A picture from the baby shower

Only one but only because Blogger is not loading them from picassa very well right now.

 Enjoying snuggles and love with her grandma (yep, that would be me.) She has three grandmas after all, but this picture - all me and my girl.

 BabyK and Jellybean reacted quite epically to the baby food tasting/guessing game. Do I need to inform you that they were thoroughly disgusted by them all or do their faces display their disdain for this culinary "delight"? Oh, except for the Strawberry Dessert... they liked the Strawberry Dessert...

...just not enough to want a jar in their lunches. {grin}

My heart abounds with joy

Got to snuggle with my beautiful grand-daughter today! Today we celebrated her birth with a baby shower.

Pictures to follow but I just got home and I am hearing my pillow calling to my head... something about belonging together or something. {GRIN}

Last minute guest

has left me silent, enjoying her company...

Alas, I must take her to the bus depot in 30 minutes and that makes me sad.

Yes, folks, Rush was here for two days. We visited, laughed, ate lemon meringue pie and cooked one of her favorite suppers: meatball stroganoff (of which she made this comment: my stomach can't keep up with what my mouth wants)

It was a nice visit. No strife. No awkward moments. She opened up to me about a lot of things that are going on at my mother's house and they are all the things I knew would because sometimes when you are young, you have an idea of how people will be and it's nothing like what they really are. Just saying...

Love being with her!

In which I admit how I broke my hand

I wish it were a funny story or a brave one or even just remotely cool but, alas, my hand breaking story is lame {except for the fact that it lead up to the day I met my grand-daughter}.

We started off on Feb 9 in the town near MamaJ's home; she was dilating like a mad woman and then... NOTHING! No more progression! Doctor mentioned augmentation or a possible c-section which this little hospital was not set up to do.  {Well, they considered doing the c-section there but thankfully couldn't get the o.r. staff in to assist.  I say 'thankfully' because the doctor then explained she had only ever seen one in college and proceeded to ask the nurse what she needed to do next. I. Don't. Think. SO!}

Load MamaJ into the ambulance and head here, to my hometown. I will not admit to which traffic violations I may or may not have committed on our (Jellybean and Bug were with me) trip home. I dropped the kids off at my dad's because by this time they had waited at a hospital for 6 hours and it would be a late night yet.

Speed walking through the hospital parking lot and BANG! I hit the ground and with every bone in my body on the way down. I lay there for a bit, seriously hoping someone saw me so they could help me up because I didn't think I was moving on my own. No one came. I decided laying on the ice wasn't fun anymore {wait! It wasn't fun to begin with! wink}. Up I got, with a few scrapes, sore bones (mostly my knees and elbows) and a little bruised pride.

Anywho, off to the maternity ward. No c-section! Oxytocin and fentanyl. Bets were placed on when baby would be born. One insisted Feb 9. 9 1/2 hours after arriving at second hospital, our dear baby was born on Feb 10! (bet lost but not by me). Bet lost about whether she was a boy or girl as well, also not by me as I had all ready bought several too-cute-to-pass-by girl outfits! {tee hee! What can I say, I am an optimist}

Lots of squeezing done to my right hand... never any increase in pain so I never gave it another thought past bone bruise. One week later, the pain was so intense in my hand I "yelled"sternly spoke to a patient and knew I needed to get it checked. She is broken, a bone in my hand; it aches when I am at work or have to do a lot of typing (this post has taken me forever to type out). It's not a big deal though. It's not excruciating pain or anything, just more of an inconvenience but heh, I got a beautiful grand-daughter out of the whole thing. I'd say I am still on the winning end, inspite of the fall! 

Dear Jonathon Crawford (aka probable scam artist extraordinaire)

Thank you for your kind email informing me of some mass fortune that some un-named, deceased person you say I am related to has in the vault. Thank you for your "willingness" to share this wealth with me. Your kindness and generosity leaves me completely speechless. Oh the list I have of all I could do with this mass wealth. I am overwhelmed that "good fortune" has put me at the "centre of your life". Your 40/40/20 split of this fortune however, underwhelms me. Dude, if I am the only relative (which leaves me to wonder what happened to the rest of my family and where their emails are) of this un-named deceased person whose wealth is about to be absorbed by the government I have a proposal for you... like more like 95/5... you know, for all your hard work hunting me down and all...

My dear Jonathon, I trust that you can sense the sarcasm dripping from each and every letter typed on this page and I trust that we are able to "establish a trustful collaboration". How about you send me your direct phone numbers and fax number and you can send me some absurd amount of money to get this inheritance into my scamming hands. Please affirm your willingness to collaborate on your little scam endeavor by sending me your photo in your pretty little pumpkin orange jumpsuit.... mmmmkay? Thanks and buhbye!

Sincerely,
"Not buying into you"

original email sent to me:
Hi Xxxxxx,
Hope you are doing good?


