Friday, July 30, 2010

Back up to the hospital

Thursday night...

I dropped Michelle off for her last day of work at her old store. She starts Monday at the new store and has a very interesting schedule. She starts work at 6am...that means we have to leave here by 5:20!!! The rest of the week she goes to work at 7 or 7:30. This is causing a slight problem, as that's when the school kids have to be at school (7am). So it looks like they'll be getting to school a little early one day and a whole lot another....sucks to be a summer school student. I could make them ride their bike but they'd have to leave at the same time anyways...so they may as well get a ride. Besides, I'm not even sure if we have decent bikes for them to ride.

After I dropped Michelle off I went to the hospital to see the kids. Meghan looks a lot smaller today then she did yesterday. I guess Drew mentioned the same thing this morning. She's giving Allison a hard time with nursing. She's not latching on or nursing well at all. Hopefully tomorrow she'll be better about it. She's looking a bit jaundice to me already so I hope she cooperates and starts mega nursing.

And now it's Friday morning...

So now it's time to get things going for this weekend. With things the way they are, it looks like I'll have to be more organized then ever. And now I have less time then ever to get it done. Our original plan was for us to camp out there...starting tonight, but I finally made a decision and said we'd commute. Seeing as the tent is in a broken down mess in the backyard (every time it rains it collapses!) and how this week has gone...I think I made the right decision. I told the little kids that we'll have to start a summer conference fund and collect money for it throughout the year, and hopefully I won't have any other commitments to get in the way by then.

My plans to hang out over there all day Saturday even though things don't start until that evening have changed. Allison should be discharged on Saturday. Since most of my kids haven't been able to visit them in the hospital, thanks to a really strict visitor's policy, we're going to try to let them get a chance on Saturday (otherwise it'll be Wed before they can see Meghan for the first time). Problem is, I have a time constraint...youth meeting starts at 8 Oh and I haven't told my parents we were planning on using their house as the meeting place. lol I figured they had more space then Drew's and Allison's apartment and it would allow Drew and Allison to just leave when they'd had enough...no kicking anyone out needed.

First on the list is making a list of what we'll need for meals and whatnot...which I'll do as soon as I finish up here. Then it's buying the ice cream for the grill. I'll be running out in an hour or so to get it and bring it directly to the big freezer at church. Oh yeah! I have to clean the little freezer that we'll be stocking when the grill is open...it was turned off and closed for a while and is a little mildewy. Then back home to get the kids ready. They've been stuck home for long enough...I'll take them with me to finish up grocery shopping. Then it's back home to prepare and package up the food.

It's now well past when I wanted to leave. Everyone's ready to go out the door, so time to put this puppy to bed.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Here she is!

Drew sent this picture to Michelle this morning. Not exactly sure when it was taken.

meghan louise

Happy Family Before (7/26)
7/26 - 21:20

Happy Family After (7/28)
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Drew getting ready to go into the OR
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Video I took for the kids at home. I was trying to capture her crying so Sean could see it. Unfortunately I ran out of memory just as she started crying. Why did I have so little memory left? Because I forgot to take my memory card out of the card slot and put it in my camera!!! So I only had internal memory available. Ironically I did this just after yelling at the kids for using my camera since they almost killed the battery I'd just charged and left the memory card in the computer.

Ignore the voices in the back talking about a baby....they were talking about a different baby, not Meghan.

SORRY!

I didn't mean to bail on everyone. My cell was on the verge of dying so usage was limited. I left the hospital and reality took over. I was exhausted, left the hospital and went to my mom's where I took a nap and had a bite to eat. Then went home where the clamoring kids, dinner and then bed took over.

My granddaughter is BEAUTIFUL!!!!! I'm dying to be able to love on her more then a few minutes in a much more relaxed atmosphere. I have some pictures and even a video to show but I need to get Drew's permission before sharing it. He hasn't announced any details online yet (he never thought to bring the laptop). I don't want to step on his toes...he should be the one shouting it to the hills for all to hear. (but you guys here are a little different)

Anyways, baby and mom are fine. Allison looked like a totally different person in recovery. She was EXTREMELY exhausted and a bit upset last I saw her (before the birth). She did NOT want a c-section! I'm pretty sure it's because she would love to have a large family (they've mentioned 8 kids before) and she's worried a section would mess up those plans. Plus who's ever happy to have major surgery?

Baby's stats are....

Meghan Louise
7lbs 8oz
21 inches
Time...approx 1:45 (Drew didn't pay too much attention to the time)

The funny this is, I KNEW the baby's name. I didn't know it before she was born. They were keeping it a secret and had one of two names that they were trying to decide between (that they didn't share with me ahead of time). If you'd asked me what I thought they were going to name her before I held her, I'd have said Chloe. With her in my arms I asked...What's her name? Drew told me to guess. I looked at her and then at Drew and said...Megan (how it was spelled in my head). You could've knocked me over with a feather when he said I was right!

