Front row seats as we wait to board his first flight
Wow. My last post was three weeks ago. I can hardly believe it. It seems as though I blinked and it went from the week after Thanksgiving to the week before Christmas. A lot has happened in the last month. A lot of not-so-fun stuff.
We are in our seats, ready to go!
My grandmother got very sick the week before Thanksgiving and spent the next 12 days or so in the hospital. Someone in the family was with her at all times, so my mom, sister, and aunt took time off work to be with her in the hospital. They were exhausted by the time she was released to a rehab facility. When I offered to come for Thanksgiving, to help out with Grandma, my mother begged me to come the following weekend to help with her move instead.
We borrowed the Flyebaby from my sister-in-law and it was such a blessing
My mom moved to northern Virginia in the summer so that she could be closer to her parents who were beginning to need a little extra assistance. She found a house, but it would not be ready for several months, so she lived with my grandparents during the fall and kept most of her things in a storage unit. On December 1st, her home would be ready and she had scheduled her move for that day. So I purchased a ticket, enjoyed Thanksgiving with my family, and made a variety of childcare arrangements for my three older children for the first week of December.
The Thursday before the big Moving Day, Baby Shortstop and I flew across the country with a brief stop in Denver. We stayed with my brother (and my sister decided to come join the house party!) since his house was all set up for a baby. (My sister-in-law and niece were gone that week, visiting her family.) It was a good week. I was able to help my mom settle her kitchen, straiten her garage, and unpack a few books and china boxes. I also spent some really good time with my brother and sister.
Enjoying the flight in the Flyebaby
It’s been a long day of travel
Safe and sound at my brother’s house, ready for breakfast!
Having fun with his cousin’s toys
Rocked to sleep by his uncle
Great Grandma O meets her youngest great-grandson
I also went to the nursing home every day to visit my Grandma. She was delighted to meet her second-to-youngest great-grandchild. And so was everyone we encountered at the facility. I think having a baby around so often was quite a blessing to many of the residents there. It didn’t hurt that he has the most amazing red hair and an awesome nearly toothless grin! I got to be present when she walked -assisted- for the first time since her hospitalization! Baby S and I cheered her on!
It was definitely love at first sight…
…on both sides!
My Grandma and My Baby
While I was on the East Coast, things on the West Coast did not go so well. My husband got the stomach flu the day I left. And then Z-urchin got it. Then Princess got it. Then X-man got it. In the midst of this, my husband’s grandfather, whose health has been fading, went home to be with Jesus.
Four Generations- my husband, his father holding Baby X, and his grandfather- now home with Jesus
I arrived home and cared for my recovering family, but forty-eight hours after I landed, I contracted the stomach flu. Twelve hours after that, poor 7 month Baby Shortstop got it too. Thankfully, we all got better in time to attend the memorial service for Great-Grandpa. It was a beautiful service celebrating this dear man’s life.
So that- and not school- is what I’ve been doing lately. This past weekend, we were able to spend some time getting ready for Christmas and the kids are so excited! I am enjoying their delight and energy and I am hoping that some the energy rubs off on me! I need it!
The two adventurers
Following Footprints 