Family News

I will skip over the longer story (summarized by saying that Grandma went into surgery Saturday night, then had to be kept asleep and on a ventilator all of Sunday while they waited for her lungs to show they could do their job alone).
She is now awake, and off the ventilator (doing her own breathing). [...]

(Also posted at Untangling Tales)

Do you ever find (if you’re not a swear-er, especially) that certain words escape as if you were swearing?

My 87-year-old grandmother has been in the hospital via the emergency room since late Friday night. I spent most of Saturday at her bedside, keeping her company while folks tried to [...]

We’ve been dealing with something of a family crisis lately, my grandmother’s suddenly declining health.
I visited with her Wednesday morning, and went back for much of Thursday (until my mom could get home. The kids were remarkably cooperative (other than Natasha simply not napping).
Grandma said more than once “Oh I am so glad you [...]

Both my husband and my mother-in-law (my mom too) have made it clear they think it is past time for Natasha (3 1/2) to be potty-trained.
Jay said, “If she can change her own diaper, she can use the toilet.” And Teena said, “If she quit getting away with it [being able to wear/use diapers] she’d [...]

I was reading Dr Seuss’s ABC book to Melody this morning and on the A spread (which the text proclaims as “Aunt Annie’s Alligator”) Melody pointed to the critter and shouted, “Ridin’ an Alligile!” (Pronunciation above).
I loved it. She seemed to decide half-way through the word it was a crocodile instead of an alligator.
~~~
Everyone [...]

At lunch today, both girls’ food was a little too hot to hold long. They set it on their plates and continued blowing on it, to speed the cooling. Then Melody had the great idea that she could maybe still eat it even if she couldn’t hold it, and began nibbling on the [...]

Jay bought me yellow roses today. We were at the grocery store, and he was planning to buy them before I knew it and take them to the car. But I spoiled his surprise when I walked around the corner and saw him with his bundle.
I’ve been feeling not-myself for almost a week, [...]

Compressed the multiple boxes of not-wearing-now kid clothes to four.
They’re sitting in the living room now, and will go under the house once the current batch of laundry is folded (I think it’s one of my pet-peeves to find something after a box is taped and under the house).
Another batch of stuff is supposed to [...]

Our kids apparently have skin issues. We are going to have to figure out some routine to get their ears (especially) greased regularly, to prevent cracks and possible infection.
*sigh*
This responsible-grown-up gig gets old sometimes.
And you’ll be able to see the next time we update our pix that Melody had a bad run-in Thursday morning [...]

Teena was visiting this evening, and (in her words) had to “keep busy.” She and Jay cleaned most of the kitchen while I was nursing Elisha. It was so wonderful.
Last Saturday my mom came by before Melody’s b-day party and helped me begin organizing the mounds of clothes that have been threatening to [...]