Week by Week, 20/52: Bike Rides, Strawberries, and CT Scans

This past week Elizabeth learned how to pedal a bike. Is it completely terrible that I had no idea she didn't already know how? I thought she just didn't enjoy it, which is why she always chose the wagon or the scooters. But no, apparently this is one of those things that slipped through the cracks because there are so many kids, and she wasn't a squeaky enough wheel to get oiled. Well, problem solved! She knows how to pedal a bike now, and she's so proud of herself. So now all four of the older kids are constantly in the driveway chasing each other on their bikes, or riding around in circles trying to get dizzy. 

We've been picking about half a gallon of strawberries from the garden every day! I probably could have gotten by without even needing to go strawberry picking at the patch nearby, but the kids enjoyed it and it was easy picking. At home there's a lot more looking under leaves and tossing mushy berries to the chickens, but our berries are tastier! I've made two batches of jam, enough to keep us supplied for at least half the year (assuming similar usage), and we've all been snacking on strawberries for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It's such a wonderful luxury, and soon enough we'll move on to the other fruit around our land - plums, blueberries (only a few this year), wild blackberries, and maybe the occasional raspberry pilfered from Grandma's canes!

Edith had her CT scan (see this original post) this week and we met with the surgeon to discuss when her surgery will need to be... Soon! June or July! So we're trying to coordinate with the surgeon and family members to make sure my poor mom isn't stuck at home with all the kids for the few days that we'll need to be in the hospital (it's 1.5-2 hours away, so coming home at night isn't exactly an option). Now we just need to schedule the surgery and keep her healthy until then, because operating on a sick baby isn't optimal. And I'm going back and forth between being nervous and anxious about the whole procedure, and then thinking, "Hey, they'll be operating for 3-4 hours... That's enough time to get a haircut and a pedicure!"

But no, probably not a good idea to do mid-surgery, right? Right. Particularly since I'm sure I'll be sitting around waiting for updates and hoping that they don't have to completely open her up (they try to go the minimally-invasive route first, and if it ends up being too complicated they open things up, which leads to a quicker surgery but a slightly longer recovery period and obviously more scarring).