Sunday, May 31, 2009

Drate Drate Drama's in the Hassa-bibble

So, the good news? It looks like Christopher may have inherited my sense of direction. Saturday we were on our way to the hospital and we were a couple blocks away (in a neighborhood he'd been in only once before) when I asked him who we were going to see, and he told me We were on our way to the hassabibble to see Drate Drate Drama (she's only his 1 great grandma, but he calls her Drate Drate) She'd have got a kick out of when he'd call her Great Grandma.

The Bad News is my Grandma is dying.

It's weird feeling. Bittersweet is the best way I can describe. Good in that she won't be suffering any longer, but bad that she's sick and I can't imagine how much this hurts my Dad.
It's been fast too. My Grandma is a Character. She got sick just over two weeks ago. She's 94, but doesn't look it, and really hasn't acted it, until the last 2 months. In that time, she's fallen more often, become more frail. Just a couple months ago my Dad moved her from the apartment in an assisted living neighborhood that she was in for the last 7 years (when she sold her 2 story house because the stairs were getting a bit much for her), to a studio that is attached to the assisted living neighborhood. She was taking care of herself. They would come escort her down to the cafeteria for meals, but that was it. My Dad would be by to clean a bit, do laundry, but she was self-medicating. Two weeks ago, my Dad and Stepmom were in Europe, and I got a call from the Nursing Staff about Grandma Neva. They'd found her in a state of dissarray, and wanted someone to come down to check on her. When we got there, they had gotten her dressed, and brought her a meal tray that she hadn't touched, and she was curled in a ball in her bed. She didn't recognize us. Though she was nice as pie to all who were there. We were worried about an overdose so we called 911, and the EMTs ran her over to St. Francis. Once we got there, they did a CT scan and X-ray, and found she had pneumonia. The next day she fell into such a deep sleep no one could wake her. They thought she might be coding, but it was just sleep. By the next day she could no longer walk to the restroom, so we thought it was a mini-stroke. A couple days later they diagnosed her with severe dementia. I caught a cold three days into her stay so I stayed away so as not to exacerbate her illness. My cousin Suzy took over, wonderful woman that she is! Daddy got back home, and they did a few more tests, she wasn't responding to the antibiotics, and the pneumonia got worse. Then last week she developed a secondary infection in her pleural wall, so they put a chest tube in. They had to move it around a bit to get the gook. Grandma had Good Days and Bad Days. The good days, she'd recognize Daddy, maybe even us, and be sweet to the staff. On the bad days, we got none of that. Then Friday she was giving Daddy the Glare. They tested and found she had a hemorrhagic stroke, a brain bleed, the kind that a 94 year old woman just doesn't recover from. So Friday night they moved Grandma to a hospice room, and pulled all the plugs except for a steady morphine drip. We went to say our Goodbyes Saturday. But Grandma wasn't there. She was sleeping so deeply, even Chris yelling didn't wake her. He was so sweet, not bothering her, just simply saying that Drate Drate Drama's Seeping.

Chris and Sam have been blessed by God with a Gift of being able to bring a bit of joy into sad situations and this one has been no different.

We may pop down to visit again, but I hope that she goes fast. Jesus was her Lord and Savior, so I know she has better places to be.

We've been having fun this weekend, I guess to counteract the sadness. We played at Olive Garden with Chris and his friend Bryn for dinner Friday night. Saturday night, on the spur of the moment, we took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese with Chris's friend Emily to celebrate her last hurrah as an only child. Her Mommy's expecting twins next month! And Ice Cream... Oh my! So much Joy amongst the Sadness.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Friday Fill In

Got Motivated by Kathleen, I haven't done one of these in ages.

1. It's cold and rainy. Guess I stole that too, but it's the first thing that came to mind. Even though, it's really not Cold or Rainy outside.

2. I don't like raw tomatoes. I love sauce, and love things with tiny bits of cooked tomato, but I don't like raw. And EVERY YEAR Eric talks me into planting them so we can make salsa. Well, after bunches rotting on the vine every year since Chris was born, I figured with two we weren't canning anything this year!

3. My favorite health and beauty product is Johnson and Johnson Nursing Pads. OK, that's not my all time favorite, just this week. Unlike the competitors they don't feel like cardboard and are fairly absorbant. And we're out.

4. Sam enjoys a nice long ride. Speaking of which, I think I'm going to roll him around the block since he's fussing in my lap and it's gorgeous outside.

