He’s Here!

Our son made his entrance into the world this week! As you know, there were a few times that we actually thought he’d be arriving very early. Needless to say, there was a lot of stress.

For the past three weeks, every time Sam had her OB/GYN appointment, I was ready with bags at the door. I knew that at any time, the doc could say that he was going to induce. Sam had a rough go this pregnancy. She had high blood pressure, and a few other things that may have led to an induction.

Thursday – Last Week (10-7)

The doctor visit the week before had the doc on the fence. Do we induce or not? After this appointment, he was pretty sure that the baby was going to come that weekend. Just to be safe, he scheduled an induction for Monday morning (10-11). Sam called me on her way home from the appointment and told me she was coming home.

I worked Wednesday night, so I stayed up anticipating us going to the hospital. When she got home, I went to sleep so I could get some rest before work. Every night last week, I was on edge, I had my phone on me awaiting the call. The doc had already told us that if the water broke, things were going to progress quickly. I work an hour away, so I was very worried. The last two nights, I only had one patient, so that if I had to leave, my coworkers wouldn’t be overwhelmed.

Sunday (10-10)

It became very obvious over the weekend that Sam was struggling. She was not feeling well and was in more pain than she had been in. We debated taking Ella to Nana and Papa’s Sunday night so we could just get up and go, but we elected to keep her home. Ella must have known something was up, because she spent lots of time snuggling mommy on the couch and daddy in my chair. It was wonderful.

After Ella went down for bed, Sam and I gathered what we needed and had everything ready by the door. Sam got very emotional, as any mom would. Things were going to change. We were going to have another little one at home. The “what ifs” start running through your head and those only make you a nervous wreck. It was all we could do to actually fall asleep.

Monday – Induction Day

We were all up at 4:30am Monday. Induction was set for 7am.

We got Ella up and took her to Nana’s. We got to her house at 6am. We had to call the hospital at 6 to make sure that they were still going to do the induction. Thankfully, we were still set. When we left, Ella really wasn’t sure what was happening, but she did well.

We stopped to grab a bite to eat, because once you get to the room, Sam wasn’t allowed to eat or drink anything except ice chips. We arrived at the hospital about 15 minutes early and they checked us in and got us to our room. By 8am, the induction process began.

Sam had been dilated to 2 or 3 for about three weeks and nothing happened. They checked her again and she was still the same. Once they got her IV in (which was a challenge because she was so dehydrated), they gave her some pill which was supposed to thin the cervix and help kick start things. The pill takes about 4 hours to work, so they really never even came to check until then.

At about noon they came in and checked her and things were progressing. She was actually starting to feel some contractions toward the end of the fourth hour. They did not start Pitocin yet. They wanted to wait an hour or so and see how things were going. About 1pm they came back in and said that they would need to start the Pitocin. At about this time, Sam was given her epidural.

When they checked her she was still dilated to about 2 or 3. The waiting was driving me crazy! At one point, they knew she was contracting, but couldn’t really tell the intensity of them, and they added some sort of pressure thingy that went up next to the baby’s head. This showed the staff exactly what they needed.

A little after 6pm, she was dilated to 4. Most OB/GYN’s will tell you that you kinda “stall” at 4 and are there for awhile. I was watching the little strip that the fetal monitor was printing and I could see the contractions getting more consistent and more intense. Sam was actually starting to feel them, unlike with Ella. 40 minutes later they checked her and she was obviously ready, because the nurse looked surprised. She told one of the other nurses, “get him on the phone and tell him we’re gonna start pushing!”

My rock star wife went from 4cm to 10 cm in 40 minutes! As they got the rest of the room ready for delivery, we got ready to start pushing. The doc walked in just as Sam was getting ready to start. Once she started pushing, it became pretty clear that it wouldn’t be long. As the baby started to come out, there looked like there might be a problem and the doc told my wife that he was going to need the vacuum to help get the baby out due to the fact that he was turned a bit and that his hand was up next to his head.

