The Winter Tried to Kill Me

October began a period of months of illness in our family.  I think the final tally was:

Eileen - 9 times.  Usually colds, but I developed bronchitis which made me cough literally hundreds of times a day.  It got worse at night and you know how often a pregnant woman gets up to go to the bathroom at night.  Once, I got up and just in the bathroom and getting back to bed I coughed over 70 times.  Imagine the strain on a pregnant belly - it felt like my ribs had been fractured from the coughing.  Add in there a frustrating trip to the Emergency Room a few days before my due date, a few rounds of antibiotics, acupuncture, Chinese medicinal tea, being 12 days overdue.  UGH.  The colds reappeared throughout my sleep-deprived postpartum recovery.  Add to the postpartum recovery: Healing from tears/stitches, along with Physical Therapy, Massage Therapy, and Chiropractic for bony pain when sitting and we're talking about a lot of Dr. appointments.

Rich - 1 time with a lingering month long cough

Claire - 4 times, including an ear infection

New Baby - 2 times, including bronchiolitis which required a trip to Urgent Care and an inhaler, as well as a broken clavicle from the birth, which required a few trips to Seattle Children's for x-rays and follow-up.  Poor new baby!

WINTER WAS HARD.

What would we do without the Relief Society sisters' willingness to help us?  We were brought dozens of meals (most women signed up a few times to bring us meals and all of the meals included enough food for leftovers), my kids were sent to playdates so I could nap or go to Dr. appointments, Claire was taken to church on Sunday, to a Halloween Party, and our new family of 4 was invited to Alyce and Dave E.'s house for a Thanksgiving feast.  I feel like it's impossible to express how much all of this help meant to us.  I hope I've included everyone's names here!  THANK YOU, my friends!

Meals and baked goods: Amy B., Sara B., Amanda T., Annie B., Nancy B., Alyce E., Eva C., Mel G., Janis W., and Jennifer B., Candy W., Jennifer M., Jessica P., Tara H., Marsha M., and Jo S.

Childcare: Sara B., Amy B., Amanda T., Ketsy H., Eva C., Alyce E., and Mindy P.

I also was brought meals from my dance friends: Christine W., Shannon B., and Amy S.

Luckily, Rich worked from home several days here and there to give me a break, as well as taking a 2-week paternity leave.  He also often watched the kids at his office while I went to physical therapy.  Unluckily, Claire quickly became a little TV addict while Mommy rested.

Luckily, Winter passed and our Health returned.  Writing all of this out I'm truly amazed that we pulled through and I'm truly amazed at the outpouring of concern and care given to us.  Heavenly Father is mindful of me and my family.  He inspires people to reach out and gives them extra energy to fulfill their personal responsibilities and to help others.  He heals.  He answers prayers.  He loves us.  Beautiful!

October 2010

I took Rich to the Free First Thursdays Experience Music Project

We drove the scenic Mountain Highway Loop to see the Fall Leaves.

 

Aunt Lorraine and Uncle Seth visit

In October, my Aunt Lorraine and Uncle Seth took a train from Minnesota through Canada to come visit us.  I lived with them my Senior year of high school and it was WONDERFUL to spend time together again.

Seth gave us a tour of the planes at the Boeing Museum of Flight.  As a WWII pilot, he flew several models of the displayed planes.  He reminisced about landing one of the planes in such a powerful headwind, that the plane was actually travelling backwards!

The stoic look on Seth's face here speaks volumes.  He is haunted by his participation in bombing missions, twice his plane was shot down, and he survived on a South Pacific island for 19 days completely alone.  He was shot at again while driving a vehicle and sustained a crash that shattered his pelvis in 17 places, among other things.  These experiences have all left their mark on him.

 

I always thought of Seth as a gruff, old man, whose genius intellect was quite intimidating, and who for as long as I can remember, has talked about his impending death.  This trip I definitely saw his softer side.  He still says any day now he's going to die and this time his frailty suggests it could be true.  He got teary-eyed saying good-bye to me, which of course got me misty-eyed, as I thought of his gesture of taking me into his home many years ago.  Seth is now 89 and Lorraine is 25 years his junior.  They have raised his, hers, and ours children.  Their twin boys, Martin and Bevan, have finished college and Bevan moved out of the house in the Fall of 2010.  They are finally empty nesters!  Seth shared with Rich that for all but 1 year when Dara studied abroad in Germany, he's had children in his home for 65 years and "he's loved every minute of it."  Truly a softer side!  And the thought again makes me want to cry.

I enjoy taking my art-loving family to the Olympic Sculpture Park.

One of Lorraine's many careers is a teacher.  She always gets down on the level of the child.  She is an amazing communicator and she indulges children in their very important games and conversations.  Children LOVE her.  She also suggested tons of things I can do at home to engage and teach Claire.    

Lorraine filled a critical role in my life as she freely and patiently gave me so much of her attention.  Attention equals Love.

Baby Shower

I was showered with Baby Love with a party thrown by my friends Amy, Ketsy, and Jill.  I have so much support from the women here at church.  I am so blessed!!!

Amy and Nancy

Jennifer and Janelle

Sandy and Janet

Amanda and Tara

Ketsy and I - it's been so fun to be pregnant together.

The sly photographer.

Jill's amazing diaper cake with so many goodies: socks, baby spoons, toothbrush, toy cars, washcloths, baby baseball, teething toy, a binkie, and a real hydrangea on top.

I was given so many adorable outfits, books, a Dr. Seuss drawing, a soft blankie, big-sister gifts, the list goes on.  I've had women pass me gifts at church or stop by my house with more surprises.  People are so generous!

I sent this picture to my family to update them on my pregnant status.  My grandpa's hilarious response was only two sentences: "OH MY.  When is this supposed to end?"  That was exactly my thought the entire pregnancy.  Keep in mind, this is me at almost 36 weeks.  I finally gave birth more than 6 weeks after this picture was taken!

September 2010

Cutie-pie Claire.

We attended Rich's 20-year High School Reunion!!  Can you believe it?  Wow, he's old.  There were several of his classmates who were pregnant or still in the young parenting phase.  I just thought it must be a huge contrast compared to our parent's generation where it was probably unheard of for someone at their 20-year reunion to just be starting a family.  However, one of Rich's classmates was already a grandpa!  The reunion had a family picnic in the afternoon.  The group started to gather for a big class photo.  Rich was across the park at the playground with Claire.  I told the group to hold on while I hollered for Rich to come back for the photo, and they didn't wait for him to get back!  The nerve.  Rich wasn't livid like I was, but he added that that was pretty much his experience in high school.  That evening was the reunion party and many people were impressed that Rich still has his high school car - a 1971 AMC Javelin.  He would love to fix it up someday - pretty much the only reason he'd want to own a house is for the garage.

Fun trips to the Tri-Cities include waterskiing on "The Mighty Columbia River".  The cheesy laser light show displayed on the Grand Coulee Dam has given us years of laughs.  Thanks to Matt for always taking us out on his boat.  I've managed to get up on skis on one trip.  Yay me!

Rich's band booked a gig in Canada.  Woohoo!!!  I guess the guys raided Dave's mom's closet for some furs and other fashionable statement pieces.  There was much drama getting all the band on the island for the show after the ferry stopped running for the night.  Kudos to Tyler and Annie for sprinting to the next ferry dock and bribing that captain to make an extra stop at Newcastle Island.