Life Lately: Chaos, Courage, and a Missing Tooth
Whew—what a whirlwind the last few weeks have been! School’s out for summer, I underwent major back surgery, and Lulu lost her very first tooth. Buckle up, because it’s been a wild ride!
Thankfully, my incredible mother-in-law swooped in like a domestic superhero. She stayed with us for three weeks and kept the whole operation running while I was basically out of commission. We're talking laundry, cooking, cleaning, and getting all the kids out the door for summer school—which, by the way, starts at 7 a.m. (Bless her heart.💖)
Now, about that tooth. Lucy was casually watching TV while the rest of us were scrambling around the kitchen getting dinner together. She strolled in, chatting away about her wiggly tooth, and when Dad took a peek—sure enough, it was hanging on for dear life. One quick tug and pop!—out it came. She barely blinked. The Tooth Fairy left her a whopping $3, and she was over the moon.
As for me, after years of putting it off, I finally tackled my back issues. Turns out, correcting the scoliosis I had surgery for 37 years ago required a full-on orthopedic showdown. The surgeons removed my old rod, re-fused my spine, added new hardware, fused three more levels, and even bolted things down into my hips. Ten hours on the table. Recovery has been no joke—but I’m already healing faster than expected, which has surprised even my doctor. (Cue cautious optimism.)
And then there’s my husband—the real MVP. He’s been my rock through all of this, helping me with everything while also working extra shifts to cover for a coworker… who also had back surgery. He comes home completely wiped, but still plays with the kids, does the meds-baths-bedtime routine solo, and somehow keeps showing up with love and patience. The man deserves a medal. Or at least a paid vacation and a week of naps.
This summer has been a lot. We're tired—bone-deep, soul-weary tired—and the kids are just about ready to dive back into the comfort of school routines. That structure, that predictability… it’s where they feel safe. Honestly, we all do.
We’ve been so lucky to have extra help lately—our oldest daughter came home this week to pitch in with the kids and tackle the daily chaos. But now, as we prepare to go it alone again, I’ll admit... it’s daunting.
I'm still on strict recovery restrictions—no bending, twisting, reaching, or driving for at least four more weeks. And while I don’t exactly know how we’re going to juggle it all without someone else in the house, I do know this: we’ll figure it out. Somehow, some way, we always do.
Because that’s who we are. We persevere. We adapt. We stumble, but we keep moving forward. One day, one deep breath at a time.