As he mentioned this, she started to have another contraction and the nurse told her to push through it. She did and that was all our son needed and he was out. It was truly amazing to witness. My wife only pushed for 7 minutes! 7 minutes!!!! The doc handed me the scissors and I cut the cord, which is always a memorable moment. I noticed that the baby wasn’t crying. That freaked me out a bit. It freaked Sam out even more.

As they were cleaning him off, I heard a little cry, but nothing like I had heard with my other children. Once he was cleaned off, they brought him over to Sam for skin to skin time. There was our second little miracle and he was perfect!

While I was pacing the floor, I posted on Facebook that people should give their guesses as to what time he’d be born and how much he would weigh. My friend Sharon from high school almost nailed it! She was closest with her guess of 7:11pm and 7 pounds 11 ounces. She was only off by 4 minutes and 4 ounces.

When she was born, my daughter looked just like Sam. My son, however, tends to look a lot like me. I say that because he was making what I call “Grumpy Old Man” faces. One of the first pictures I took of him, he has the funniest grumpy look on his face. Even in the picture above, he looks a bit angry. The picture from his birthday that just cracks me up, and reminds me of a look I would make, is this one:

I love that look and pose!

They keep you in the hospital for 24 hours and then they want to discharge you, as long as nothing is wrong. My son was jaundice and so they kept checking levels. The same thing happened with Ella and she would up being readmitted to the hospital after discharge. We wanted to avoid that at all costs if possible.

They came in at about the 24 hour mark and said that the levels weren’t bad and that we could go if we wanted to. They said if we left, we’d need to follow up with our pediatrician in the morning and have blood drawn again to check levels. We opted to stay one more night so they could check levels first thing in the morning.

Wednesday morning the levels were fine and we were discharged. It was time for the little man to meet his big sister! We had video chatted with her a couple times and showed her the baby. “Baby!” she would say, but not really comprehending that this baby was her brother and would be coming home with us.

We were lucky that we were able to get discharged fairly quickly that morning. We headed straight to Nana’s to pick up our little princess. She hadn’t seen us almost three days. When we walked in the house, she screamed happily and clapped her hands. She was SO happy to see us. Then it was time to introduce her to AJ.

I’m sure that there was a lot of confusion at that particular moment. She had a lot to process. Nana and Papa got to hold their grandson before we left to go home. The ride home was unusually quiet. For me, it was weird because as I looked in the rearview mirror, it was the first time that both kids were back there. It was an eyeopener!

When we got home, Ella seemed a little more comfortable. I know she still really has no clue how to process it all, but she seemed generally happy to have the baby home. I will be framing this picture – I think it is just marvelous!

We were up early again today for well visits for both kids. They both are doing great!

The events of the past week only reinforce what a lucky man I am. I am so blessed!

There was so much more I wanted to write, but AJ kinda sums up what we all feel like over here….

Goodnight, friends!

National Daughters Day 2021

I have been a father for almost 20 years now. It is a role that I do not take lightly. I have spent most of that time raising two amazing sons. Almost two years ago, I became a “Girl Dad” when my daughter was born.

Raising a daughter is VERY different from raising sons. For one thing, you “rough house” a little less. You are more careful about everything. It is totally a different way of parenting, sort of. The lessons you teach your daughter are a bit different than the ones you teach your sons. With boys, you teach them to become men. With girls, as a dad, you protect them. In a way, they learn a bit more from mom about how to become a woman.

I got a bit emotional on my way into work tonight as I thought about just how fast she is growing up. She’s not wearing so many “onsies” anymore. She’s now wearing T-shirts and blue jeans! And crocks! Sam bought her the cutest pair of crocks. When I came home this morning, she was dressed to go to the doctor for her ear surgery follow up. As I looked at her, she no longer was that little baby girl, she seemed to be 5 years old!

They say when you have kids, you begin to realize just how fast time flies, because they are always growing and before you know it, they are 18! I’ve witnessed this first hand with my boys, and now with my daughter. I see her pictures from just one year ago in my Facebook memories and think, “How was she ever that small?” and “When did she get so big?!” I feel like I am being cliché when I say that I wish I had a pause button to slow things down.