The kids and Tom did a pool...guessing the birthdate, time, weight, length and name. Olivia was the only one to guess it would be the 28th (which also happens to be the anniversary of my MIL's passing....4yrs). Sean got the time right with a guess of 1:41 (don't ask me how he said that, but that's what's on the chart). Tom was the winner in the weight department with a guess of 7lbs 14 oz. Eileen said 21 inches and Jake actually got the name right!

I'm going to call Drew in about half an hour and see if it's ok to share my pictures. So hopefully I'll be back really soon with Miss Meghan.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

No progress at all. She's heading in for a c-section. And she's not happy. Baby should be here in about an hour.
Another morning. No baby, no sleep. Next step pit drip after breakfast.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Still in early labor. Contrax have changed. Hoping she can get in a nap but not looking like it'll happen.
Good morning. No baby yet. Lots of little contrax though. Pit should be started after breakfast.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Forgot i could post here by Phone. Testing it out.

So whatcha doing today?

Me? Well I'm going on a wonderful adventure with my son and his wife...we're going to go have a baby! Or at least attempt to have one, hopefully the baby decides it's a good time to make an appearance. Tom is taking a half day today so he can pick up the kids from school and take Michelle to work (her last week at her old job). I'm going to pickup Allison and take her to her 3:00 doctor's appointment. If everything continues as planned we're scheduled to be at the hospital at 6 to start an induction. Drew is working all day and will meet us at the hospital when he gets out.

I'm figuring we're in for a loooong night/day tomorrow...but with babies, you never know. It's weird to be on this end of the trip. Usually I've packed and planned and fretted for weeks. This time I'm sitting her fairly calm, thinking I should probably bring some snacks or a book and knowing my kids are taken care of (Tom's taking all day tomorrow off). Right now it feels like any ordinary day. Not a life changing one. EEEE! I can't wait!

This weekend was nice, even if it was wet since we had a lot of thunderstorms. Since the early morning hours on Friday I was waking up...wondering what time it was. Then I'd remind myself that the kids didn't have summer school and Michelle didn't have work. After the 4th time I finally convinced myself that I didn't have to go anywhere. When I marveled that I'd have 2 whole days that I could stay home and not go anywhere I remembered....I had to be at Val's school at 1:30 so she could practice her leg waxing skills on me! UGH! Michelle watched Sean and Danielle at Kmart while I went in and had my legs done...a little stingy but not too bad...took over an hour though. Then I took the kids and Michelle went in and had her arms and eyebrows done. I took the kids to my parents' house since it was across the street. I spent most of the night visiting and working on my parents' computer...getting home about 11. So much for staying home.

Saturday was really hot and muggy but that was ok because it was....Seanie's Birthday!!!! My little man is, as he describes it, FREE! now.

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All the kids dropped by throughout the day. That meant Sean got lots of little presents all day...perfect for a 3yo! I had gotten a chocolate cake a few days earlier which Sean seemed to enjoy (we usually don't do chocolate).

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The 3 younger girls ended up leaving so it was only Tom, Sean and myself. It was fun to be able to give him our full attention for a while.

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Eventually Allison and Drew came by and hung out with us until it was time for Sean to go to bed.

For the last week or so I've been heard saying...Someone needs to give this stinky dog a bath. With the Sunday meeting being canceled at church, someone finally decided to actually do it. That someone was ME! (who else did you expect?) He HATES getting a bath and it's always a ton of fun to do it. Luckily he loves being brushed. I brushed him for hours and he looks so nice right now! Michelle worked early Sunday so we had time to go to Aldi's after she got out (it's usually closed by the time she's out of work). I spent over $150 there which is a LOT of food. I stocked up on some canned goods...kidney beans, pork and beans, green beans, peas, corn, spinach, tuna and tomato soup. With Tom not putting a garden in this year, it's nice to have a small supply of veggies readily available. Although I'm missing eating tomato sandwiches until they're coming out of my ears.

Well, I should do something else besides laundry and pack before I leave for Allison and Drew's. I'll leave you with a funny video we took of Sean in June. He's driving the kiddie bumper cars at Darien Lake. As far as he's concerned he was doing well and having a blast!



Next time I post here...I should be a GRANDMA!!! (and hopefully have lots of pictures to share).

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Driving lessons

Michelle is finally doing it. She's trying hard to overcome her anxiety about driving. Her friend Sarah gave her permission to use her car to practice driving with. Our car is a standard so it's a bit too much for Michelle to learn all at once. She's driven the van but it's a beast and pretty touchy in the steering and brake department.

