Wendy's 29th Birthday

This is my lovely sister, Wendy, and her beautiful little family. 

Wendy turned 29 yesterday - no seriously, she really did turn 29.  Of course she doesn't look a day over 25.  I called her this evening to wish her a Very Happy Birthday ... and she sweetly informed me that I'm a day late.  I've said this before and I'll say it again - I can't keep track of my 7 siblings birthdays.  My memory is my worst enemy - just ask my husband.

In keeping with my birthday posts for my brothers Jon, Dave, and Doug, I must share a few facts and stories about this fabulous YOUNG lady.  

When Wendy was born, the nurses brought her into my mother dressed like a little bunny with a surgical mask over her tiny face and whimsical bunny ears propped on her wee head.  She was our perfect Easter baby.  Wendy was always a peacemaker in the home ... and we desperately needed a peacemaker with 8 children under the age of 10!!!

Wendy's young life was not free of challenges but she always handled herself with grace and maturity beyond her years.  Our physician discovered that Wendy had severe scoliosis when she was still a preschooler.  Actually, my brother, Chad, and I like to take credit for the scoliosis diagnosis ... and so I shall digress for a moment.  You see, one day as we were on a lengthy family road trip, Chad and I decided to pass the time by playing school health nurse (an obvious choice) as we bounced along the back roads of Montana in our yellow and white crew cab pick-up truck.  

We had recently been screened for scoliosis at school and felt quite knowledgeable in this regard.  We somehow convinced each of our younger siblings to take turns baring their backsides (from the waist up people - keep it clean!) to us so we could check for unusual curvatures of the spine and misaligned shoulder blades.  As we adeptly (wink) worked through the crowd in the back seat, Chad suddenly said "Mom, I really think Wendy really has scoliosis!  Look at the S shape of her spine, and her shoulder blades don't look right either". (or something along those lines)

A short time later during Wendy's pre-school physical the doctor confirmed our suspicions.  The spine specialists then determined that her scoliosis was so severe that her internal organs were in jeopardy and immediately  had her fitted for a body brace that ran from her neck to her tailbone.  The brace forced her ribs into place, hampering further advancement of the scoliosis.

As you can imagine, the brace was terribly uncomfortable and left bruises and large, painful callouses all over her delicate frame.  But Wendy rarely complained about the pain and discomfort nor did she make a fuss about all the activities from which she was restricted because she needed to wear the brace 24/7.  She would sit quietly on the side-lines at her sisters' gymnastic meets or sit by and watch her siblings jump on the trampoline and ride horses and etc. - but she was rarely allowed to participate in such activities.  She had the patience of a Saint.

When Wendy reached her early teens, the doctors decided they couldn't allow her any more time to grow - they had to operate to avoid the mounting risk of her ribs puncturing her lungs (my mom is much better versed in all the medical complications).  So in short, they sliced her back open, clipped out pieces of her spine, ran a steel rod down the length of her back, and then "glued" (for lack of a better description) the pieces of her spine back into place where possible. The surgery was MUCH MORE COMPLICATED than that but I'm trying to keep this part of the story somewhat succinct. I couldn't be with Wendy on the day of her surgery as my mother had moved to Canada with the younger children and I was attending college in Washington state at the time, but my heart, thoughts, and prayers were consumed with pleas to the Father for her welfare. 

The good news is that she eventually healed perfectly and has since lived a relatively normal and happy life.  She brought 3 gorgeous boys into this world and she is a talented and doting mother.  She and her husband, Jake, live in the beautiful mountains of Idaho where they can enjoy the abundance of snow.  They are snow bunnies (bunny pun intended) and don't appreciate my propensity to worship the sun and the glorious heat of summer!

I am so grateful for my younger sister.  While I may be older in years, I have often felt that her soul is much older and wiser than mine.  She is a great listener and one of my closest friends.

Wendy, I wish I could have been with you to celebrate your special day.  When I hit the big 40, in the not too distant future, we need to plan a sisters-only retreat.  I'm thinking somewhere that includes a nice spa where we can be massaged and pampered to our hearts' content - sans the needy children and spouses!!!  What do you say? 

I LOVE YOU SIS!!!