I am Jonathan Crawford from England, a legal solicitor practicing in the field of; business disputes and litigation, Will and Estate disputes, inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependents) Act 1975 applications. I am contacting you regarding my deceased client deposit in the sum of four million us dollars currently in storage at a deposit vault here in England. The deposit was made in the year 2005 and his unfortunate death transpired on August 8th 2007. After proper identification of his body, I immediately notified the deposit firm and launched an investigation into possible surviving family relatives to alert about the situation and receive the funds from the deposit firm. Till date, my search has proved abortive.



Sequel to the recent notice received from the deposit vault; failing to receive viable claims, they shall declare the deposit unserviceable and remit to the government reserve thus, the portfolio would be out of reach. I have contacted you in good faith as someone that I can confide in to help receive these funds, acting as a close relative of my deceased client. If this meets with your understanding, I shall prepare the necessary papers to this effect and also provide all necessary assistance till the funds are released. Be rest assured that there is no potential legal liabilities to this cliam. I have done a careful evaluation before contacting you. As a matter of principle, I am in no position to claim these funds, being the lawyer to the deceased hence; I need your assistance in this great endeavour.



Let's share this blessings together, as good fortune has placed you into the centre of relevance of my life. I hope we can be able to establish a trustful collaboration for this project. I have decided upon conclusion, we both get 40% each and 20% shall be utilised for charitable deeds. Please affirm your willingness to work with me and kindly provide your direct phone and fax numbers.


Your prompt response will be highly appreciated.



Regards,


Jonathan Crawford

She's really real!

I wasn't making her up. {grin} I really truly do have a grand-daughter and here she is, finally, for my interworld/bloggerland friends to "meet" her.

Look at all that blonde hair! She was re-admitted to the hospital for a day and put under the lights for jaundice but she responded very well. Her personality did a complete 180 for her mama and daddy; she's sleeping well and not crying near as much as she was and has taken to nursing like a trooper {however a trooper to take to nursing}. We love her completely and madly! How could you not?

And we get to go see her again on Saturday for her baby shower.  Yay!

Awkward Silence

My hand is broken.

I kid you not.

It's my right hand.

I am right-handed.

This is not fun...

...but I am still joyful!

The end.

Would you believe

I was abducted by aliens, taken to their planet Galoctipus and studied for science?

No...?

Neither would I.

Would you believe that my absence has been due to work, running from work to snuggle an adorable brand new baby until she and mama were discharged from the hospital, sleeping (my body's way of attempting to get back the hours I missed the day before our little snug was born), collecting money to pool together a "money" gift for friends of ours who celebrate their 30th anniversary today and celebrating their wonderful marriage yesterday with a fabulous lunch?

I will get pictures of our grandbaby up here very soon; I promise.  I know a couple of you who are "dying" to see her.

Happy "love" day to you all.

It's a...

GIRL!!!!  It's a beautiful girl!!!! Mama and baby are doing wonderfully. Baby was born at 3:26 Am on Feb 10. I will be posting a more detailed post with a picture or two because my newborn baby looks nothing like any OTHER newborn baby ever born {ha ha ha}...she deifinitely didn't look like a scrunched up nose and squishy cheeks sticking out of a blanket... {grin}

Anyway, this granny, grandma, kokom whatever I will be called, is tired, all day waiting for baby, all night waiting for baby then working right after she was born has left me very tired (even though I was able to sleep in my own bed, and for all of, last night).

It's Hammer Time Baby Time!!!!

On my way! Making the hour and a half trip to a town I don't know very well but that's ok!  MamaJ is in full on labor! Contractions are right on top of each other!  This baby is coming today, ladies and gentlemen!

Ready or not.  Feel old enough or not... Today I become a grandma!!!!!!!  Let the happy dance begin!!! Looking forward to meeting you, my sweet little grandbaby!

Jellybean and Bug are ready to meet their niece or nephew, armed with stuffed horses in hands to bestow upon our bundle of joy!  I will be back home sometime tonight.  Fill you in then! Later peeps!!! :D

Me & my Daddy

went for lunch the other day - last Tuesday to be exact.

I called him up on Sunday and asked if he would like to have lunch with me, my treat.

Rolled up to his house to pick him up and it was the beginning of a great afternoon with my dad.  It has been far too long since we were able to spend that kind of time together.

Lunch was good, quality wise, but it was the conversation we had once I took him back home that made the day what it really was.  After a while my dad started talking about when we were kids and wondering what our lives would be like, what us kids would be like if my mom hadn't cheated on my dad, if she hadn't left us and had we not lived in a state of wounded confusion for so long.

My dad feels he did so many things wrong.  He was a single parent dad before that was all that common, in fact, he is the only single parent dad I had heard of until  a few years ago.

Anyway, I had the opportunity to tell my dad how I really felt about the job he did.  I told him that he is my hero.  Apparently he doesn't feel like a hero but I told him that it really doesn't matter how or what he feels about it.  He is my hero and I know that he now knows.

So many people have gone on in this life without me being able to tell them the depths of my love for them.  I can now ensure that my father will not be one of those people.