Today is National Daughters Day. As I sit here and think about how lucky I am to have Ella as my daughter, there are some things that I want written down. Things that I think it is important for her to know. So here goes:

I love you with all that I am!

I’m crazy about you, sweetheart! You have filled my life with more things that I can ever tell you. Each day I love you more and more. With each new thing you do, you give me another reason to love you.

I believe in you!

I know deep down that you will be an amazing young woman. You are smart. You are inquisitive. You don’t give up. You will make a difference in the world. I am behind you 100%!

I think you are beautiful.

Look at you! Your beauty, your smile and your laughter light up the room – and the world! You are beautiful inside and out. Use your beauty to share love and kindness.

You changed me.

Ella, the day you were born, my whole life changed. I felt things I never knew I would. Holding you for the first time, brought me to tears. They were happy tears! For nine months, your mommy and I prayed for you every day. We continue to do so. We wondered what you’d look like. We wondered about what your personality would be like. We wondered and speculated about so many things. You have exceeded all we could have ever imagined! All because of you, I love your mommy 100 times more than I ever thought I could. You have made me a better dad, a better husband, and a better man.

No matter what – you can ALWAYS come to me.

As you get older, you will have many questions. You will have to make difficult decisions. No matter what you are facing, you can trust me. You can tell me anything. Nothing that you are dealing with will ever make me stop loving you. Know that whatever you are going through, I will help you get through it. You can always talk to me and I will always be there to help you.

My sweet Ella, Happy Daughters Day! In closing, let me share some things that over the past year or so I have copied and hoped to maybe share in a scrapbook or a letter. Now is as good a time as any to put a couple of them in one place. I hope one day, you can read these words and know that they express the things your daddy just couldn’t put into words…..

A Father Loves a Daughter – Kristen Rose

A father loves a daughter
Like no other love on earth.
From the day that he first meets her
Nothing can compare her worth.

Forever are they bonded
With a love that never fails.
For always he will hug her
And kiss goodnight with fairy tales.

He will love her and protect her
With strong arms just in case
But will also hug her tenderly
With a fatherly embrace.

Eskimo kisses touch her nose
With a giggle and a squeeze
And that sparkle in her little eyes
Could bring him to his knees.

What more could any father want
Than a daughter so sweet and pure
There’s nothing in this world so rare
Of that he can be sure.

A father’s love is so unique
It cannot be replaced
He will always treasure times with her
And the memories embraced.

Daughter – Author unknown

A daughter is a wonderful blessing,
A treasure from above.
She’s laughter, warmth and special charm,
She’s thoughtfulness and love.

A daughter brings a special joy,
That comes from deep inside.
And as she grows to adulthood,
She fills your heart with pride.

With every year that passes,
She’s more special than before.
Through every stage, through every age,
You love her even more.

No words can describe the warm memories,
The pride and gratitude, too.
That comes from having a daughter,
To love and to cherish… just like you!

I love you, Ella. Thank you for being YOU! Thank you for being the most amazing daughter a daddy could ever have.

Emotional Weekend Recap

It is taking all that is in me to write a blog today. I don’t feel like writing. I’m numb today.

All weekend long I struggled with whether or not to proceed with something. It is something that has weighed very heavy on my heart. It is something that comes with risks no matter what I decided to do. I have spent three entire therapy sessions (one I scheduled purposely) discussing it with my therapist. No matter how much I talked about it, no matter how I looked at it, no matter what the pros and cons were, I still don’t feel like I was ready to make a decision. Based on previous blogs, you can probably figure out what I am talking about.

It doesn’t really even matter what it is. I wrestled to make a decision and now I am wrestling with the decision I made. I am literally numb. I am feeling many emotions today – fear, anger, sadness, uncertainty, worry, and so many more. As I stared at the computer screen, I wondered just what the hell I wanted to write about. So I grabbed my phone and looked back at some of the pictures from the weekend and figured maybe I should at least talk about the positives.

