Houston went for his first post-hospital orthopedic check-up on 7/18. It was a rough appointment for him, getting the old cast sawed and pried off, an x-ray done sans any cast, and his bright-red hard cast put on.

But Houston was a trooper. The orthopedist said that the intense finger pain he has been experiencing intermittently (usually at night) is normal, since those nerves are so closely tied to the elbow. The doc added that Houston should feel a greater sense of comfort and relief with each passing day.

Mommy & the dudes hang w/ the penguins @ the brand-new SciQuarium.

And most importantly, the x-ray showed that his elbow is healing extremely well, especially considering how severe was the break. Thank God!

I mean, just to think about the close calls we’ve had with the 3 Amigos’ health … Houston’s Horner’s Syndrome, Gabe and Zeke’s Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome, Zeke’s CCAM and lobectomy, now Houston’s elbow. My heart just overflows with gratitude for prayers answered and awe of the Lord.

Before the hard cast, I decided to let Houston go to the Children’s Museum on the first day of Mercy Hill’s Kids Week on 7/16. I was apprehensive since it was a drop off, but I was confident he could handle the outing, since he was with brothers and responsible adults whose rules and guidelines he’s used to following at church.

Amazingly, Houston can still do Legos even w/ a broken elbow & a hard cast.

But the next day’s Mercy Hill activity was a pool party. Of course, I didn’t want to torture the poor kid by taking him, so Houston hung out with the J-Crew that morning and went to see a dollar movie instead. Thanks, Miss Christie!

That way, I was able to volunteer for the event and at least let Gabriel and Zeke see their church friends and continue the week’s Bible lessons. Plus, I don’t want the twins’ swimming to come to a total halt just ’cause big bro can’t get his arm wet, so we’re working it where we can.

Gabriel & Zeke enjoy an impromptu hug & Mommy actually catches the shot!

The last day of Kids Week was at BounceU and coincided with the orthopedic appointment. Gabe and Zeke got to enjoy some jumping and sliding, while Daddy and I took Houston to the doc.

Since the hard cast, I’m not as anxious about Houston getting out and about. We went to the Science Center last Friday to see an omni-sphere movie and take brothers to the newly opened aquarium in the morning. That evening, the dudes attended a “Brave” party at Miss Christie’s house.

Gabriel questions the eye placement for his horse craft made @ Mercy Hill’s Kids Week.

Houston is a bit more mobile, too, being able to enjoy more typical child’s play, like running, pretend play, sandbox fun, etc. Hence, we have some more jaunts planned for later in the week and hope to keep things as normal as possible while Houston endures this lengthy healing process.

Kids Week was a great opportunity for me to get to meet and know better some of the other Mercy Hills parents and children. And it was a phenomenal learning experience for the twins.

The lessons were cowboy-themed, which obviously was a big hit with Gabe and Zeke. The gist was that God made Saul into a follower of Jesus, so the outlaw became a cowboy. And Jesus, the great rancher, always ensures this his cows and cowboys (followers of Christ) are cared for. Cool, huh?!

Zeke reaches for a stingray in the SciQuarium petting tank, but the fish weren’t feeling too friendly that day.

Moreover, if the kids memorized a Bible verse, they got to swing at a cowboy-boot piñata on the final day. Gabe and Zeke were quite inspired by the possibility of hitting the papier-mâché container filled with candy, so they quickly learned and recited the verse.

Random happy news: I have been backyard power walking for a few months now and also counting my calories since early June and have lost about 15 pounds. I still have a ways to go to get to my target weight, but needless to say, I am psyched!