Grandma Jan's visit

Grandma Jan came to visit for a week while Jim was away at a conference.  She unfortunately forgot her camera which left it up to me to take pics and get them posted online.  Not bad...it only took me a week.  

Baby Lily

Those of you that regularly follow my blog (all 3 of you) have heard about Lily.  For those of you who have stumbled in, my cousin Kelley delivered Lily, via C-section, one week + 1 day ago today! She was born 1lb 6oz @ 24 weeks (and a day). Lily remains in the NICU well tended to by an incredible team of doctors & nurses.  This picture gives you some perspective of how absolutely tiny she is (her dad's wedding ring on her foot).

Thank you Steve (Lily's dad) for taking the time to BLOG so that we have a place to get updates. I'm sure I'm not the only one that felt intrusive calling but was feeling so helpless and wanted to show support and get the latest news about Lily.  

I don't presume to speak for the family but would like to think that ALL supportive comments (there's a place on the blog), even from strangers, would be welcomed.  At the very least please keep the family in your thoughts and prayers.

Last Hurrah!

Today was the last area farmer's market for the season :(  We left, bag of fuji apples and some broccolini in hand and I felt honestly sad.  For the last six months, just about every Saturday morning has been spent wandering the 'stalls' and coming home with an armload of fresh produce.  Most weeks included live music...something we enjoyed sharing with Olivia.  The other bonus of the market was the close proximity to the railroad tracks.  Almost every visit ended with a train whistle and us scurrying down to watch the train go by.  

Other than this official change of season, I think my sadness was due to realizing that this family time is over.  Sure...we'll still get up and head out on Saturday mornings...but what will we do??  Jimmy's suggestion, and it was a good one, was for us to get back to walking down by the river again.  We've been down there many times this summer but the visits did dwindle after August.  That's probably exactly what we need...we'll see what happens next Saturday!

Paul Newman 1925 - 2008

I woke up this morning to the news that Paul Newman had died.  I still remember the first time I saw him acting ("The Sting").  I was a young child so didn't really 'get' the movie but have since watched it, and others of his, many times...always in awe of his enormous talent.  I think that's why it was so strange for me to suddenly see his face show up at the supermarket.  It didn't take long, however, for me to understand that his talent wasn't only on the silver screen. He was also a warm, generous man and has donated all profits from the food sales to charity. My (older) children and I were lucky enough to see that side of him up close and personal.  

There was a farm in Westport, CT that we would drive by on the weekends.  It was always a highlight for the girls when we'd stop to watch or feed the animals. One afternoon, while we were along the fence line, I noticed Nicole had started chatting with a couple who had pulled over.  Being the over-protective mother that I am, I hurried over to make sure these people didn't drive off with the little girl who was trying to climb into their luxury auto.  While in the middle of my apology I looked up from wrangling Nicole and locked on to those legendary blue eyes.  That's right...it happened to be Paul and Joanne.  You're shocked at how casually I use their names?  Well...that's just how they introduced themselves as they laughed and smiled at the girls.  It was a short-lived exchange but, even to this day, I recall what lovely people they were.  They weren't super-stars in that moment...just a couple who stopped to watch some little girls have fun with some animals.  We stopped at that farm dozens of times after that.  We never did see him again (though we did find out his house - and Martha Stewart - lived just up the street) but that encounter will continue to be a fond memory for me.

Let the games begin!  We caught Olympic fever earlier this summer by watching the trials for track, swimming and gymnastics.  We eagerly awaited each "episode" to see who would make the cut and head to Beijing to represent their sport and their country. Now, whenever the Olympic theme music is playing Olivia runs to the tv to see what is on.

Finally, tonight, the anticipation is over and we'll watch the opening ceremonies.  We will cast aside our strong disapproval of China's human rights violations and watch the athlete parade in...hearing all the random tidbits about them and watch the elaborate show that China is sure to put on for all of us.  Since the opening is taped and we'll see it even later because we're on the west coast I doubt I will be able to stay awake to watch the torch lighting...always done with such drama and my favorite part of this ceremony.  Thank goodness for TiVo!!