Positives

First of all, I got to spend the entire weekend with my wife and daughter. It was an extended weekend for my wife and I, and as a bonus we both got Tuesday off. We actually had time to sit on the couch and watch shows we had on the DVR, which is something we rarely get to do. Ella had us laughing a lot this weekend. Recently, Sam’s folks bought her an easel. It has a chalkboard, whiteboard, place for paper, etc… We thought that this would be great for her to draw on. We haven’t let her paint yet, but she can color on it and uses the chalkboard a lot. Up until now, the sidewalk chalk had to stay outside. Now she has it on the easel, which isn’t always a good thing ….

This probably won’t stop her from drawing on the furniture … but it was worth a try!

On Sunday, I got together with two of my close friends from high school – Margaret and Chris. It was probably a couple months ago that a picture of the three of us came up in Facebook Memories. I think it said the picture was taken 10 years ago! While I’ve gotten together with them separately since, it had been that long since we all got together. So we met at Margaret’s house and she had a cook out. The town was hopping because the peach festival was going on. I got their late, because I thought we were supposed to get together on Monday. No matter, we all got to sit around and chat, reminisce, laugh, and enjoy each other’s company. Before we wrapped up the day, I said we had to get another picture! I sent the picture to both of them, and each of us posted it on our pages. Margaret joked around and said to crop the picture more …. so I did….

Sometimes, I have to do things just to take my mind off the crap that is on social media. I am so sick of the politics, hatred, and sadness that is often the subject of posts on Facebook. During conversation at Margaret’s, the topic turned to some silliness I have been posting. I did this last September, too. I know it is stupid, but it truly makes me laugh and I share to save my sanity.

One of the Three Stooges pages I follow on Facebook takes Shemp Howard’s picture and Photoshops them on other pictures. The can be movie stills, magazine covers, etc. They call the entire month of September – SHEMPtember! So every day this month, I find a silly pic from their page and post it. This remains one of my favorites, and I am sure my musical followers will get a good laugh from it, too….

30 days of stupidity? Yeah, probably. I’ll take the stupidity and enjoy the laugh over the other things I am feeling any day.

The rest of the weekend falls into the area that I’d rather not think about ….

I hope you had an enjoyable Labor Day Weekend.

Tympanostomy Success!

Thursday we were up early and took Ella in for her surgery. She had her Tympanostomy (the fancy medical term for “tubes in the ears”) done and it was a success. It was probably the fastest surgery I ever waited through!

Sam got the call Wednesday night that the surgery was scheduled for 9:40 Thursday morning. She was told to be there two hours prior. We live an hour from the hospital, so it was an early wake up for all of us. We had hoped that Ella might just fall back asleep on the way down, but that didn’t happen. She wasn’t allowed to have anything to eat or drink after 10pm, so we were worried that she would be very cranky and hungry when we got there that early.

We arrived at 7:30am and checked in. The gal at check in kept giving us the “stank eye,” and it didn’t take long for us to figure out why. Whoever called us was supposed to tell us to arrive at 9:40. I know exactly what this gal was thinking, because I feel the same way when patients arrive an hour early for their sleep study.

It worked out to our benefit, or so we thought, because they ended up calling us back to Pre-Op early because two patients had not showed up. Naturally, they showed up late and threw everything off in the back. Factor in there was an emergency during one of the operations that slowed everything down for everyone else, and the wait became VERY long. Thankfully, we brought plenty of stuff for Ella to do while we waited.

I love the gown they put her in. It had all kinds of cartoon fishes on it. Despite being hungry, she did really well. She started to cry when the nurses came into the Pre-Op room, but I think that is just her associating nurses to shots. They brought in one of those hair nets and a zip up body gown for one of us to go back to the OR with her while they put her under.

Sam was naturally worried and upset about her having surgery, even though she knew it would be an easy one. I decided I would go back with her. I’ve never seen anyone go under, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. So when the doc finally came in to check paperwork and such, I was told to get ready so they could take her back.

