6months of blessings

Baby Colton 6 months old. He is so expressive with his lips.






































His eyes are so bright.































A blessing in every way...
Blogging has gone by the wayside in the last 6months. As I snapped these pics today I thought I miss my bloggy friends. I had to share. so here he is the sweet little snugglio.





























Even tears and sad faces are sweet
























































His chubby fingers reach for everything.





























He makes the grandpa smile

Sweet face with cheeks o plenty

The sun has come to visit Oregon this week. It surprises me every year when we get a few days of sunshine in February and I feel like my spirit is completely renewed.
I enjoyed a day full of different opportunities to spend time with my kids. I worked the last 3 nights but got off early was home by 4am. I loaded the dishwasher, started it and sent a text to my 15yr old to remind her of her dentist and Dr appt later this morning. I then responded to a text from my oldest daughter about my plans for the day. She was going to her 7wk post baby check up. It was a little disappointing to find the 2baskets of laundry I had dumped on my side of the bed were still there unfolded and my husband was very sound asleep. So there I was in the dark at 4am trying to fold clothes so I could get in bed. Sometimes I wonder when Ill get better organized.
10am came early and off to the dentist we went, a quick lunch then on to the Dr office to discuss some treatments for Acne. (Age 15 is not the easiest)
I arrived home just in time to spend 20 min visiting with my grandma who lives on my street, ate my lunch now that it was 3pm and in the car again to pick up daughter #4 from school.
After arriving home with #4, the oldest calls and asks do you want to meet to go for a walk?
I was thankful to enjoy the clear sunny late afternoon. #4 daughter came along to run with and wear out the Grand dogie Libby. ( she feels a little displaced since Colton has arrived)

Colton is a joy, his eyes are bright,cheeks are round,he is calm and snugly. Or as my #2 daughter would say "schnuggly"
I am so blessed to be Mermie to such a sweet content bundle of preciousness.






We headed home after our walk had a little bite to eat and out the door again with #4 daughter to Jr church group. Finally spent sometime with #2 daughter hearing about her new job. I am so thankful she has a job to keep her busy while her husband is deployed and she settles back into the nest for several months until he returns.
The day is done punctuated by the sounds of my husband in his office playing on line "combat games" I periodically her "help" "oh no". It makes me laugh. The blessing of a full day. I better go fold the basket of laundry I left on my side of the bed again. Need Sleep.

When it rains it pours

Blessings Blessings Blessings.




















Yes the grand baby arrived safe and sound.
I arrived for my night shift at 6pm Dec 21. It was kind of quiet in my family birth dept. The next day would be one of the nurses birthday. We all commented "wouldn't it be fun if Brooke came in tonight to have baby Colton?" The evening marched on with outpatient triage's which included a very ill patient with severe preeclampsia, and an active labor patient. Midnight struck and it looked like things were again calming down. We sang happy birthday to Gayle and within minutes the phone rang and it was my son in law announcing Brooke's water had broken and they were on their way into the hospital. We all squealed and jumped around like a bunch of silly Jr high girls. The special delivery would happen today.
Brooke and Cody arrived at the hospital and she was still 2 cm dilated. I knew it would be a long night for Brooke.















Being the charge nurse I had charts to prepare for the next days scheduled procedures and as the Resuscitation Specialist I had to stay alert to respond to the high risk labor patient who appeared to be adding DIC to her list of problems. Thankfully the baby was doing fine.
I was pulled knowing both my department needed me and my daughter needed me at her bedside. by 3am I called in my Stand by charge nurse to relieve me so I could take off the charge nurse hat and put on the grandma hat.
Brooke did so well and Cody what an amazing coach. She labored all night finally reaching 4 cm at 10am by 11am an epidural gave the opportunity for rest that she really needed in order for her to continue. within the hour she was completely dilated. Labored down for another hour and 45min of pushing rewarded by a healthy 7#5 oz bundle of joy at 332pm. He didnt cry much but pinked up and went to breast within 10min of age.









Blessing after blessing I say because through out the whole labor Coltons fetal heart rate tracing remained text book perfect not one deceleration for the Gramma/L&D nurse to worry about. Im so thankful.