5. Well, first of all I'm off to a great start for the day, Sam let me take a soaky bath and Chris is off at school! Now Kathleen and I are scheming for a lunch date and taking the kids to the playground. Happy Day!

6. Gilmore Girls Grandma, Suzanna Plachette, and the black guy that does the E! Top 10; those were the cast of characters in a recent dream and it was scary and strange. I had gone to McDonald's, left my car alone on the street, and then was being chased by a gang, and the E! guy was just standing there not being helpful, and Grandma Gilmore was throwing a party, also not helpful, when Suzanne Plachette tried to save the day. Lost my Fast Food. This dream was ages ago, but it's the only one I can remember off the top of my head.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to my husband coming home,tomorrow my plans include the Disney morning lineup and getting my pictures under control, maybe even pull Video off the camera...crazy and Sunday, I want to take an uninterrupted nap for as long as my body deems necessary without being awakened by any children or husbands or lawnmowers!

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Family Pictures

We got together to take family pictures for Mother's Day with us, Eric's brother Ryan and his family, Amy, Alexis, and Kaylee, and brother Karl and his wife Erica as a surprise for Eric's Mom.



Our niece Alexis eagerly held Sam, with Kaylee and Chris smiled cheesily. (Is cheesily a word?)



While we were at it, we got a family shot of ourselves. It was the day before Sam's 1 month birthday.



Pretty cute!

Monday, May 25, 2009

Song We Sang

We sang the arrangement of this song as our Vocal Offering yesterday at Sam's Baptism. Sam's Mommy, Daddy, Grandma,Grandpa, and Uncles Ryan and Karl all sang.



And it was good.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Bath, Interrupted

It's a rare moment when I get a bath. So rare I started writing this story the other day, and haven't had a chance to finish it until just now. Normally I get like 60 seconds to shower in the morning, perhaps while Daddy and Chris cuddle and Sam is still asleep, or while Sam is content in his pack and play and Chris is at school. I rarely get the hot water, because I ALWAYS choose to sleep in rather than get up before Eric, and he uses all available hot water.
I had a rough day on Thursday, Sam was disinclined to sleep much, and by the end of the day, I had puke in my hair. Chris's new favorite phrase was "Mommy need a new shirt." if that's any indication. Moments after Eric walked in the door, after supper. And as he was trying to get his own supper together, I handed Samuel to him, washed my hair and hopped into the tub. I sank down deep, enough water to cover my ears, and all I could hear was the gentle hum of ....whatever it is that hums when I'm underwater. Maybe it's the fridge?
Anyway, I was meditating, praying, thanking God for these few moments of silence, because really I don't get much time anymore to process thoughts in silence.
Suddenly, a triangle of light beams across the tub. I hold my breathe, and I don't hear anything. Maybe it's just the dog? Then again, if there were footsteps or a tiny voice that said, Mommy?, with my ears underwater I wouldn't have heard them anyway. Suddenly, the curtain is pulled back, for a split second I am disappointed that my solace has been interrupted, but then a tiny face peeps around and smiles at me. Great cheesey grin. I read his lips, "Mommy, you take a bath?" Yes. "Do you need a duck?" (When I was pregnant, I wanted to bathe, but was afraid the water might get too hot, so I used Chris's temperature ducky to keep my bath under 100 degrees.) He thinks all baths require a toy of some sort. My toy is the duck.
No I didn't need a duck. Then he took a cold teeny tiny finger and found my belly button; my squeal made him laugh. He repeated this until he was laughing so hard, he forgot to breathe, and his face was turning red. I grabbed his hand and nibbled it a bit just so that he'd breathe for a minute. So he did. But then we played tickle Mommy's belly button (or rather lose a finger in mommy's belly button) until we both were forgetting to breathe. Coming out of the water, I heard Sam crying. Chris had come to find me because Daddy was running out of bounce to stop Sam's cries. It didn't work, Mommy had to come save the day with another meal. Of course, it had only been an hour. But just like Chris, when Sam was in my arms, he looked at me and gave me that goofy toothless grin, like he genuinely missed me, and somehow all was right with the world.

I just had to document that even though some days, more than anything I want silence and a quiet place, or just a few moments away from the kids, the hussle and bussle and general insanity; but when it is interrupted by the sweet smiles of my boys, I really don't mind the interruption that much at all.