Funny visual. The zip up gown is all white. I put my legs into this thing and could immediately tell that this thing was not meant for fat guys like me to wear! I was able to zip it up about half way to belly and the zipper totally popped off! Sam and I chuckled and I just threw that silly net over my head. Unless they had a gown sized “tent,” this was the way I was going into the OR!

When it was time for us to go, I was actually surprised that she let me take her. She’s been such a mama’s girl lately. She kissed Sam as she came to me and I could see her tearing up. It was a short walk to the OR and they had me lay her on the table. She was already upset. I held her and sang to her as they put the mask on and she drifted off to sleep.

Tympanum with tube in left lower quadrant. This will help drainage of fluid behind the eardrum and help prevent further ear infections.

It took me about 2 minutes to get back to the Pre-Op room to get Sam. It took another 2-3 minutes for us to get to the waiting room. We hadn’t been sitting down but maybe 5-6 minutes and the doc came out to tell us she was done and that all went well. It was probably less than 5 minutes and they took us back to recovery where she was coming out of the anesthesia.

In all honesty, that was the worst part. They warned us that kids tend to cry a lot when they come out of it, and she was. One of the nurses was holding her when we went back, and they immediately handed her to Sam. She calmed down a little, but you could tell the anesthesia was still wearing off. We stayed back there about 30 minutes and we were free to go.

She was very snuggly when we got home, as we expected. By the end of the night, she was back to her old self. She was so happy and chatty this morning when she woke up. She ate a big breakfast, and played a lot. Nana came by with a little present for her, an easel/chalk board to draw on. She’s been all about sidewalk chalk lately and we’ve kept it outside. Now, however, the chalk is indoors. This means that the couch will have plenty of chalk on it until we can make sure she knows it goes on the chalk board.

Pondering just what to draw on the chalkboard ……

When Ella was born, she did not pass her hearing test as a newborn. Later, she did pass it, but they said that the ear that did not pass the first time would be prone to ear infections. When we saw the ENT, he told us that the ear drum wasn’t really moving like it should and that the tubes will not only help with ear infections, but with that, too. They told us that sounds would be a little more noticeable for her now, and things that didn’t used to bother her, may for a few days. I’m guessing with both ears hearing well, she will begin to talk more and more.

I know it was a very easy and routine surgery, but I was still thankful that it all went well.

“I’m sorry, baby”

There are things that you do as a parent that you hate, but you know you have to do them. With my boys, I was always the one who took them to get their shots. There is no worse feeling as a parent than having your child look at you as you hold them down so the nurse can administer the shot. You feel like you are betraying them. It is truly an awful feeling. You know that you are doing what you need to do, but it rips your heart out!

Sam has scheduled most of Ella’s shots on days that she is off work and I work. I have told her that I would take her and she doesn’t need to always be the one to do that. She says she knows, but she feels that Ella “needs her mommy” for comfort after those pokes.

So Ella is having surgery this week to put tubes in her ears. She’s had one too many ear infections and the ENT said tubes will help. Here is the catch, before she can do the surgery, she had to have a Covid test done. It had to be done during a specific time frame, in this case Sunday or Monday. Sam works both days, so I was the one who took her to have it done.

It had to be done at either the hospital or one of the hospital affiliated Urgent Care facilities. The hospital is an hour and 15 minutes from home, where as the closest Urgent Care was about 55 minutes away. So we had to schedule a Virtual Visit with a doc on Sunday, in order to be able to get the actual Covid test done on Monday.

When I arrived they told me to bring her inside, because it would be difficult to do a curbside swab on someone her age. They brought us right back to the room, and Ella began to cry before anything even happened. She’s had enough shots to recognize an exam room and was probably thinking she was getting another one.

When the nurse entered with the swab, Ella began to cry even more. The nurse told me to cross her arms and hold them with one arm. I was then to hold her head against my chest so they could do the swab. Let me tell you, that girl of mine is strong! I had a hard time holding her. She fought big time. As soon as it was all over, I held her and she gave me the “Why did you let them do that, daddy?” look. I hate that look.