PS thank you Wife/mom/nurse for checking in on me even when I didnt post. You truely are an awesome bloggy friend.

Ill be home for Christmas?

Who will get her first? The song Ill be home for Christmas has special meaning at our house this year. baby Colton maybe here for Christmas. Counting down the days till Reed and Kelsey home for Christmas from NC?

Ive been wanting to make these Angel cookies with pretzel wings for many years.
Every year it fell off the projects to do list.
They were fun easy and worth the effort.

Practicing the gramma stuff with my friends granddaughters. Little fingers in the dough, flour, frosting and smiles make Christmas time.

One mom and one baby? Yep that was all the fun we had last night at work. Now that my daughter Brooke has arrived at 37wks gest is seems like not only am I excited to have her call with news that labor has started, but all the staff in my dept are excited to see who will be on duty when my grand baby arrives. Seeing my coworker snuggle a baby in the nursery I now am closer to grasping the reality my grand baby will be here soon.

I had the time to catch up with some of the staff I hadn't worked with in a while. I am reminded again why I love the staff I work with. They are very skilled dedicated to caring and willing to give of themselves to each other on a personal level.

Last week some of my coworkers announced that I would not be allowed to leave for the day until they came up with the name my Grand baby would call me. Of the top choices it was narrowed to "MiMi" or "Mermy". For some reason my own kids choose to call me "The Merm" So that's where Mermy comes from I guess a cross between Merm and Grammy. One of my grandmas we called Mammie. All the staff agreed Gramma or Grammy didn't fit me. Something about sounding to old and they seem to think I'm not an old grandma. I hope its not just that I don't act my age.

Baby shower for my soon to be Grandson

Celebration of the new baby to come. Im not much of a blogger lately. Shower attended by friends and family. I hand carried parts of the decoration for the cake from NC. I'm not a real game person so we played a fun game of chance I called "bottoms up" A pie tin and 5 small plastic babies. Roll your babies and count how many land with their bottoms up. each person got three rolls. This was not a game of skill but sure provided some laughter. Cake cutting, gift opening and I read a story to Colton " God gave us you"

Several in the group went together on a stroller car seat combo. Very nice. I hung a clothes line across my living room to display the baby clothes gift items and displayed the blanket I made for Brooke when she was born.

North Carolina in the fall

The decorated cake entry to the state fair. won honorable mention








































The gingerbread cookies we made.





















The happy daughter and son in law on his return from two weeks training.





















The Mantle decorated for Thanksgiving
Ten days away from my home. Ten days visiting #2 daughter and her husband in NC. the first 5days spent just my daughter and I hanging out and playing. Army hubby off for training, my daughter and I shopping, sewing, baking, crafting. We were in the fabric store so long we both got exausted. Then off to walmart. I had so much fun buying the makings of thanksgiving decorations for her home. That evening we baked a birthday cake for hubby,listened to christmas music and crafted a table cloth we had seen in a magazine when we were snooping in books at Borders. Im so thankful for time. Time spent with the ones I love. Tomorrow I head back to the west coast .

Blessings in the sock drawer

Ive been on a blogging break. Ive been checking in on other blogs but havent taken time to add to mine. I find it takes me a long time to come up with a tiny post so I stop before Im started
I'm not a very organized house keeper. I bop from one room to the other picking up this and that, folding clothes here and wiping up there, taking time to clean out a drawer just in time for garbage day so I wont have the chance to change my mind and pull out the"treasured item" from the garbage and return it to my clutter.
Last week on a sunny fall day I had to stay inside cleaning. I found myself rounding up a load of laundry in my closet. I don't remember how I got there,maybe a sock was sticking out and I took the time to open the drawers to organize.
There in the sock drawer I found the blessing. Ive seen it before but I couldn't resist taking the time to enjoy it again. Deep beneath the socks are special notes and letters. Some from my grown daughters to their dad and I,some from my husband notes of apology and mending of a misunderstanding years ago. One is simply a small scrap of wood with a note written on it saying I haven't told you I love you enough lately. (My husband is a carpenter)
I had to stop and ponder how funny it is I keep some of my dearest mementos in my sock drawer. I sat on my closet floor reading and soaking in the words of the letters. Sometimes I can find a blessing in the strangest place. The sock drawer.