Zoolights!

  We had so much fun at the Santa Claus Breakfast and just wanted to keep the holiday spirit going, so we decided to go to Zoolights that evening, even though it was only about 30 degrees out!  Kirk, Dustin and I picked up Matt, Kelly and Caleb in the van and we headed for Tacoma, with Taylor Swift singing us Christmas carols from her CD.  We weren't the only ones who thought Zoolights on a frosty Saturday night would be fun, and it was quite crowded.  But we parked and began the process of bundling up and getting Caleb situated in the Moby wrap, complete with hat and mittens.  He looked so cute! 
   The lights were pretty, as always, and really kept us in the Christmas mood.  We must have done a good job of bundling up, because in spite of the freezing temperature, no one complained of being cold.  Even Caleb was quite content being worn by Kelly, and they kept each other warm.  After we had seen all there was to see, we headed for KFC for dinner.  We detoured through Sky Island on the way to Matt and Kelly's to look at all the beautifully decorated houses, then dropped them off and headed home.  It was a perfect day!  Fun with family is always the best!

Updating

  So I added this new background to my blog and, woohoo, it worked!  Unfortunately some of my last post disappeared.  Dang it!  I don't have a clue how to fix it, so guess it will just have to remain MIA.  It seems like I get so far behind, then I don't know where to start, so I just keep putting it off and get farther behind.  So I will just jump in with the Santa Claus Breakfast on December 12th.  It was so much fun to take three grandsons, after all the years I took my kids to the same breakfast.  Santa came around, and Caleb and Keegan were okay with that, but Cooper was not too fond of Santa this year.  He was willing to let Santa stand behind him, but when we tried to get him on Santa's lap, well, he was having none of that!
   We had a nice pancake breakfast with Grandma DeDe and Grandpa Al, who have been coming with us for many years.  Shauna brought Cooper and Keegan, and Matt and Kelly brought Caleb, and Kirk and I were there, of course.  We took up almost a whole table, all but two chairs.  I think everyone had a great time, and it really put me in the Christmas spirit! A great way to kick off the holidays!

Always Behind...

My week in the Tri-Cities went too quickly, and soon it was time to get back home. God timed it all perfectly again, so I was able to spend the morning of Thanksgiving with Megan, Ryan and Casey, then catch a plane home for Thanksgiving Dinner with the rest of my family. We had a nice French toast breakfast and I got to see Casey in his sweet "Little Turkey" outfit. We took lots of pictures and I held that darling little bundle one last time before we headed to the airport. Kissing everyone goodbye was hard, and I admit to sitting in the airport with very teary eyes as I waited for my flight. I wish Megan was close by so I could be of more help to her on a daily basis. I am comforted by the fact that she has a wonderful husband who is fully engaged in parenting!

Matt picked me up at the airport in Seattle, and soon I was home with all the rest of the family, with a baby back in my arms. The boys all looked so cute! We took lots of pictures and had a wonderful dinner, thanks to Kirk.

I just cannot believe where my life is now, as compared to last Thanksgiving! I am now healthy and have three more adorable grandsons! God is SO amazing! And I am SO thankful!

Casey is Here!

It is 4:30 in the morning, and I am sitting here gazing at my new little grandson, while Megan and Ryan try to catch some sleep. Yes, Casey Neal French is here and he is home! We have been a little busy, but I will try to catch up.

After Megan got up on Thursday, Nov 19, she decided to go to her prenatal water aerobics class, to try to get things moving. I watched her bounce around in the pool for an hour, then we went to Subway for lunch. We went back to her house, planning to try some shopping next. As I was checking my e mail, she came out of the bathroom with an excited, but somewhat surprised look on her face. "My water just broke!", she exclaimed, "now they (the hospital) can't send me home again!" Isn't God's timing just perfect, I thought.

So off we went to the hospital! But not before I took some final pregnancy shots of Megan and Ryan, of course.

When we got to Kadlec Hospital, about 3 pm, they had to verify that her water was broken with a lab test. They finally checked her into Birthing Suite 7, at about 4:30 pm. Thus began a very long, but exciting, night for all of us.

They started an IV of antibiotics and oxytocin about 6:30 pm. I took photos of Megan updating her Facebook page at 7 pm, still feeling great. Megan and Ryan did quite a few laps around the birthing unit, and they checked her at 9 pm. She was still only at 2 cm, 70% effaced, baby at -3, not much change. We watched Grey's Anatomy, and she started to have some contractions that hurt around 9:45 pm. The doctor placed internal monitors at 11:30 (very painful!) and she was at 4 cm. He said she could have an epidural,and it was placed at about 12:30 am. Ryan's parents arrived sometime in the midst of this, I think just before the epidural.

