of pictures that I need to post I have some things that I need to update everyone on.

1. Andrea is still hanging in there. They will enduce on Dec 4 if the baby is not here by then, so stay tuned and we will let you know on Tuesday.

2. I took my first of many non-stress test for the baby yesterday and we did not pass, so we got to have an unscheduled ultrasound yesterday. Everything is great and baby is growing well. It is still a boy and he is 4 lbs and 8 oz. Thanks be to God for a healthy baby.

3. Andy had a consult yesterday for his eyes. Our plan was for him to have eye surgery over the Christmas holidays, however yesterday we found out that he might not be a candidate. There is a problem with his cornea and he will have to take some special eye drops for a couple of months and then we will go back and see where we are. We are praying for the best outcome for him and our family. While he was a little sad yesterday we were glad that the doctors were honest and willing to go through all the information with us.

Those are the updates we have for now. The boys are doing well. It is cold here and there is ICE all over the ground (we have not been outside today!) More to come soon!