And more

I had her all to myself for about 30 minutes today. It felt good to sit here and feed her a bottle. It reminded me so much of when Nick was new.

I think I mentioned Lucy and Chloe meeting Emily. Here are a couple pictures. Also of Nick reading a book to Miss Em at their home.

Sunday afternoon.

Kids are so unique. In all six of Nick's years he never ONCE had a problem at Gramma and Papa's house...going to sleep that is. This is as much home to him as his own home. Last night was a first. He had a wonderful time until the lights went out, then he came in to me asking if he could call Mommy and Daddy to say goodnight. It was 10:30 and I was afraid they would be asleep but he got teary so we called. No answer but Becky called back within minute. While he talked to her he started crying. This is unheard of. He wanted to be with them, missed them and Miss Emily. (He still calls her Miss.) I settled him down and actually laid with him until he fell asleep but about 10 minutes later he woke up again crying and itching. Nick is skin sensitive to a few things and his back was all broken out. New PJ's and they were washed with Dreft so maybe it was the Dreft. Anyway he cried again so I took him to bed with me. He slept for a wonderful 12 hours in my bed.
Becky, Chris and Emily got here just a bit after he got up. Nick showed Emily all her stuff at Gramma's. We had to put her in the crib, swing, bouncer and lay her on the dressing table. LOL. Lucy got to sniff and lick and wanted to steal the socks off her feet and mittens off her hands. We are so lucky that Boxers are gentle as lambs. It was nice to have them all here for awhile.

Just because she's so special

Friday 10/24

I took this picture before I headed home this afternoon. Becky took the one below after I left. I emailed back saying she looked like a cute puppy dog begging with those hands like that. LOL.,

Saturday 10/25

Today we went for a visit. The baby has SO many clothes she has to be changed at least twice a day to wear them all. LOL,
She was sleeping when we arrived. Did not stir the whole time the guys fixed the door latch, even with the pounding. (She is sleeping in her crib.) When John was ready to go I had not had a chance to hold her so he just went in and scooped her out of bed and brought her to me. She still do not wake up but stretched like a big girl.



Nick is a little bored so Gramma and Papa brought him here for an overnight. It will also give Mommy and Daddy some extra needed rest. Nick is a good boy but we hate to let him play video games constantly just to keep him out of the way. Tomorrow they will come pick him up and we will show Emily her room at Gramma's house.
Thanks to everyone for your kind words and thought shared on my blog.

Thursday night...still tired.

Tired...but full of the joy only a new baby can bring.

Nick had a hard time going to sleep last night because of his cough. This exhausted Gramma forgot to give him his singulair in the inhaler before his way late bedtime. I finally gave him a nebulizer treatment with saline and it worked it's charm and out he went. When I realized about 10 minutes later I forgot his singulair I had him do the inhaler anyway...to be safe. He barely wakes up once he is out.
I had NO problem getting him up. He could not wait to get to school to share his excitement with the teacher and class. The drop off time is between 7:30 and 8:00 and we got there about 7:40. I wanted to go in with him and he was glad to show me the way and around. (I had not been in the school yet nor have I met his teacher.) I signed in and went to his classroom with him. It was empty but shortly after that his teacher came in with TONS of enthusiasm and excitement...revving him up even more. After he showed her the pictures and she Ohed and Ahed she said...."Come on Nick!! Let's take you around the school to brag!!" He sweetly asked if he could take the pictures and in her unbelievably enthusiastic voice said, "OF COURSE." Of we went back towards the office where I signed back out and watched a few more minutes while he showed everyone within eye and ear shot the pictures and about how "cute" she is and his singing her a lullaby and getting to hold her. It is a shame his Mom and Dad couldn't see him. I left the school with tears in my eyes.
When I got home I emailed Becky to let her know about his night and how excited he was.
She asked if I was coming by myself....before we brought the boy after school. I had not necessarily thought I would, (bed sounded good), so instead of emailing back I called and she wanted me. It feels good to be needed. I just took care a couple things here and went as I was in my sweats. The hospital will not let Mom keep the baby in the room alone until she is back on her feet and Becky was still all hooked up. Chris had to go to work so Emily was only in to eat and a nurse has to stay with them. When I arrived Em was in the nursery and the nurses had just arrived to unhook her so I was there to help her take a shower and get into her own comfy clothes. That always feels so good. By the time she was comfy I had already had Emily brought to the room. We had a fairly low key morning.
At lunch time some friends from work came up with lunch and Chris was coming in so I took off to come home, shower, pick up my house, Nick and then head back again.
Becky has decided that staying there until Wednesday is TOO long so she is making arrangements to come home tomorrow evening so Nick can be there to bring Miss Emily home...can't do it during the day because of school...and the doctor had told her today it will not be a problem. I'm sure it won't be. Chris is off now for 2 weeks.
The hospital has been WONDERFUL. Hard to believe for me that this is the same hospital I was in 7 weeks ago. She has a thousand times more care...even when she COULD get out of bed...then I had even in those first hours after my surgery. I should demand a refund. LOL.