I kept telling her I was sorry. It breaks my heart to see her like that. Once we left the building, I held her in the parking lot and calmed her down before putting her in her car seat. I found a light up toy and that made her smile. I was so glad her mood changed quickly. Of course, I had to treat her to pancakes at McDonalds for being so brave.

First Trip To The Library

Between Sam and I, we easily read Ella 5-12 books a day. Usually after we finish one, she signs “more” because she wants to want to hear it again. She really needs a bigger book shelf, because it seems like we are always bringing new books home from the store for her.

We signed her up for the Summer Reading Program at our local library. The more she reads, the more prizes she can get. She earned her first reward and so we decided to take her to the library to get it. She’s never been to the library before, so she was pretty excited when she walked in.

The first thing she did, while I was talking to the librarian about her reading reward, was pull some books off a shelf (just like when she is at home)! I had to reshelf the books and she got to pick her prize. She got a rubber duck and a book. Then we went into the kids reading room. She was in heaven! There were so many board books!

I’ve been to our library a few times, but never had been in the kids area. I had to grab a picture of her by the mural.

Once we read about 20-30 books, we started to leave. She found a computer that had some easy drop and drag puzzles. She had to play with that for a while and loved every second of it. She’s looking like such a big girl now!

I am so happy that she loves to read. I will be sad the day she no longer wants me to read to her. That is something that I really love to do. There are plenty of stories and books to read!

I Just Want To Make It All Better

As a parent, you hate to see your child sick. You feel helpless. All you want to do is take away the hurt. You want to make them feel better. You know that they are miserable and you would gladly bear their pain and suffering to allow them to get well.

The past few weeks have been hard on my little girl. Two weeks ago, she had yet another ear infection. After a full run of antibiotics, she began to show signs of being sick again. She spent a lot of time cuddling and laying next to me on the couch.

She had a slight fever yesterday and last night she was up almost all night inconsolable. I was at work, and Sam tried everything to get her to calm down. She finally calmed down early this morning and was able to sleep a little bit. She was asleep when I got home from work and Sam called her doctor to see if she could get her in.

The doctor said that her ear infection was actually worse. She was surprised that the week’s worth of the antibiotic didn’t touch it. She ran a bunch of tests to make sure it was not something else (Covid, RSV, Flu, etc) and they all came back negative. The ears have a lot of inflammation and so she has some ear drops to take as well as another antibiotic. We are hoping that this does the trick. If not, we could be looking at a hospital stay.

When she was born, she did not pass her hearing test in one ear. After retesting, she passed. However, at that time, they told us that she’d probably be prone to ear infections in that ear, and may even need tubes at some point. I believe we may be at that point. We’ve scheduled an appointment with an ENT and hope to have more answers after that.

In the meantime, we continue to pray that she feels better. Can I ask that you do the same? Thank you in advance.

I hope you feel better soon, my princess. I love you as big as the world!

XOXO

Daddy.

A Very Happy Father’s Day

As Father’s Day approached this year, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. My oldest son works so much, and when he isn’t working, he’s usually hanging out with his friends. My youngest son hasn’t been here in a couple months, and when I have gone to pick him up, I end up coming home without him. So, if I am being 100% honest, I wasn’t sure if I’d see them this weekend (despite the fact that it was Father’s Day).

So last week, my oldest called and said he wanted to get together. I suggested we go to breakfast or that I could make breakfast for them. He liked the idea and called me again on Saturday. There was a classic car show at one of the county parks, and he suggested we go there. I loved the idea.

So Sunday morning, I ran up to the store to grab some bacon and sausage. By 9:30, when they arrived, I had the meat all fried up, toast in the toaster, and eggs ready to go. We sat and enjoyed breakfast together and we were on the road by 10:30. I had packed the stroller in the car the night before, so all I needed to worry about was packing a diaper bag.