And so it is never forgotten, I leave this for the internet/Blog Land to see and hold for eternity...
Daddy, you are my hero. Were it not for you, for the knowledge, wisdom, discipline and love you have given, shown and imparted I would not be where or who I am today. I continue to grow and flourish through your example (past and present). Your sacrifice, your hard work...  Dad, you stand amongst the heroes of the heroes in my books. I thank you for your selflessness, for your devotion to hard work, for your determination and dedication... I love you, Daddy!

The post you don't have to read

you know, because I'm about to whine just a teeny tiny bit...

I don't want to go to work today; I would much rather stay in my bed.  Ooooo it was so toasty.
You see, it's cold outside.  Not as cold as it can be nor, for that matter, as cold as it has been. For some reason though, the sound of the alarm, this morning, was like bamboo shoots being shoved through my eardrums. (ok, I am surmising; I have no idea what that feels like nor do I intend to find out).

I get to venture into coldness and windchills to start my car, let it warm-up for 10-15 minutes so it is warm enough to drive. I also don't feel like contending with square tires. You think I could make that stuff up?!


How many times do you think you could call in "allergic to vertical" and still have a job to go to?

That's what I thought.  Better go start that car then! Sheesh!
{grin}

BayBabe Watch

We are on Day 10 of waiting for this baby to make its grand appearance.  I'm wondering if we hadn't missed something in the set up or something... you know come celebraties are divas when it comes to what they want in their dressing rooms. Perhaps we are looking at a diva of the future...

Day 10.

B.D. is gone for the week... in a community with no cell coverage...The baby could be a week old before he knows about it....

Show Us Your Life - What do you feed your kids???

Found this over at Kelly's Korner and thought it would be kind of cool to share. 

I have 7 children.  5 of them have lived with us on a full-time basis.  My 2 youngest "step" children have always lived with their mom.

This is what we have found "pleases" the majority of our children:

Breakfasts:
Oatmeal (with berries or other types of fruit)
P.B & Honey sticks (toast cut into strips)
Toads in a hole
Cheerios
Honey combs
Smoothies (made with yogurt, frozen berries, bananas and milk)
Yogurt with granola and berries and/or bananas

Lunches:
KD and wieners
sandwiches
Orange (tomato) soup and grilled cheese
pita pizzas
pizza subs
homemade lunchables

Suppers:
cubed chicken with dipping sauce
sushi rice (it is moldable - I squish it into balls and they think it's great!)
waikiki meatballs
lasagna
veggies with dip
Beefaroni
shake n bake chicken
spinach salad with mandarine orange segments in it

I have always been fortunate as my children have never balked at vegetables - the occassion type but not veggies as a whole. I have always referred to veggies as nature's candy though. But I have found that children LOVE to dip and dunk foods, especially when they are young.  So, when my children were young I would cube chicken breast with a dipping sauce, veggies with dip (ranch, etc), fruit with dip (yogurt, peanut butter, etc) and they LOVE drinks like smoothies (especially if you can make them fun colors). Add lots of blueberries and black berries for a purpley colored one or add food coloring... through in cottage cheese when blending if you are concerned your children aren't getting enough protein or add tofu...

I also hid stuff... if they ate meatballs I grated, very finely, veggies (zucchini, carrots, peppers, etc) and mixed them in with my meatballs or added it to pasta sauce... whatever I could sneak it in.  That was more for the sake of my teenage "step"son who came to live with us with the liking of only one vegetable, corn niblets!  I can proudly say that for his girlfriend's birthday a few weeks ago, he cooked asparagus, roasted peppers and made a salad!!!! 

Offering them repeatedly seems to work. If all your little one will eat is carrots, try to add just a smidge of another veggie with it.  As they get accustomed, they will eat more and more and it will become natural to see those things on the dinner plate.

With kids, I have learned the more fun it is to eat, the easier it is to get them to eat it!

Snail's Pace

Yes, this baby is slower than molasses in January!  And given that it was just -43 Celsius here with the windchill perhaps that is providing baby with the incentive to stay curled up right where the little darling is! 

But HELLOOOOOOOO

There are people here who have been waiting almost 10 months to meet you...

MamaJ is officially 7 days overdue today. Her patience has wained... who am I trying to kid here!? What patience!? {grin} Poor girl is uncomfortable, tired, achy, headachy and just plain old anxious and excited to meet the little bundle of joy that is going to change her life in ways she can not even fathom. {grin}

She has gotten all sorts of strange helpful hints as to how to bring forth labor, including my humourous mockery of some of them in which I told her to place her hands on her tummy and with a firm, authorative voice say "Baby! Come forth!!!"

What kinds of advice were you given at the end of your pregnancy?

It's starting!!!!

I know. I know.  "What's starting?"

IT is happening!!!!

Yes, there are signs of progress... the baby is on its way.

Still slowly. My grandbaby likes to do things on its own terms.  Our overnight bag is packed and ready to make a short trip... you know, to go meet this grandbaby in person and all!

Yesterday MamaJ (yes, her new name) was a mere 1 cm dilated.  This could be a long process but we are ready and raring to go!!!

Ok, my sweet grandbaby, I am pretty darn stoked to meet you.  You are going to add so much more to this family than there all ready is and we, if I say so myself, are all ready a pretty cool, full of life, laughter and love family.