On Wednesday evening Aunt Colleen, Uncle Jason and cousin Maggie came to visit. Maggie wanted to hold the baby of course. Nick was so excited but had to show her how to do it..so we set him up in the chair first then let her hold Emily. It was funny to see his possessiveness. It was not an obvious thing like not sharing a toy but he definitely did not want Mag's to hold his baby sister. He told her she could sit next to him but was too small to hold her..at first that is. You can kind of see it in his face when Maggie is holding her.
John and I left quickly with Nick to come home and after we left Maggie had Emily and Aunt Becky to herself.

The striped caps are supplied by the hospital. Some time during the night Emily had been given a bath and when the nurse brought her back to Becky and Chris she had the hat on but with this bow in the front. The nurse had cut small slits in one and pulled another through the slits to make the bow. Of course the phone came out to snap a picture. So darn cute.

Just this summer the hospital opened up a newborn boutique on the third floor where the babies are. They brought in gift bag today for the new Mom with a few little items in it and a 20% off coupon. So convenient that it is right down the hall for new Moms and the best thing Mom can do is walk right? LOL. John and Nick babysat Emily while Becky and I went shopping. They had some really nice stuff but the sizes were limited..poor stock. There were three things we fell in love with but the only sizes left were preemies and Emily is too big for them.
We picked up a couple really nice bamboo cotton wraps that make so much more sense then the stupid receiving blankets you find in stores that are TOO small. It is made in a triangle. Becky also got this headband which is extremely soft and what is nice about it...it has a tiny band under that bow and you buy any bow you want and clip it on the headband. Too fun and she is so beautiful.

Videos....I hope. Volumn may need turning up high.

Enjoy!!! He says, "I'm nervous."

When Papa asks where he learned the song Mommy says she sings it to him and Miss Emily in her tummy every night.

Nick is proud to introduce Miss Emily

Miss Emily entered the world at 8:01 this morning. She weighs in at 8lbs. and is 20.25 inches long with a head full of dark hair.
Nick is in awe. When we first arrived in the room...which was the recovery room...he was afraid to touch her. It didn't take long for us to warm him up and after that he could not take his hands off her. When we were moving Becky and Baby to the third floor he helped Daddy push the bassinet and just kept holding her little hand and petting her. He was NOT happy when they took her to the nursery to be cleaned up.
For now I have just added some pictures. We did a couple of quick videos that I need to process. When Nick was holding her in the rocking chair and she started to cry he starting singing Rock-a-Bye baby. You may not be able to hear his singing but in the video he is singing to her and she quiets down and actually yawns. He was unbelievable thrilled and it brought tears to both sets of Grandparents and his Mom and Dad.
Chris is over the moon. I was ready to shoot him since I had not heard word one by 9:45 and was getting worried but he just COULD NOT put her down. LOL.
Becky is doing fine. Maybe a little tired but seems to feel better this time after the c-section then with Nick.

At this point the boy was still afraid to touch her.