It was a lot hotter than I thought it was going to be Sunday, but we stayed in the shade as much as we could. We walked around and got to see some amazing cars. There was a 1902 Oldsmobile that was taking people for rides throughout the park. One of the funniest things was when my son asked me about this big rubber bulb on one of the cars. He had no idea that it was the horn!

He laughed when I told him! Then we started to notice them on all the older cars. We saw Ford Model A’s, Ford Model T’s, some classic old Buicks and so much more. My oldest loves old cars and it was amazing to hear him spout off the year, make and model as we approached them. There were also a variety of old police cars, army jeeps, and some really unique vehicles there.

There was a car that my son had seen at a car show a couple years ago and he got all excited. “Dad! That’s an upside down van … and it drives like that!” It was actually cool to look at, but even cooler to see driving around!

I wish I had gotten a picture of the inside of that!

It’s always cool to see cars done up to look like famous cars. The General Lee wasn’t there, but Ella got to meet Herbie the Love Bug!

There’s a paddle boat (The Genesee Belle) that usually runs during the summer. It is not running this year yet, because it has to undergo a bunch of inspections. The gal inside the boat told us that because of Covid, and the boat not running, it needed some extra looking over. We were, however, able to go up on the boat and look over the lake.

It was almost noon when we stopped by the boat, and I could see that despite drinking lots of water, Ella was starting to get hot. We had already bought tickets to ride the train at noon, so we decided that we’d do the train ride and head back home. The steam engine wasn’t running this weekend, so a diesel engine pulled all the passengers.

The train cars are all about 100 years old. They have all been refurbished and are quite comfortable. They all have the old wooden framed windows that can occasionally fall down for no reason. We had hoped to ride in an open air car, but they were all full by the time we got to the train. We sat in the car with the windows open.

The train goes about 10 miles an hour and the cars kinda rock back and forth. Since we were close to Ella’s nap time, it was no surprise that she fell asleep on me during the ride. Not even the loud whistle of the train woke her up. It is always fun to hear the engineer tell stories of the train while you are riding. The railroad got it’s name (Huckleberry Railroad) because the story goes that the people riding the train could jump off one of the front cars, pick some huckleberries to snack on, and still be able to jump back on one of the end cars of the train.

When we got back to the depot, we stopped for a few more photo opportunities and left to grab lunch and head home.

When we got back home, Ella was still tired and went down for a nap. I spent some time talking to my sons about the classes my oldest is going to take in college and the golf lessons that my youngest is taking. It was nice to have some quality time and conversation with them. Ella woke up just before the boys had to head to dinner with their mom. Sam woke up for work before they left and made sure that I got pictures of me and the boys and me and all of the kids.

When Sam left for work, it was just me and Ella. We may have over did it a bit as she was running a little fever. So I snuggled up with her on the couch and we watched cartoons together. Before putting her to bed, I grabbed the new book that I got from her for Father’s Day and read it to her…

I absolutely love this book. So simple, yet so meaningful. “My dad love me!” Yes, sweetheart. He does. Very much!

The last book I read to her is another favorite.

I feel like I have been reading her this book forever! It never gets old. As a matter of fact, it means more every time I read it. This is such a short story, but it expresses the love of a parent for their child so perfectly. Here is the entire book without pictures:

I’m sure my sons would think I’m nuts if I read this to them today! I mean they are both cool teenagers now, right?! But this book really sums up how I feel about all of my children, the three who are here and the one that is one the way!

What a truly amazing Father’s Day. I thank God for blessing me with these wonderful children and I pray every day that I can be the Dad that they need me to be. I love them all “as big as the world!”

You Give Me Fever …

Been a crazy week here. Ella wasn’t feeling all that great Monday night and then woke up Tuesday with a 104 temp. We began to alternate the Tylenol/Motrin every four hours and were told that if the fever continued on Wednesday to do a Tele-Med visit. Wednesday morning, the fever was still there, so we did the video visit with the doc, who insisted that we bring her in.