We went out this morning and she did pretty good! She drove the back roads to the school and she puttered around the school parking lot a bit. I had her pulling into parking spaces so she could get used to judging the turning radius and spacing around the car.....not too shabby. We practiced turning corners. It's an area she needs to practice and I told her it's totally an experience type of learning thing. She drove on some back roads again, practicing right hand turns. Then she ventured onto a few main roads because the car needed some gas. She did really well with keeping the car within the lines. Pulling up to the pump she gave it a bit of spacing but she did it...that's all that matters.

Then we drove the main roads again, went in a bunch of circles (or squares as she called them) practicing turning corners without stopping or flying around them too fast. Then back home. Total road time....over 1.5hrs. She's actually going to attempt to drive to work today! We'll have to leave half an hour earlier since she can be a bit slow at times. Hope everyone on the roads is patient with her.

Val came out last night. She didn't have classes today so spent the night at Brittany's house. She needs some hours doing waxing so she's talked me into being her "client" and get my legs waxed. (Michelle and Brittany are doing it also) On Fridays it's Family and Friends' day which means discounted rates for their services. Since the girls are still new, it's discounted greatly to the awesome price of free. So I'm letting things grow and looking a little rough around the edges right now. lol

PHEW! I almost forgot the school kids! I heated up a cup of coffee. As I was pouring in my milk the clock caught my eye...Oh rats! Time to get the kids! So now they're home and I have a lukewarm cup of coffee I can drink for the next 45mins until we need to leave.

Hmmm Sean just came in out of the pool in a fit of tears. He's gone and jumped into bed with the door closed....I should probably see what's what and get him out of his suit before he decides to pee where ever he's standing/laying.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Week in review

So where does the time go?

Saturday... Tom was on call for the second week in a row. He had someone relieve him for the evening. He was expecting a couple people over for his birthday but the plans fell through. So we spent a quiet evening out back around a fire, roasting hotdogs.

Sunday was his acutal birthday. He was back on call but it was a quiet day workwise. Being on call though meant I was still stuck driving Michelle and picking her up. Yay me! Otherwise we just hung out, went swimming and had his birthday cake.

Tom had taken Monday off but it wasn't for lounging around. He had to renew his license and run a few errands. It was also Carrie's first day of summer school (Luke's 2nd week) and Michelle had work.

Tuesday my sister brought her youngest, Emily, out to stay for the week. That meant lots of swimming and giggling around here. She kept the kids busy. :o)

Wednesday was running around day. Michelle had her interview at 10:30. All the kids at home (Luke and Carrie were in school) went along.

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It was next to the mall so we decided to walk around there. She'd walk over and meet up with us when she was done. I hadn't even gotten into a parking spot when she called me. The lady she was doing the interview wasn't due in until 12:30!! So we had 2 hours to kill. I hit a few stores...bought Luke a white shirt he needed to wear when serving at the wedding, found some $2.99 shirts for Danielle and Sean, a few things that were desperately needed at the video game store. (they really were...I swear! One of them is part of Jake's birthday present) We had lunch and then back to the store for Michelle's interview. This time we decided to walk around the store while she was in there. It was a quick interview. I didn't get far and totally forgot what I went in there for until we were headed out the door. So I ran back in while they waited at some tables. It was REALLY hot out and there was no way I was driving any further without drinks for everyone. Besides, our fast food lunch had left us thirsty (stupid salt!)

Thursday was another day of running around....
Kids to summer school, drop Olivia, Eileen and Emily off with Della at her camper and visit for about 30 minutes, picked up the kids from school, got Sean down for a nap and then Michelle to work...picked up a few things there. Back to Della's camper to visit again, quick dinner and swim for about 45mins. Then sang Happy Birthday to Eileen, cupcakes and oreos with milk. We had to be home by 7 because Eileen was having her best friend Mady over for the night. We got home right after Mady was dropped off. Then I was back out the door to pick up Michelle.

Friday...Michelle was off from work and there was no summer school. Unfortunately it didn't mean I could stay home. We had plans, tons and tons of them! First off it was Eileen's 12th birthday!!!!

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She's a youth in our church now! A very exciting time for a young girl. So we HAD to have fun. I felt bad for my niece Emily. She knew all the plans we'd made but my sister came and picked her up before we left for the day. (they were going camping for the weekend) First on the agenda was to pick up Liz so she could go on our adventure too. Then it was a trip to the airport to drop off Michelle's friend Sarah. She's been living here since the end of June. She's headed to England for 2 weeks. Then she's home again and applying for an expedited visa to move to England.