Bright eyed Miss Emily


Looking at my big brother. They say babies recognize voices in the womb and Emily's reaction to Nick's voice certainly makes it ring true with what we witnessed when he talked to her this morning. I think she quieted more for him then anyone else.

Busy weekend.

Whew....I am exhausted. We had Maggie this weekend and she was WONDERFUL. Most important she went to bed like a big girl in the guest bed and slept almost 12 hours. Think we exhausted her. Thank goodness for a heated pool.
Maggie got here about 9 Saturday morning and she and John met the Pearce's at a local fire station for a kids visit day. It was awesome. Much more involved then any we have ever been to in the past. Not only did the tour the WHOLE building including sleeping quarters but they got to watch the firemen in full garb using the jars of life on a car and the kids got to put out a fire with the hoses. I have added a few cute picks of the kids.

When they came home after lunch...the Pearce's too....we had Nick and Maggie take short rest then into the pool they went along with our neighbor. 4 hours. It is amazing how much time they spend in the water now...and never get bored. What makes this even more special is Nick is officially a fish. No vest for 3 of the 4 hours. (He got tired and wanted his vest then.) Remember my pool goes from 3 to 8 ft. and these kids are spending 80% of the time jumping off the board and in the deep end. He has learned the pool so well. Safe zones and where they are and how to get there. It is amazing. He is not necessarily "swimming" but treading water and using a back float when he needs to get his feet on a surface. Makes us tired to watch him....but he seems oblivious now. Mind you there are at LEAST three of us with eyes on him at all times. We watch all the kids but the 2 Moms and Gramma are constantly aware of Nick with no vest just in case. Maggie sometimes forgets and will grab him to give him a hug. Down he goes but he doesn't panic anymore and we quickly YELL to Maggie to let go. Yes, all three of us usually. LOL
I also stuck a couple pics of Becky in here for comparison on the belly. She is pretty uncomfortable and swollen with water retention but only 10 days to go...unless Miss Emily decides to come earlier.

First picture is from September 8th. Second...October 11th with 11 days to go.

Before John and Maggie left for the fire station Maggie asked if Emily was going to be there. Yes indeed she was there. LOL.
Maggie putting out the fire. Note the braid. Boy I wish I could french braid..but I love playing with her hair and she loves me doing it. The one on one complete attention from Gramma is special to her since we get very little time together. Sunday we did Hawatha braids.

They really do love each other. LOL.

Been a long time.

But...it has also been a long month...September that is. I have had complications from the surgery causing much pain. Hopefully it will be solved soon. I will update when I have answers. The knee however, is GREAT.
John returned to DC this week for the first time in 2 months. We were hoping for every other week now but it will not happen. He will be here the week Emily is born though.

We have now hit the end of the wait for Emily. Unless labor starts sooner her delivery date is October 22nd. Nick will stay here Tuesday night and by the time John, Nick and I get up in the morning Emily will be here. After breakfast we will have the joy of taking him to meet his new baby sister. It is pretty exciting and I am so glad to be part of it. I am trying to figure out how I can get John into the room with the video camera ...or have Emily NOT in the room when we get there. I really want to catch him on video. It is pretty exciting to be viewing this, not only as thrilled Grandparents but through the eyes of an excited big brother.
I have done some projects this month for Emily and have added pictures. I am not the greatest at arts and crafts...sewing and knitting...but both Becky and I love the more personalized burb diapers. Kind of fun. Mine are the dots...hers are the others. I finally finished the blanket last night. I hit a few snags but worked my way through them and I am proud of it.
My Nick is doing very well at school. He cannot stop talking in class...such a chatterbox...but he does love it. He also has a crush on a girl named Katie and tells his Mom and I all about the beautiful clothes she wears each day. LOL. He is getting used to doing homework and seems to actually enjoy it sometimes. We are still managing to squeeze in playtime with his friend Elliot across the street. I hope that continues. The boys have gotten SO close. The rest of the world barely exists when they are together. Too funny.
Things will probably be fairly quiet around here until Emily is here and I will post ASAP with pictures, movies and stories.

