Papa recently had two weeks off work. If your wondering what wonderful project we got done in that time I'll tell you! Nothing.. Well unless you count the fact, and I do, that Papa can now get off the couch, walk, drive and sit!! (I on the other hand lost 2.5 lbs!!) He has had sciatica pain before but NEVER like this! Turns out, after several doctor visits, rides to the 'city' to see our favorite chiropractor, several pain meds and a trip to the ER that Papa has a bulging disk in his lower back which is pinching his sciatica nerve!! It was a bit stressful!! I've NEVER before had Papa ask ME to drive him to the 'city.' Normally he avoids me driving at all costs. *Something about waking up heading backwards towards a ditch? I'm not sure what his problem is? We survived after all!! :) Besides that it was years and years ago!!
Anyway so if your stuck pretty much flat on your back for about a week when your normally a pretty active working man you find things to do.. when your awake anyway. His pain meds made him sleep and sleep and sleep and sleep!! The kids of course loved having Papa home and several days he helped me with school.. when he could keep his medicated muddled mind on it that is. Note to Self.. E, our little airhead *lovingly said, and Papa on drugs = very little school done!! He did teach them the Jr. Monopoly game which they all love. L, so far, is our little Mr. Monopoly much to J's dismay! :) The 4 kids play and Papa is the banker. They are all even learning from it. R is counting better and better and E, L and J are all working on their adding and subtracting skills.
Papa has now been back to work for 3 days. He's drugged pretty good and has a 'helper' at work to do all his heavy stuff but he's working!! PTL!! The kids and I are getting used to him being gone all afternoon and evening again and doing school like crazy people to get our extra's done as well as the reading program before little Miss Baby G comes along. On that note, I'm not sure doing the chores twice a day for a week did anything good for my pregnant self but I'm really grateful to be doing chores only 4 times weekly again instead of 14!! And looking forward to being chore free as I normally am at the last few weeks of pregnancy. Papa's back could take awhile to heal completely but they are expecting him to make a full recovery. For now though we are still slowing down life, which is surprisingly hard to do on a farm, and still trying to be ready for winter when it hits. We still have some meat birds of a friends to butcher, hay to haul, Maggie to get bred, calves to provide for, piglets to sell and cut, and firewood to finish!! Never mind the cold weather prep like water and hoses and heat tapes. Things are looking up though! In the last 2 weeks we've gotten two dump truck loads of firewood brought right to the house and dropped off in the yard which has blessed us amazingly!! We've also got a Papa who can drive, walk and work again!!