Friday, May 22, 2009

The Two Samuels

Chris brought out his doll and told us that it was his "Baby Sannal" (Samuel) then he proceeded to line them up.



Samuel does not know what to think of the other "baby sannal".



Neither do we. It's pretty cute though, so we just laugh.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

A Little Somesing

A little Sun Tea on a sunny day!



Whether or not it's officially summer, I'm not debating. It's broken the 80's.
It certainly feels like summertime now!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Wordless Wednesday



What's his comment?

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Stuck in my head



Now it's in your head too!

Tiddly-poo!

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

I need a rear view video camera.

I intend to write about all the things that have kept me busy the last couple weeks, but I'm too vexed. Another time...meanwhile...

My next car, by gum, is going to have one of those handy dandy rear view video camera things, or one of those nifty things that beeps when you enter a zone where you're going to hit something, or someone.
The week before Sam arrived I hit someone in the McDonald's parking lot; actually they hit me, well, we sort of backed in to each other, but I was almost straight, and they just plowed right out of the parking space into me, and muffed up my rear tail light and konked my bumper. We took care of it during the week we were home with Sam.
Today, on my way home from Riley (where we got the good news that Chris's weight is up to 26 pounds, 6 ounces from 24, 13 a month ago--Woohoo!) I went boom again. I turned left onto 16th Street, behind a semi that couldn't make up his mind whether to be in the left or right lane. He turned into the right lane, then put on his right signal and moved into the left lane, slowing down. I was in the right and moved into the left at the same time he did. Suddenly, he begins to do a very wide right turn. Apparently, he didn't corner correctly because he starts backing up, towards me, then straightens out, then backs closer, requiring me to back up. I did. Then he tried again, failed, and kept backing....towards me. I keep backing up. But I'm getting close to the guy behind me. I'm kind of crooked, I didn't realize just how crooked until I hear the quietest bonk, and horns are honking. I hit the guy next to me on the passenger rear corner. Luckily, I was only going 1 mph. He honked VERY HARD at me, and Mr. Semi realizes that he cannot back any further into me and pulls forth into the center lane, where he can realign and have more space to back up. (Why didn't he didn't do that first?!) Mr. Lavender car that I tapped continued to lean on the horn, and pedaled to the metal as he flashed me some colorful hand gestures, which were no doubt deserved, and pulled past. I saw no damage on his car. But I burst into tears, and cried, "I wanna go home."
Chris did too.
Moments pass where I apologize to the air in the general direction of the car ahead of me as he speeds further away, apparently I'm not in danger of being busted for a hit and run, since he did the running.
More silence.
Finally I notice that Chris is eating some dry Lucky Charms his therapist gave him, and I ask him, "Is that good cereal?" Changing the subject.
Chris asks me, "Are you all better now?"
"Yes, honey, I'm all better. But I still want to go home."
"Somebody hit Mommy's tar (car)?"
Well, sort of I ponder how smart this little pipsqueak, and how to explain it was mommy that did the hitting.
"Mommy not get a nap?" He knows me so well. Not yet, but I'm going to try. If Sam doesn't let me nap, then I may have to start drinking EARLY.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Just Mommy

Or how I spent my Mother's Day weekend

I was talking to my girlfriend last night, and as it turned out, I got everything I wanted for Mother's Day. My idea of a perfect Mother's Day was a homemade breakfast, good eats all day long, flowers, chocolate, and a nap with no one in bed with me. Now my idea of that perfect nap, and Samuel's differ. He did not want to take a nap yesterday, having slept through most of church. I spent a couple hours trying, and he slept 20 minutes of every hour, waking hourly (or 1 1/2 hours) to be fed, pretty consistently.  Since Sam had been so rough lately, and induced pregnancy cravings for chocolate lava cakes, he got me a box of frozen lava cakes for Mother's Day.
Eric got me a gift certificate for a pedicure from the fancy place up the street.  I can't wait to use it!  The Biggest presents as it turns out were that I couldn't take anymore, so Eric let me get out of the house for two whole hours, and while my younger son drank from a bottle for the first time! He had finished 3 1/2 ounces and was nuzzling for more when I walked through the door.  It had been a rough time for them though.   It must've worn Sam out so much, he was exhausted, because he gave me the bonus gift of 5 consecutive hours of sleep.  He's such a good boy.  I needed that.