John is officially 60

That number is spooky for me. It just does not sound right. LOL.
Thanks to the girls we had a very nice celebration here yesterday. Swimming, visiting and a wonderful dinner. Chris made the most outstanding pork chops on the grill. Not a pork chop fan here...but they were outstanding. I don't think anyone got pictures but I will check with Chris. I know he was snapping some shots with his iPhone. It was a wonderful time had by all.

Pictures from the party.

Can you see "The Pregnant Lady" going into a panic in the backround? She thought Lucy was going to knock Elliot into the pond.The kids ganged up on the birthday boy.We had to explain to Maggie that since Nick is not wearing a vest she CANNOT hang on him. He actually was holding his own pretty well as we all panicked.
Check out that boy diving. We are so proud. Miss Lucy does occasionally take a rest from playing with the kids.

Ice Cream cake hint. Take out of the freezer early. LOL. Maggie was so excited about her Barbie she dropped it into the cake while Becky struggled to get a knife through it.

When your as old as dirt, you buy presents for the little ones on your birthday at my house. LOL.

First day of School 2008

As promised. Maggie started Kindergarten and Nick started 1st Grade. Nick was in private K so this is his first BIG school experience. He was so brave and the second day just hopped out of the car and headed off to his class. They grow up TOO fast.

The Good. The Bad. And The Ugly!!!

Hello all. Saturday after surgery and I guess I am more like my Dad then I thought. I feel good. Nothing like so many I have known and heard of. Peggy said it is a Weber girl thing and I guess she is right. Today we went to Walmart to grocery shop. It was fun, riding the electric cart through the store, and we got tons of stuff done...groceries bought. I just pointed. I didn't hit anyone and got good at those 3 point turns I never need anymore. LOL. I actually ran into my GP there so she was able to see how well I am doing. It was tiring though and my ankle is puffy but I came home and took a nap and will ice the leg the rest of the evening while we catch a movie.

Surgery was Monday and the schedule went without a hitch. John got a little spooked waiting for them to bring me to my room because I...no...THEY were delayed....but I eventually showed up. All went well and I had no problems with the anesthetic or anything else. I was even OK with the cathater. They usually drive me nuts but the person who put it on must have done a good job. Thank goodness since I was glued to that bed for 10 hours. It was pretty early when I got to my room. Just a little after noon. They got me all settled in and tons of names with extensions were written on my white board. New procedures. Everyone carries phones in their pocket. You need something call. Your nurse, your care co-ordinator, your PT, whoever. Now...the care co-ordinator had introduced herself to me before I went into surgery. She will be with me the whole way to be sure I am getting what I need when I need it. Boy that sounded so good. She will be there before, during and after for up to 6 months follow up. Sounds good right. Not happening as far as I can see.
The first problem hit when I got in the room and was getting instructions on calling anyone I needed. My phone did not work. Of course that would be remedied ASAP but sadly it did not get replaced for 24 hours. Not only that but the care coordinator never came back. The one person who would have fixed ALL my problems was not a phone call away. I spent 24 hours on a deserted island, at least that is what it felt like. If I needed anything I hit the nurse button but it would be 30 to 45 minutes before anyone appeared. I was also in a room farthest from the nurses station. It was pretty awful. When my PT person walked in the room on Tuesday afternoon I just melted down in tears. She did A LOT to be sure the rest of my stay was better. Still not great...but better and at least I could move more.
On top of all the lack of care in general they "LOST" my beautiful brand new robe. It was picked up by laundry never to be seen again. They are reimbersing me but first we will fight about papers they want filled out. Why do I need to fill out tax forms? Does not make sense to me.
I had some problems getting on the right pain meds. The typical stuff that does not need spelling out.
The doctor wanted me to stay until Thursday even though I was beating all the expectations to pieces on my walking and flexing but I begged to come home Wednesday. At least here I was surrounded by love and care and could get some much needed sleep. John picked me up about 8 PM Wednesday night and it IS wonderful to be home.
Both nursing care and PT has been out once and will be back next week but everything is going well.
The walker is a pain in the butt but a single foot cane is not enough on the average so I will have the nurse arrange to get a good cane brought out on Tuesday when she comes to visit.
Other then that I am sitting here starved...waiting or the Shrimp Pasta to be ready. John is cooking. I fixed the bread like always. Tomorrow will be busy with weekly yard work that NEEDS doing. I cannot do most of it but will be out there to cheer John on.

