Early morning fall

Today was difficult.

Steve fell in the bathroom around 5 a.m. (Waking to the sound of your one true love falling to the floor is one of the most horrifying sensations.) He hit his head and parts of his left side.

After I found no obvious signs of broken bones or cuts, we started working on a plan to get him up on his feet. Steve did his best to move his body around, but nothing was working. Our old strategy isn't compatible with the current weak state of his left side.

I googled "how to lift someone off the floor" and found a bunch of warnings -- don't attempt to do this at home unless you're trained. I found one that offered hope, but we soon realized his left side wouldn't support any weight.

So I called 911. The Frisco dispatcher is always calm and reassuring. A few minutes later, the fire truck and ambulance crews were at the front door.

Six guys crowded into our bathroom to assess the situation, take vitals and help. Even in his pain and discomfort Steve was joking a little.

They eventually got him on his feet and straight to his walker. Steve decided that he didn't want to be evaluated in an ER, so the EMTs left.

They were here about an hour. The trucks' lights flashed in front of our house the entire time. The guys moved in and out the front door with radio noise. Cooper and Katie never stirred once. In Katie's case, I think an angel must have kept her eyes and ears closed. She's our early riser, often beating the alarm clock.

We know we can't and shouldn't shelter them from every moment of this journey. But we're thankful to keep them sheltered so far from the image of emergency vehicles in front of our house.

Steve stayed in bed most of the day. He felt great pain in his back. Plus some of his kidney stone pain returned. With the help of pain meds, he took a much needed long nap.

In the meantime I visited with Dr. M's group on the phone plus our previous home health physical therapist.

The physical therapist is scheduled to evaluate Steve at home late tomorrow afternoon. He will help determine what Steve can safely do and teach me how to help him with transitions and movement.

Dr. M is working on some other solutions that we'll discuss more Tuesday.

By late afternoon, Steve was able to move from bed to the kitchen table. (We ate a delicious dinner delivered by Melinda, who read my Facebook/Twitter update early this morning and, like so many of you, offered help right away.)

He's back in bed now, definitely feeling some discomfort from the day but in good spirits considering what he's endured in just the last two days. (An exciting episode of 24 always helps.)

My own spirits were lifted by treats from Liz, Kris and Holly and notes and calls throughout the day from other sweet friends.

And someone special left a giant basket of arts and crafts activities on the front steps, discovered when Cooper came home from school. I just wish I'd had my camera handy to capture their joy.

Nothing could beat the joy that Steve and I felt at the dinner table tonight, though.

Steve asked Cooper what his favorite part of the day was. He answered, "Getting to see you after school, Daddy."

And then Cooper held our hands as he said our mealtime prayer:

God is grace

God is good

Let us thank Him for our food

And please help Daddy

And everyone else in need.

Amen.