Trey Cooper

Beautiful perfect blessing, Trey Cooper, was born December 21st, 2009 at 4:56 Eastern. He weighed 8 pounds 14.6 ounces and was 21 1/2 inches long. He came out looking like a perfect baby who had been around for a few weeks. He was strong and robust and you couldn't look at him without falling completely in love.

Just look at this baby at the ripe old age of 6 minutes:

And here he is at exactly 2 hours of age.

The most recent pictures I have of this beautiful boy were taken at a little over 18 hours old. It doesn't seem like it would be possible but I think he's getting more beautiful by the hour.

And now I can't stop praying and thanking God for this gift. At my age and with my experience, no one knows better than I do that these miracles can't be taken for granted. Trey is here. That makes the grandchild count 11 boys and 7 girls. And one great grandson for good measure. We are truly blessed.

Best Early Christmas Present EVER!

I'm back. Back to Indiana, back to my blog, and back to my old routine - at least for a couple of hours. That's when some of our Christmas family will start arriving. But that's not what I'm here to talk about at all. (Although having the kids and their families come home IS the GREATEST on-time Christmas present ever.)

Friday we went to Louisville. Sarah, our youngest was having strong, regular contractions off and on for several days. We (Beth and I) just couldn't take a chance on missing the labor and delivery that we felt so honored to be invited to. We spent the weekend walking and shopping and timing contractions that came and went at the whim of Somebody with a great sense of humor. We were relaxed, though, knowing that Monday would be "B" day since, at 1 day short of 41 weeks, she was scheduled to be induced.

Monday morning she went in and even the machines clocked regular, close and strong contractions. The doctor broke her water and that was the closest she came to be induced. One thing about Sarah...she labors beautifully.

Here she is at about 4 centimeters. (She was 3 to 4 centimeters and 80% effaced when she arrived.)
Here she is in the throes of the greatest agony she had experienced ever ... and at 5 centimeters:

And here she is about a half hour before the birth but an hour or so after her epidural.

And here she is with the greatest early Christmas present EVER 13 minutes after he arrived:

And again at 39 minutes post birth:

Does my daughter know how to have a baby or what!!!

Bedroom Talk in Your Sixties

I said: Good night, Harry. I love you.

He said: WHAT?

Me: I SAID, "Good night, Harry. I LOVE you."

Him: Oh, Good night, Kid. I love YOU.

Me: WHAT?

Him: I said, "Good night, Kid. I love YOU."

Me: Oh........ Wow, we really are getting old.

Him: WHAT?

Me: I said, "we really are getting old".

Him: lol

Two minutes of silence later:

Him (out of the blue): WHAT?

Me: WHAT?

Him: I was just messing with you.

Me: lol softly ('til I fell asleep).

Winter In The Koi Pond

Well, they're all settled down for a long winter's nap.


I don't think they really sleep all winter but who knows. I do know that their metabolism slows way down and that they just kind of sit there on the bottom where it's warmest. The disc that you see attached to the pole is a heater. Its function is to keep at least a hole open in the ice where gasses can escape.

I kind of cross my fingers that in a few months when winter's hold starts to loosen, I'll see the koi begin to stir and explore. After that it won't be long until it gets warm and they're all friendly and fun again.

From here, though, the winter seems interminable. I can hardly bear to think ahead about the next three months in the koi pond. It's just too dreary. Maybe I'll start a countdown of days until Spring starts to appear; but I'd have to start with about 120 and that's too long.

It's a good thing we have the holidays to get us through these first few, dark days of winter or I don't think we'd ever smile. At least in a week or so the days will start getting longer and that will help some.

Yes, I'll think about that for now.

When You're Late

Sometimes you're late because you didn't plan ahead. And I've read that sometimes you're late because you're aggressive and controlling. But the most significant 'late' is the 'late' that is out of your control.

It's a fact that in this day and age, any pregnancy site will tell you that you're full term at 37 weeks. Therefore it usually doesn't take a lot of persuasion to have your obstetrician induce labor any time between 37 and 40 weeks or even to have your obstetrician promote inducing before 40 weeks. In fact, when is the last time you've heard of someone delivering her baby two or more weeks late. It's almost unheard of now. But back in the day it happened more often than than today's young mothers would ever believe. In fact, the rule of thumb, if I remember right, was that a pregnancy lasts an average of 40 weeks. That means that as many babies were born after 40 weeks as were born before 40 weeks. Now, though, most women don't reach that 40 week mark much less pass it because it's become so common to induce labor when it's convenient not only for the obstetrician but for the baby's family as well. I'm not saying this is a bad thing. In fact there's probably a lot of merit to this system. That's really not what I want to talk about. I want to talk about the joys of pregnancy.

There are a lot of us that thoroughly enjoy being pregnant. I don't know if it's the anticipation, the miracle of carrying that new life within, or just the loving attention we get from almost everyone when we're 'with child' that makes it such a special time; but to them it's a wonderous interval in their lives. So it's this select group of women, who love being pregnant, that I'm talking about in this post. We spend such a relatively short part of our lives in this marvelous realm. If we only have two children, we get 18 months on average of pregnancy out of our entire lives. That's not much. And only 12 months, at the most, when it's apparent to outsiders that we're carrying something (or more accurately someone) special inside.

These women love and embrace their pregnancies and are fully aware that these months of pregnancy are but fleeting moments in the grand scheme of things.

It's just that as we approach and then pass our full-term date (37 weeks), Mother Nature starts to play tricks on us. The anticipation and excitement start to get the best of us. And the well meaning but endless amazement of our friends and acquaintances start to make us weary. Questions like, "anything happening?, how are you feeling?, still pregnant?! yada? yada? yada?. To the person asking the question it's just one small comment or inquiry but to the pregnant person, it's an endless string of questions with only a negative response possible and all these negatives soon take the positive out of a beautiful experience.