Nick and Maggie started school on Monday. Sadly I have not had the chance to talk to Mags about her days yet. I was too sick Tuesday night for a visit, but I have seen Nick. He tells everyone Gramma got a new leg. He thinks the staples are holding the new leg on. If anyone comes in he wants to show them. It is a regular strip show around here. LOL. That is going to end though. Things are now at their PEEK of ugliness. The pictures came out good DH said. It is really that ugly. "Thanks Hon."
I am wearing these white stockings so don't really see it that often. My ankle is as bruised as my thigh and I cannot figure that out.
The point here was...Nick...he is liking this first grade thing very much. Still has to be pulled back on task and sometimes make the wrong choices....following the lead of a bad boy and throwing food at lunch....but he is learning what is acceptable and how to deal in such a large group. He is smarter then a whip and I hope he will not get bored waiting for others to catch up in reading. I am still waiting for first day pictures. Will add those later.
Couple pictures of my "new" leg. Lordy it is ugly.

Our trip to Chicago.

We left DFW on Thursday, August 21st. The flight left on time. The weather was great and first class is truly wonderful. Renting the car went without a hitch and cost all of $2.75. Love it.
We drove to Naperville and popped in on Tracy Ferak. Becky's good friend. She just added another baby girl to her family and we visited for a short time, meeting not only the baby but her 3 year old daughter Isabella for the first time. Tracy has a lovely home and it was a quick but great visit.

Mia and Isabella

We then drove down the road in Naperville and stopped into my hairdresser for 25 years...also a very close friend for those years....and surprised him. It was nice because he was not real busy so we also had time to catch up on news and share pictures of the girls weddings and grands with him.

Sue and Ed

Then off to Dad's to see his condo and pick him up for dinner. PIZZA!!! It was BEYOND BELIEF. How do we survive without it? Two of the waitresses from 12 years ago...still there. NOTHING changes there. We had the great cheddar cubes for starters and then ate tons of pizza. We ordered one to take with us and had that reheated in the microwave on Friday night at 10 PM and again....WONDERFUL.

Dad had a hamburger but took home the left over pizza from dinner.

We then drove around the stomping grounds where we raised the girls. It is beyond belief the growth in that little town. They even put up a mall with Macy's in it since we've been gone. There is NOTHING that the town does not have now. The neighborhoods we are so familiar with all looked the same except for the trees, which are so much bigger then they were 11 years ago. The high school is now a middle school and the high school...well...unbelievable. When I think of the conflicts we put up with...the dance team....in getting a tiny space for practive because of the little gym and one common area....my mind is boggled by what they have now. It was fun to see the changes and yet the things that stay the same.

We took Dad home then and drove downtown. Good timing too. The Bears game started at 7 so we missed the mess passing Soldier's Field. After checking in we took a short walk to get some coffee. It amazed us how gentrified downtown is. I could live there in a fancy condo with no car....maybe for a year or two. It would be fun to live like that and a beautiful place to do it. Maybe in the new building Trump is building? I can certainly afford a million for a condo.