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Michelle and Sarah

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Olivia, Mady, Eileen, Liz, Danielle, Carrie and Sean

While Michelle and Sarah relaxed in the lounge for a while, I took the kids to the kids' area of the airport. They have a small playground, a cockpit to explore, mockup of the control tower and lots of interactive displays. (somehow I lost a bunch of pictures from this time)

Sean and Danielle flying a helicopter
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After Sarah was through security we headed out to lunch. We went to a Chinese buffet place my parents' rave about. We weren't disappointed! Sean ate so much that at one point he leaned back in the highchair, threw his head back and exclaimed...my tummy hurts! I tried to take the piece of watermelon covered in whip cream out of his hands while I told him to take a break. He wouldn't let it go...NO! It's yummy!!! And he kept on eating. I was half expecting him to barf at any second.

Can't have Chinese without orange peel smiles
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Danielle tried to hide her messy face but Liz wouldn't allow it. lol
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We then headed to my parents' house. We brought along hamburgers, hotdogs and cake to have an "official" celebration for Eileen. Patrick and Tom ended up showing up after they got out of work. I took Eileen and Mady to Mady's camp. Her family was celebrating her birthday the next day and Eileen was spending the night...it's now gone into the weekend. I'm due to pick her up in a few minutes.

Saturday Pat and Alex came over and we talked wedding. I had to be at church at 6. We had a meeting for the food servers for Sunday's wedding. After the meeting I could smell yummy smells coming from the church kitchen so I decided to be funny and let them know they were making me hungry. That led to me working with them! lol It was fun and I was glad I could help. When I got home Pat, Alex and Michelle were heading out the door to the drive-in. As I was cooking dinner, Drew and Allison stopped in. I just wanted to rub Allison's belly all night but I contained myself. :o)

Sunday was the wedding. The original plan was that I'd get to church at 11, work in the kitchen until it was time to change and get ready to serve at 1. There weren't as many guests as they'd planned for so I opted out of my serving duties and stayed in the kitchen where I'm much more comfy. It was fun and I was home shortly after 5. I immediately changed my clothes and jumped in the pool! AAAAAHHHHHH! Jake told me that worked called Michelle and she got the new position!!! WOOHOOO! Congrats Michelle! I guess she'll be starting once they find a replacement for her at her current store...figuring a week or two. We had leftovers from the wedding for dinner...no cooking for me.

Now it's Monday again. Kids are at school, I need to pick up Eileen now and then the kids at school in an hour and a half later. I don't need to take Michelle to work though...only pick her up! The girls are waiting for my sister to call since there's a rumor that they may be staying at her house for a few days. Sean is looking forward to this weekend when it's his turn for a birthday. I'm waiting for a phone call from Drew telling me Allison's in labor and it's time for me to head up to the hospital.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Try, try and try again

I've been trying to get an update on here for weeks. Life has been pretty busy and then we were down to one computer...and it wasn't "mine". That meant online time was to a minimum. Actually I haven't minded for some reason, my motivation to be online socially has diminished greatly. It's a good thing in a sense because I've been paying more attention to things around here. Of course at the moment you wouldn't know it by looking at my living room and kitchen, but we can see it. I've already told the kids they are hitting those rooms before swimming this morning. It's going to be HOT today so it's best to get it done early.

Allison will be having her baby in the next few weeks, I CAN'T WAIT!!! It's made the transition from Sean being a baby to a big boy a lot easier. From some comments he's made, I think even Tom is dealing with some feelings on being absolutely done. Although we have been talking about him retiring a lot lately, which is also exciting.

Val moved out on Monday. She's going to school to learn Aesthetics (skin care and makeup). The school is practically across the street from my parents' house so she's staying there for the next 16wks. She's one of 2 students and the teacher is pretty young. I'm hoping it turns out to be what she expects and needs.

Michelle had an interview at the same store she works at but in a different location. It's a full time job and most likely she'll get the job, she should be hearing tomorrow. The neat thing is she was going to ask for a transfer to that store at the end of summer. She's planning on moving out and into that area then.

Liz is gone for the month. She's working over at our church conference center. Mostly she's working in the kitchen, feeding the other workers. She's also doing general maintenance...painting, grounds work, etc.

Luke and Carrie are doing the summer school routine again. We're working with the peds oncology KNOT (Kids now off therapy) clinic to help Carrie be successful in school. They already have some good things started, hopefully it'll be what she needs.

We're working with Sean to WANT to be in undies. He uses the toilet a few times a day. Unfortunately he has no desire to do it ALL the time and wear undies.

The rest of the kids are enjoying their summer vacation....swimming, bonfires, bike riding and being lazy. And now I'm publishing this before it sits in never neverland like all the other attempts.