A Happy Holiday Weekend

Early Friday morning we packed the car and the two dogs, and headed south to Maryland to visit with all the grandchildren, and especially to meet the newest member who was sick and in the hospital during the last post. I am happy to report that she is doing great, and is such a tiny little cutie. I loved the times I was able to hold her while she slept soundly in my arms.

The newest, tiny addition.

She really is so sweet. And I had a wonderful time playing with her two older sisters who are 2 and 4 years old. We read and jumped on our bed and played in the bath and colored and pretended we were all kinds of people. They have such imaginations at this age. Here they are in our bed after they have tired of jumping on it:

Two little angel (sometimes) faces!

They are quite adorable also. And...I also got to spend lots of time with my wonderful grandson. He is at that super fun age of 4 and 1/2 months; plenty of smiles and giggles and these amazing squeals that melt your heart. And then he would fall asleep quietly in my arms too. That is the best.

This little guy has the best smile ever!

Then, after a great 3 days, we once again packed up the car, and headed back north to home. The drive both ways went very well and we had very little traffic tie-ups at all. But it was hard leaving, as always. Along the way I kept hearing little voices saying my name, or wanting me to do something, or crying softly. I love visiting with everyone down there, I love those first moments of seeing them and that settled in feeling that comes so quickly now, and even the sad period when we know we have to leave. I think of all my parents missed because they didn't visit us in our own house to have those experiences to share. And I think of the memories still ahead of us that we will share in the years to come. I know that after being down there I often think of what it would be like if we hadn't moved up to Vermont 7 years ago and how it would be if we were part of their everyday lives. But I also think and hope that we are creating some special memories that they will look back on someday and remember with joy and love. And, just maybe, that is what it is all about...

A Stay at Johns Hopkins Hospital

Isn't this just the saddest sight? My dear, sweet, 4 week old granddaughter, whom I haven't even held in my arms yet, hospitalized in the NICU at John Hopkins hospital in Baltimore. She was admitted Sunday afternoon because she has a respiratory infection, bronchitis, something called RSV. She would cough so hard she couldn't get her breath, and was actually turning blue. It has been a scary few days. She had oxygen, an IV, fluids going in and monitors on her. It was hard being so far away, not knowing if we should try to make it down there to be close. But she seemed to start getting better by the next morning, and even though she still was having bad spells off and on, things were going okay. Then this morning we got this picture:

All wires and tubes removed, and waiting patiently to be discharged. She is at home tonight, still rather tired, but I am sure her sisters are happy to have her back, and to have their mommy home again too. She stayed the two days in the hospital, of course. We are planning to go down to see everyone next week. It won't be a long trip, but we'll have 3 days to enjoy all 4 of the grandchildren. It should be a great time. 

Now I just need to finish interviewing, hire someone new, and train her in the next week so she is ready to fill in for me while I'm gone. The interviews are going well. Out of the 4 I have interviewed, I really like 2, to the point that I'm not sure which one will win out. I have 2 more interviews tomorrow, then I need to make my decision. Three of the four I have already met have already graduated from college, and don't have regular, full time jobs yet. One from Middlebury College with a degree in Anthropology, one from Norwich with a degree in Civil Engineering, and one from Mt. Holy Oak, with a degree in Sustainable Energy, or something like that. It's rather shocking that all three are willing to take a $9.00 job working 8-10 hours a week. It should be interesting.I hope I pick the best one!

Happy, Happy 2013!

Mighty Maple on New Year's Day

What a crisp, cold day January 1st was this year! But you just don't see skies much bluer that the photo above has. That night it got down to -3, the high on Wednesday was about 9, and the temperature when we got up Thursday was -13. Is it enough to say it was cold? Today it was into the 30's, and much more tolerable to be out and about. But let me go back up a bit to last year, and the wonderful Christmas Holiday...

It was fantastic to have two of my daughters, their husband and boyfriend and my beautiful, amazing grandson here for a week, and a bit more. My sister and her husband came up on Christmas Eve, and we had a great time Christmas morning opening all of our gifts, eating Pannetone for breakfast, then a huge ham for dinner. Everyone got really nice gifts, I got socks and oven mitts a cookbook, crock pot, pan, this new MacBook Air computer, and lots of other things. And I got to hold the little guy and help him open his presents. It was fun. 

It was a good week. I did have to squeeze in some hours at the store, but was able to leave early most days, and had them visit me there on the day after Christmas. Everyone went to breakfast at our favorite restaurant on Sunday, and we went bowling one day then out for Chinese buffet. Otherwise, we ate and played and ate and bathed 9the baby) and just did lots of sitting around by the fire. And two days after Christmas we had a major snowstorm that dropped about 18 inches on our doorstop (which didn't stop me from having to go to work that day!) But the days passed quickly, and before we knew it, the first two were on their way (excluding my sister and brother-in-law who left Christmas night.) And then, after one more day's delay because of a few more inches of snow, the last three (4, if you count their big dog too) were on their way, and the house is once again rather quiet. All of the decorations are still up, but I will probably take them down on Sunday when I'm off, but that anticipation and preparation feeling is gone, and we have settled into the calm of the winter season here.  It's a funny time of year this far north. The days are still very short, especially if its cloudy. It can be freezing cold, or mild, sunny, or dreary, and you get the feeling that one day is just like the next. But I rather like it. Everything seems to slow down to a near dead crawl, and there's a snuggled in, challenge kind of feeling as we watch what the weather has coming, and we prepare for whatever we can control. Before we know it, we'll be tapping the trees next month for sap, and the days will start warming up with the sweet smell of sugar season. But for now, here is a great picture from Christmas morning:

He looks like he's in a castle, but its actually our fireplace behind him!