Part of what makes the last days and weeks of pregnancy so difficult is the mystery. When will it happen? It could be any minute, and you're so excited that you can hardly wait. And at this point our friends and family become even more concerned and interested and frequency of the inquiries actually increases.

The reason for this is that it's such a fleeting time. We ooh and aah over a newborn that we happen to see because we so seldom see a brand new baby. This stage in an infant's life is so very short. And we get just as interested in a full term pregnancy mom because, once again, that time period is so short. You really don't see a full term mom very often. So they garner extra attention.

And for this, I apologize. I apologize to every pregnant woman that I've inquired about their upcoming birth status. I really love them all and I have the warmest feelings for them but I suspect a smile would suffice.

So, Sarah, despite me and everyone elses best wishes and inquiries, I hope you can enjoy every fleeting, waning moment of this pregnancy. The miracle that you are experiencing should not be diminished by anyone elses curiosity or plans or longing to see and hold YOUR baby. Ignore us and revel in the miracle with which you're being blessed. Embrace every moment because before you know it, this special time of carrying your baby, every moment of every day and night, will pass. Granted the transition will be beautiful but don't let anything keep you from relishing and savoring each moment you have left in this picture perfect pregnancy.

You Capture - Lines

There are all kinds of lines in our life - some good, some not so good. The good ones are so beneficial to us that we couldn't function very well without them. Still others are just whimsical. Here are some of the lines that are essential.

All the photos were taken in a snowstorm with lots of wind and cold. This one was without a flash:

This one with a flash:

Obviously the flash can't overlook a snowflake. Here's another perspective of the same lines.

You don't have to look up to see important lines either.

And I can't leave out the more whimsical lines - the line of wild animals that frequently parades around our house and one accidental 'line' shot.

Weather conditions weren't conducive to a steady hand but they did help create strange lines.

And then there are the seasonal lines that don't have anything to do with shopping:

Obviously this one wasn't taken in a snowstorm. I deleted the one that was and ran out in the -17 wind chill to capture these candy canes.

Really? I went overboard in a post about lines? Sorry. I guess I was looking for THE great shot. I'll bet somebody else found it though. Visit Beth at Ishouldbefoldinglaundry to see other perspectives and ideas.

A Very Good Night

Whenever I get blog blocked, I have to remind myself that this entire blog effort is a journal. A place for me to look back on my journey into and through (hopefully) the sixties. That's when I realize that there are unspecial moments and events that I want to remember. Like tonight.

Our granddaughter, her husband, and Superbaby are still with us which is great! Unfortunately though things have been so chaotic that we really haven't had an entire evening together. They're often invited to her dad's for dinner and don't get back until Superbaby's bedtime. This is fine and we're happy with the arrangement however it goes; but I forgot how great it is to have them here for dinner.

I forgot that my granddaughter will always help get dinner on the table (the reason that seems foreign to me is that yesterday she was just an adorably spoiled little 3-year-old) and that our grandson-in-law will do whatever he can to help. And how pleasant it is for us all to sit around the table and eat a home-cooked meal and how much I love showing them a new recipe or meal for them to add to their repertoire of meals and dishes. And then afterwards everybody pitches in with the clean-up and takes turns playing with Superbaby.

That's when I realize yet again that it just doesn't get any better than this.

And it doesn't hurt to look outside at the miserable weather and remind myself that I don't have to walk 9 or 10 miles in it tomorrow and that I can take all the time I want tonight to enjoy my family because I don't have to start getting everything ready for work tomorrow.

Life is unbelievably sweet and I'm unbelievably thankful.

Helter Skelter

I've spent a lot of really fun time in the last few months trying to organize my time. I haven't been altogether successful but it's been a blast trying.

Now though, I realize that my little somewhat organized schedule was actually very precarious. All it took were a couple little, tiny wrinkles to make everything discombobulated.

Let's start with one of my very favorite events. I have a family staying with me for maybe even two weeks. I love that so much. It's amazing to have a 10 1/2 month old in the house; not to mention my oldest granddaughter and her husband. Since she spent many of her younger years in this house, it feels just right to have her under this roof again.

But it has shaken my routine just a little. Now when I might be taking pictures or writing a post or most importantly reading the posts that I love to keep up with, I'm playing with Superbaby:

(Just because he's on his knees, don't get the impression he's a typical baby. In the next picture he was sticking his butt in the air and standing up straight. Right after that he's was off and running AND he dances.) Anyway, I digress.

We've also had to winterize the pond. After Mr. Right finished redirecting the hoses, Mrs. Right (that would be me of course) had to rake every leaf and pick every single one out of the net to keep any from landing in the pond over winter.


But the most important thing and the number one reason that I'm discombobulated has nothing to do with my visitors or the pond. I'm completely distracted right now by my youngest daughter, Sarah. We've already had one false alarm that had Beth and I traveling for several hours, only to turn around and head home. That wasn't Sarah's fault either. She gave us the facts and we made the decision to head down there. She's been very symptomatic and I'm starting to think it had a lot to do with the full moon. She's also 38 1/2 weeks and after her OB exam last week, her doctor stated that her water might break. Surely no doctor would ever say that unless there's something really impressive going on down there right?

The difficulty is that it's a solid 4 1/2 hour drive and Beth and I are blessed enough to be invited into the delivery room. So I'm kind of living out of my bags and trying to keep everything half ready to walk out the door and welcome our new grandbaby.

And that's about ALL I can think about right now.