Friday we did not rush to get up and left the hotel around 11. We walked to the Wacker and Michigan where the tour boats are leaving from temporarily while the original place is being rebuilt...mind you to accommodate the handicapped. I was in trouble then since I had done some steps earlier. Walking up and down steps and slopes is murder on the knee. Getting down to the boats has maybe 75 stairs. Yikes. John went down alone to check the status since there were TONS of people getting tickets and standing in line waiting to board. There are a few boats that go out and it was looking like the wait would be forever. We got pretty lucky. We only stood in line for 30 minutes and boarded a smaller boat then the usual. The tour was a delightful hour and a half out on Lake Michigan and down the Chicago river to learn some history of the buildings.
I had been on these tours many times with my Junior Misses but John had never been on one and we both truly enjoyed it, despite some gray skies and a little drizzle. The water was a bit choppy too but we sat in the back of the boat so stayed dry. Wonderful thing to do if you are ever in Chicago.

John and Sue with Navy Pier behind them.

Some shots of the skyline, Navy Pier and lake front from Lake Michigan. Cloudy day but beautiful nonetheless.

We walked back to the hotel, cleaned up a little and took a cab to Navy Pier. Another surprise for us. We had not been there since the rebuild except during the Xmas holidays 13 years ago and everything was shutdown. What a fun place for all ages. Too much walking but we traversed the whole thing then had lunch at Bumba Gumps Shrimp Place. That was disappointing I am sorry to say but Pizza at 10 that night washed away the distaste of lunch.
Some shots below from Navy Pier. There is a garden...or whatever it is called...up on the second floor. So beautiful. I'm glad we found the elevator.

Garden on/in Navy Pier.

Below are 2 pictures. This sculpture is on the walk outside Navy Pier. It is Bob Newhart and his couch. It is amazing how real they look. The couch really looks like a couch. John and I chatted with Dr. Robert Hartley, Bob Newhart. Wonder if he is really that small?

We again walked back to the hotel where I iced my knee and John checked in at work email. Enough resting!! We're off again. To Millennium Park in Chicago. An all new area near in Grant Park. Millennium Park
This Cloud Gate structure is the most amazing thing we have ever seen. We could have walked around it forever looking at the city from different aspects reflecting in it...especially with the sun going down changing the reflection moment by moment. Awesome thing to see. Hope the pictures give a fairly decent idea of how awesome it looks. We sat and watched the little ones play in the water and just enjoyed people watching.
It's not like a pond water or deep water. It is like splashing in one huge puddle that runs between two of these huge buildings with water running down them. The following are pictures of cloud gate but Chicagoan's call it The Bean.

The Chicago Symphony was performing at the concert shell but we were not at all prepared to sit on the grass and we wanted to get to the Buckingham fountain for the first show...so again WALKED down to the fountain. It is as we both remember it. What a treat. We talked about when it was built and had no clue, but our good old iPhones and Google we could look up any history we wanted on the spot. It was built in 1927 so it is no wonder we cannot remember a time that it was not there. Again delightful...and the same.


The light show is done to music. The shots John took with the camera came out dark but the ones I took with the iPhone came out much better. It was great to see again. Being there brought back so many memories from our youth. And I mean youth because I can remember going there before I even started School. That would make it before Peggy was born and it was just 3 of us girls. We would sit by the lake and dance and sing as a trio for Mom and Dad while we waited for the light show.

Thank goodness we nabbed a cab and headed off to the hotel because we were both pooped by then.

This AM we had a relaxing breakfast, people watched and decided to get the car out of hock and drive through John's old neighborhood and the first apartment we lived in together. It was fun to think back and again to the familiar yet see all the changes.
We then headed to O'Hare a little early figuring to relax there for a couple hours. That's where the fun ended. LOL. Travel today is not fun. But I will just say we did not arrive home until close to 10 PM instead of 5 PM. John had to drive back for our suitcase and we ended up awake until 2 AM.

Today we prepare for me to head to the hospital in the morning. If my nerves were not bad enough, we got a letter confirming the insurance approval on the surgery and it not only has John as primary insured but John getting the surgery. Sigh. This scares the pants off us. We are attempting to get this straightened out today but it may not be possible so he will be on the phone in the AM before and while I am under the knife.

Hope you enjoyed my travelogue. Your probably hoping I do not travel often. LOL. This is so long. But again...it was delightful. Chicago is definitely a place to see. Mayor Daley has just an absolutely AMAZING job in that city over the years.