I've been very busy recently, so here is an abbreviated summary of the end of 2009 for my family.
As previously noted, my father-in-law had moved in with us in November, and then he suddenly passed away the week before Thanksgiving. His funeral went well, and I spent one day before the funeral going through some of the things he had left in his old place that he had intended to move looking for financial paperwork. Then, my wife and I spent another day with a lot of help from friends and neighbors of his moving things out of his place and into storage before the November rent ran out. Each trip was 3+ hours each direction, so we tried to get as much done as we could each time. Sadly, the passing of my father-in-law lead to yet another straw on the camel's back of my wife and her remarried mother's relationship, and combined with the many other straws that had been piling up as my wife and her mother tried to build a new relationship, it has lead to my wife realizing that her mother is emotionally abusive to her and is not changing. We have cut off all contact again to protect my wife and children from further abuse.
In December, my oldest son had some difficulties at home and at school due to missing his grandpa. They were very close. We were afraid that he might try to start another fire, but instead his former obsessions with water and electricity manifested themselves when he took a radio power cord at school, filled a sink in the girls bathroom with water, and then connected the wires for the water faucet sensors to the radio power cord and dropped it in the water. Fortunately, he then went to the office to report that "someone" had done all that. We got him into his counselor, and he's been dealing with the grief and loss better since then. He's been helped a lot by having good family and friends around to spend time with.
The week before Christmas, we had my youngest son start wheezing due to some kind of cold combined with his asthma. We went to the doctor's office, and the PA who examined him did a strep culture, which came back negative. He then told us that it must be the flu, and the only flu going around right then was the swine flu. My youngest was put on Tamiflu, along with myself and another of my children since it was thought that we would have the most severe consequences if we got swine flu too. I started working from home so as not to infect anyone, and by about the third or fourth day we started thinking that it was a misdiagnosis. Thankfully, no one got very sick from whatever it was, but it was a pain to lay out $150 for all the Tamiflu. Still, that's better than what it would have cost without insurance.
It turned out to be a blessing that I was working from home that week. A few days before the "swine flu" incident, my wife started feeling sick to her stomach and having a lot of diarrhea. The week of Christmas, her pain intensified and became so severe that I had her into the ER early Wednesday morning, then again Christmas night, and then again the next morning. All of the tests were coming back negative, but the pain was so severe that she was admitted to another hospital so she could see a GI doctor before the next week. She was in the hospital for 4 days, and all of the tests still came back negative. She's been home for a week now, with little change. She can consume fluids, but anything very solid causes intense pain and vomiting. The best guess as to the cause has been an allergic reaction to some mineral supplements, but I'm doubting that guess now because she has stopped taking them and still isn't getting better. We are grateful that at least she can be home and rest in more comfort for the time being. She is scheduled for further testing next week, and we are considering what other options we might have in finding the cause and treatment for this condition.
Christmas itself was a very wonderful occasion, with both Santa AND a Secret Santa making an appearance at our house. We received a great outpouring of love and support from family, friends, and neighbors, and our hearts have been and continue to be touched by the kindness and generosity and love we have witnessed. My parents and youngest sister came out for a visit, and we had a wonderful day together (until about an hour or so after they left when the sudden pain for my wife came on).
So much for a brief summary! I just can't let this post end without pointing out that I think I understand the phrase "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" now. Even though we have had a rough several weeks, I find myself generally happy and feeling more grateful than angry or upset. God has heard and answered our prayers. His Son provided a way for us to return to live with Him again, and we celebrated his birth into this world. His children on this earth have been amazing examples of His love as they have so willingly stepped up and sacrificed of their own time and resources to assist my family. How could I feel anything but gratitude in the face of so many blessings?