Really, they are both good boys.  
But sometimes Mommy needs to step away, and just be Mommy by herself for a while.  It helps everyone to miss each other.  I get to miss them, they get to miss me.  And once in a great while, I get to pretend to be a grownup by meeting a friend at Dairy Queen and get to drown our sorrows in Blizzards for 2 hours.  I'm a very lucky Mommy, I have such Beautiful Boys.  

Friday, May 8, 2009

S to the I to the M to the P



I was not a fan of Phineas and Ferb, their subject matter struck me the wrong way one day. But Chris has fallen in love with them. Last Saturday, he sucked me in to this episode. And I saw this and literally had to snort with laughter. It was on again this evening, and both Chris and I were laughing. Now he's asking for more Tistoffer, his version of Phineas and Ferb sounds and awful lot like other kids versions of Christopher.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Wordless Wednesday

Monday, May 4, 2009

How I spent my Birthday

OK, so my birthday is technically May 1st. But my sister's birthday is April 29, and my brother in law's is May 6. What that means, is big parties for weeks on both sides of our family, so the party lasts a while and it's great to be able to play.



This year, we started last weekend, by celebrating with my Dad (and crazy
grandparents), having him grill out, since it was sunny--that day anyway. It was a good visit, the babies were adorable, but the grandmothers (my dad's mom and his stepmom) can induce migraines in minutes.

Then Friday, Chris had NO SCHOOL! So, Eric opted to take the day off. We decided to get a little crazy, since we've been kind of cooped up around here for a while. We drove up to Fair Oaks Farms, home of the greatest Grilled Cheese ever. Kathleen and I stopped there for kicks last spring on a road trip, with the kids, and it was wonderful.



All Chris cared about initially was the playground. I had made the mistake of mentioning there was a slide shortly after leaving the house, and he spent the entire trip (1 1/2 half hours at least) asking every 3 minutes when playground. We told him we had to DRIVE FAR. We trained him about Driving Far.

Once we got there, we got to watch a cow being born.



See the little tongue. It is not a fast process, so we didn't get to see all of it, more like chunks of before, during, and after with different cows. Chris liked looking at the Baby Cows. (Taos)



I think he thought he was going to get some Chick fil-A chicken nuggets.

While pregnant, I was craving their grilled cheese badly. Or any of their cheeses, which are SO GOOD! Eric hadn't been, and for my birthday I wanted our little family to have some fun together and to eat well. We probably sampled and purchased Sam's weight in Cheese. We drove up, it's about an hour and a half from here, or at least it would be if young babies didn't need to stop be loved, fed, and changed periodically.

We learned Sam was NOT ready for a Road Trip. Chris did not sleep in the car, and that made him not take a nap, and it was crazy, he was snippy snipperson by the time we got back to Brownsburg. We were stuffed from our big lunch, we weren't going to go have the fancy birthday dinner that we had originally anticipated. However, by the time we got back to town, Chris was a mess, Sam was screaming his head off, and we were so tired, that when we hit the rush hour traffic jam, we couldn't take any more. We stopped at the Tegry Bistro, a yummy Sushi restaurant here in town, good but expensive. We joked, we've bought cars for less inconvenience, having bought the Focus on a day when we needed new Wipers and Gas. I come by it honestly, my Mom did the same, buying a car because she needed an oil change. Mommy drank a much needed very nice glass of plum wine, and oddly enough, after the next nursing session, Sam slept "like a baby" for 4 hours. We were all so tired, that we were all in bed by 8:30. Woo hoo. Par-Ty.

Though that was partly Daddy's fault. He was running the Mini-Marathon Saturday morning. He did GREAT! He ran it in 1:35, which was 32 minutes off of his time last year. I was so proud of him. The boys and I supported from home of course, but both boys were thrilled to have Daddy home later.



Then my Mom and Sister came over to our house to play for supper, bringing the food, so I didn't have to do anything but love the babies. Steak and pasta and super chocolate cake...so decadent. My 9 month old niece Annie is almost as big as Chris. She gets upset when other babies cry, so Sam didn't make her very happy, but Chris just wanted to play with her...well, at least, show her his toys, and just about the time she'd show interest, he'd take them away. Anyway, it was a good visit.



Sunday, we went and celebrated with Eric's side of the family. I had made a few suggestions of homemade goodies that sounded good, and I was ecstatic to find they'd made them all! I ate Well! It will take us all week to recover from the fun.