Incognito

I have recently been able to walk around the produce section at the grocery without engaging in conversations about people's health or the welfare of their various body parts or fluids. This is nice, but sometimes, my own father and grandfather aren't sure that it is me when they see me. This weekend, I walked into a wedding of a good friend and went to sit down among some other friends. Luckily, they also did not want to engage in conversation about people's health or the welfare of their various body parts or fluids. In fact it took them a bit to even realize it was me now that the girl with long, straight, blond hair is only a closet identity. Also, I didn't trip once during the whole event, so they probably wondered at my grace. Of course, I couldn't claim too much grace as I boogied on the dance floor with a sleeping baby in my arms, wandered around after a two year old with chocolate milk down her dress who periodically likes to lay down on the floor and yell for effect (luckily not at the event), and today, toured FDR's sophisticated home with a diaper on the baby's head since I left her hat in the car. The look is suprisingly like an old fashioned baby bonnet, so maybe it was actually appropriate.

I was reminded, though, that there are many friends that you can go long periods without seeing, go through a few changes, but still easily connect.

Adirondaks

From our recent attempt to crash Dan's work trip in the Adirondaks...
Nana is getting her diaper expertly changed here.

While the two of us are just messing around, Sela and Grandma are very serious about making sand birthday cakes for every member of the extended family. If anyone reading this wonders if you were included, don't worry, you probably were. (Each cake was also accompanied by song.)

What is not readily apparent here is that half of our flesh is missing due to being consumed by ravenous insects.

Plotting to destroy ravenous insects.

Happy Girl

We thought it would be a good idea to not have the last pictures be of Skye in the hospital since that is now just a dark memory. Our present image of her is a very happy one that makes me smile just to think of it.

Off O2!

Skye has decided to kick her oxygen habit. The squinty grins are back. We said goodbye to the oxygen bar and chest massage spa today and headed home after 8 long days.

Happy birthday to me! Happy first day of Spring.

Tired of here

(she looks better than this now, but this is the only picture that I have)

I know that Skye must be getting better and we are now both trying hard to entertain ourselves in this small ICU room. This afternoon, she was trying her darndest to suck her elbow. I decided to try to lick mine, too. Here we are, trying to suck our elbows together while one of us can get enough oxygen despite the stale hospital air, and one of us can't quite do it on her own, yet.

This has been a new experience in figuring out how many hats you can wear and which one trumps out if you are talking about the doctor mom conflict. While I was worrying at home about how sick my little girl was getting, I was not good about being objective - the worried mom part was overpowering. When trying to know when she needed to go to the hospital, I don't know what got in the way more - the doctor role or the mom role as they were swirling together. Dan apparently had a little trouble, too. He gave the wrong name to the admissions person when we first got to the ER and told them that the baby is 2 years old instead of two months. I'm getting tearful now thinking about the stress of those couple of days at home when she kept getting sicker and sicker - when she should have turned the corner and started to improve. Tearful because it was horrible, and also because I'm very tired and I can't lick my elbow.

I decided in the end, that this week, although in a hospital, I am just the mom (with a doctor perspective).

The amazing things are that I have complete faith in her full recovery and that we have had so much support that put our minds at ease about so many things. To name a few, two friends to give me the objectivity that I needed when they met us at the hospital/clinic, and the friends that have taken on the older sister this week so that we don't have to worry about her well being. "Blessings in adversity" I think is how the lesson goes.

I have to admit being excited when this was done, even if Sela could care less....

Enjoying Snow

Holiday Season

Our tree

Christmas Eve

Hospital shot - I know, where is the standard knit hat with the pink and blue stripe mug shot?

Crazy man who thought insulating the attic the day we got home from the hospital was a good idea.

Pretty darn good snowman

You have no idea how hard it was to get this shot.

Sledding

Skye's first sledding outing

To say that this was a full holiday season for us is somewhat an understatement. We felt like we were busy at all moments the last couple of months, at least, and barely getting it all done. My belly during the end of the year certainly runneth over and we had work to tie up, a paper to write, Christmas to get ready for (and I have never in my life been so on top of that), and, of course, our new little soft cheeked girl to prepare for. The infamous "list"; however, does have a few things satisfactorily marked off (credit also due to my parents), and some things were written in last minute, just to have the satisfaction of marking them off after they were done. Finish work temporarily - check. Have Christmas - check. Have a baby - check. Figure out a name for her - check. Sit for long periods of time staring at her sleep in your arms - check. Figure out how to get a two-year-old to say "No" at a volume not thought possible - check. Organize house - partial check. Become pinochle champions of the universe - well, you can't win them all.

The end of the year was more than just list crossing and business in its fullness, though. We had a great Christmas with Sela, who was figuring out this whole Christmas thing for the first time. It was fun to teach her the stories and especially to have some parallels in our own family as we prepared for a baby. It was great to have my parents here to share everything with, and it is always amazing to add anyone new to your family and realize how many things you have to be greatful for.

Little Sister

"It's o.k., Sela right here." is what she says when the little one starts to cry. Either that or, "that's enough." Sela is now proudly a big sister, announcing it to strangers in the elevator, and her little sister weighed in at 10 lbs, somewhat to her mother's surprise, the day after Christmas.