Happy Birthday, Steph

Our grand daughter turned eight years old today. This isn't really anything special except for one very important thing. The day she was born she was 10 weeks premature and weighed 2 pounds. It was almost surreal looking at her in the isolette. I read her measurements over and over and wondered to myself how, in later years, I would be able to grasp just how small she really was. SO I took those measurements and hunted high and low for just the right bunny rabbit. It had to be exactly 14 inches long and weigh no more than 2 pounds. it had to have thin arms and legs. It took me a while but I was relentless finding just exactly the right stuffed animal. The nurses let me put it in her isolette and we took a photograph of her next to the bunny. We've taken this photograph every year on her birthday to remind us all of how tiny she was and to remind Stephanie as well of what a fighter she was. She came home from the hospital a little over 4 pounds with very little health issues. We thank God everyday for sending her to us and allowing us to keep her. I just thought you'd all like to know how wonderful the staff in the neonatal unit at Dartmouth Hitchcock really is. I even wrote a piece on her first birthday and sent it to the papers along with her 1st birthday photo. Attached to this piece is the one I took today.

I Didn't Know Dogs Could Get That Sick

I never realized what the phrase meant until this past month. I hated the ride north in the car though. The further north we went, the more pressure built in my head and by the time we got home, I was in tears. In fact, there are no posts for the month of February because I was so miserable. I spent more time curled up on the couch than I did on my feet. Carl thinks the misery of this head cold actually lasted longer because I also tend to get cabin fever during this time of year. Some call it Seasonal Affective Disorder and if you think about the initials, S.A.D. then it must be true. The days are finally getting a bit warmer and I can feel the urge to get out and take photos burning inside me. I'm not there yet, but my husband always knows when I'm feeling better. He says I get grouchy. LOL!

It's A Party, After All

Today is Super Bowl Sunday and the grandchildren are making their annual visit for our three hour tailgate party. We eat too much, laugh a lot, tell stories and watch football but the events of the day happen in that order when football is the least of the reasons for the gathering. I‘m still feeling really lousy but we wait a whole year for this event, I wouldn’t want to disappoint either of them. We see them often, that’s not the reason. It’s the randomness of the munchies and the cooking with the kids. It’s all about the PARTY!!!