With her pain relieved, Megan was able to sleep for a few hours, and everyone else caught a few winks here and there in chairs and on couches. At around 5 am, Ryan texted me to come back, she was wide awake, and at 7 cm, 100% effaced, baby at -1. At 6:50, I texted Shauna that Megan was at 10 cm and would start pushing soon. Kirk and Kelly and Matt were all texting me, saying "no baby yet?" She pushed from 7 to 7:30, then they told her to rest for 15 minutes. At 7:45 she began pushing again. At 8:23 am, November 20th, 2009, Casey Neal French arrived!What a miracle to see! He weighed 7 lb 13 oz (at 3 weeks early) and was 21 inches long, and he was (IS) beautiful!

I think there is no greater gift my daughters have ever given me than to get to be a part of the births of their firstborns. It was amazing beyond words both times, and made me so incredibly proud of them. There are just no words....

Casey is here, he is cute as can be, Ryan and Megan are awesome parents, and I couldn't be happier. The blessings are overflowing. It feels like it should be Thanksgiving every day! For me, it is!

5

On the Journey Again

I will soon be a grandma for the fourth time. Little Casey is taking his sweet time in arriving. He is not actually due until December 10, so he is going to be early, but he is really dragging out the process for his poor parents. Megan saw her doctor on Tuesday morning (Nov 17) and had gone from 0 to 2 cm. He stripped the membranes and said it would probably be a few days. This caused Megan to have a lot of cramping and discomfort on Wednesday, leading to contractions that were pretty steadily 5 minutes apart by Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, all of us on the other side of the mountains were wondering what we should do. At 10 pm, I finally booked a ticket to fly over in the morning. As I was getting ready to leave for the airport around 4:30 am, Megan texted me that she was being sent home from the hospital to sleep. Dilemma for me: should I go or change my ticket to later? With no ride to the airport later, we decided I would just trust that God would work it all out for the best, and go.

After a minor issue with security (I got frisked!), I had an easy flight, Ryan picked me up, and here I am in Tri-Cities. Waiting to greet my newest grandson. But he is not quite ready, apparently. Megan and Ryan are napping, after a long night, and I may do the same, after getting up at 4 am for my 7:50 flight. And little Casey is just hanging out where it's warm and cozy, deciding when to make his grand entrance.

Thankful

Tonight I am feeling very thankful. One year ago tonight I was coming out of brain surgery. I don't remember much of that night, but my kids tell me I was kinda funny in Recovery. I only remember later, about 2:30 am in the Neuro ICU, when my blood pressure "went through the floor," as my nurse put it. I remember lots of people working on me, sticking me with needles on every extremity. I blew five lines, and they failed three attempts at getting a central line in. I was in and out of it, but I had a real sense of calm, in spite of the frenzy going on around me. I just felt God's presence with me, and I knew I was completely in His Hands.
They finally managed to put some kind of stent thing in my arm that was very painful, but allowed them to start the first of two units of blood into me. I think I had an IV line in my leg too, but I 'm not sure. The memories are kind of fuzzy.
That blood is something else I am so thankful for. I am thankful for the two strangers who donated that blood. I used to donate blood on a regular basis, until they gave me a permanent deferral because of my heart problem. It always felt good to be able to help someone in need. I never expected to be on the other end of the transfusion. I suppose no one does. But you sure appreciate it when you need it!
Today, I got to go to a baby shower for my best friend Julie's daughter. One of the guests was telling me about a friend of hers who just died from a brain tumor, and I was reminded again of how blessed I am to be alive. Tonight I got to go to church and praise the God who brought me through the worst time of my life, never leaving my side, constantly meeting every need that I had. Two people gave their blood to save my life here on earth, but Jesus shed His blood to give me an eternal life. I cannot begin to measure how thankful I am.

Baby Shower #3!

Saturday, Nov 7, Kelly and Shauna hosted Megan's baby shower at my house. Our THIRD baby shower this year and it was lots of fun. We had a house full of babies, including Caleb, Keegan and the Cady twins, Maggie and Gibson. I had a baby in my arms the whole time! Megan got lots of wonderful things for Casey, and we had great, mostly low carb food (because of Meg's gestational diabetes), except for the cake, of course. Our cake designer at Fred Meyer did an amazing job again and made a cake to match our farm animals theme. We are getting pretty good at throwing showers. We are thinking of going professional, lol!

So the next time I see Megan, she will have Casey in her arms. Amazing. And wonderful! She and Ryan are going to be great parents. Casey is a lucky boy. I can't wait to meet him!