Will Phelps win 8?  What will become of the men's gymnastics team with both Hamm brothers out of competition?  Will Iowa native, Shawn Johnson, win gold?  Can team Walsh/May-Treanor hold on to their volleyball title?  We can't wait to find out as we tune in (or TiVo) the games over the next couple of weeks!!

Here we are all tucked away in our small little hospital room.  Olivia has been hooked up for her video EEG for almost 24 of our 48 hours.  

We brought many toys and comforts from home to try and keep Olivia as happy and distracted as possible.  We have to be creative in our play so Olivia is turned toward a camera at all times in case we need to indicate seizure activity. 

Speaking of seizures...there haven't been too many instances so far. Our Dr. just came in and said since there hasn't been anything "major" we'll need to stick it out for the full 48 hours. Bummer.  She's more likely to have them when she's overwhelmed &/or tired.  While she was getting hooked up yesterday there were 5-6 people in here at one time.  She kind of glazed over...but we weren't recording.

The facility is pretty nice.  There are very nice salt water fish tanks set up, wonderful gardens and interesting artwork everywhere you look...tapestries, mosaics and adorable photography of children.  Another nice touch is they have clowns that come visit with the kids and families.  We just had a visit from Paddy and Forgetful Frannie.  Olivia was a bit shy but still enjoyed the visit.  We also enjoyed video chats with big sis Jess and Gma/Pa Anderson. 

Will try and post again before discharge tomorrow.  Otherwise we'll update you when we get back home.

summertime...and the livin' is easy.  I don't know about easy livin' but it is summertime in the tri-cities!  Mother nature is celebrating with 100-110 temps over the weekend which apparently last through August.  We'll let you know if it is truly a 'dry heat'...but does it really matter when it's that hot??

Somehow our summer booked right up.  We've gone from "what should we do?" to "when will we have any free time?".  We have 3 separate groups of visitors in July.  We're expecting our friend Ed to visit over the 4th of July weekend quickly followed up by some 'old' friends from Ames who are passing through on their way from Colorado to Iowa (yeah...not sure which map they were looking at - haha).  At the end of the month, Jessica will be back for a 10-day vacation.  In between all that we will have a few days back in the Seattle/Tacoma area.

After Jess leaves we'll have a breather before the in-laws arrive for a week.  What has been nice is that there is an apartment we can 'rent' for guests so it gives them a place to go when we, or they, need some down time.  It's proven to be much more convient and affordable than a hotel.  So...if you're coming our way...let us know and we'll leave the light on.

Olivia is a big fan of the horse movies "Dreamer" and "Flicka" and we're frequently hearing the request to "ride horse" after she watches them.  Up until yesterday, her experience on a horse was limited to the electric horse ride at the mall.  That has now changed.

We found an "open barn" event and Emailed to see if it would be ok for Olivia to ride (given her age). They assured us some gentle ponies would be available for the younger/smaller children and they'd love to have us come out...so we did!

We prepared Olivia for the big event and the news was met with shouts of "YAY!!!" and her signature 'happy dance'.  Upon arrival at the farm she grew quiet but you could see the excitement in her face.  We found a helmet that (almost) fit her and picked a horse.  Her first ride around the ring was done bareback.  She gripped Belle's mane and, though she started sliding a little to the right, did a great job!  There weren't too many little kids there, at the start, so Olivia was fortunate to take several more rides around...these times with a saddle which helped her keep her seat a bit better.

We thanked the owner for the wonderful opportunity and then spent some time walking around to see the other horses, some dogs that were too hot to care about Olivia wanting to play with them and fed a BUNCH of carrots to the 14-year-old horse "Bubbles".  

This was 'one of those moments' you get as a parent when you just know you've made a lasting memory for your child.  The day additionally provided Olivia with some 'non-traditional' therapy that calmed her senses to all her to focus on this special and exciting occasion.  it was a great afternoon for all of us.