Once we got to the office, the fever had broke, because we had given her Motrin before we left. The doc checked her out and she was diagnosed with another ear infection. We were told when she was born that she may have issues with her ears (There were issues with her newborn hearing tests.). Sam immediately asked about ear tubes. Did you know you have to get 6 ear infections in 12 months before they will even consider putting tubes in? I didn’t.

At any rate, she was sent home with an antibiotic and she’s been doing better. By Saturday, she was like her normal self. I was called off work Friday night, so I was able to get some sleep. Saturday was sunny and hot. We had heard about a splash pad near by and we decided to take Ella there. She loved it!

At first, she was a bit apprehensive, but once she saw other kids running around, she was screaming with joy and running all over the place.

We all got a little sun Saturday. I was hoping to go back there today with her while Sam slept, but she spiked her fever again. I kept her inside most of the day. I made a trip out to Meijer with her to pick up a few things and when I got back she walked right to her stroller. She signed “more” to me, and I knew we had to take a walk. Because it was so sunny, I didn’t want her out there too long, so we did a quick walk around the block.

After her nap, she wanted to go outside. I had filled her pool, and figured she might want to just play in it. She sat in it for a bit, but for the most part, she wandered around the yard, playing on her slide, and “sunbathing”

She’s been on the antibiotic for a few days now. I am hoping that she feels well enough to go to the splash pad tomorrow.

A Morning Spring Walk

I’ve been struggling with a few things lately. I decided to listen to my own advice and take a step back and look around and appreciate the little things. So this past week, I put Ella in her stroller and we took a 2 and a half mile walk around the neighborhood.

She loves going for a walk and it was very beneficial for me as well. The first thing I did was focus on the sounds of spring, which were all around us as I walked!

The Sounds

As I was putting Ella in her stroller, the sounds of the birds singing rang loudly in my ears.

As I listened to them, I could here the songs of different types of birds. One, in particular, reminded me of early mornings in Caseville. I remember walking out of grandma’s trailer and hearing this one particular bird sound. Funny how you can remember that almost 40 years later.

At one point during our walk, the church bells began to chime.

It is not odd to hear the church bells/chimes begin to play hymns during the day. I recognized the hymn as being Blessed Assurance.

The weather was nice, so naturally, some neighbors were out mowing the grass.

This allowed me to experience not only the sounds of the lawnmower, but the smell of fresh cut grass.

There were also plenty of neighbors out working in the garage. I loved walking by and hearing the sounds of a small radio playing from inside the garage.

I remember my dad always had the radio on when we were outside on the weekends. If he was washing the car, working on the yard, painting, cleaning the garage, or fixing something – the radio was always on. I remember many Sundays listening to Casey Kasem and American Top 40 while we helped outside.

The Sights

Along with the sounds of spring, there were plenty of sights, too!

Ella always gets a kick out of the squirrels running up a tree or around a yard.

There are plenty of squirrels in the neighborhood – and many that run around my yard!

The Robin is the Michigan State Bird. We always look for the “first robin of spring.” They are all over now. They were hopping all around the yards and bird feeders we see along our route.

Along the way, we also saw many neighbors out doing yard work.

I truly wish that I had the time and energy to do what some of my neighbors do! I’m lucky if I get the leaves out of the flowerbeds by late summer! It is SO much work! Yet, there are neighbors who line their walkways with tulips, fill their flower beds with every flower imaginable, and have hanging flowers that are beautiful all spring and summer long! We bought hanging plants one year and they died within two weeks. I obviously do not have a green thumb.

Kudos to my neighbors! I love looking at the product of your hard work when I walk.

There is one house I always walk by with Ella. I do it because there is always this old hound dog outside.

The dog is either laying along the fence or up on the back porch. It always looks up when we walk by, but it is old and content to just lay there soaking up the sun. We have no idea what the dog’s name is, but she gets a kick out of seeing that dog on our walk.

Sadly, the dog is really old and I’m not sure how many more walks we will be seeing him/her out there.

The last thing I really enjoy seeing when I am out walking is people sitting out on the front porch. I’m not sure why more people don’t do this, but it seems to be more and more rare.

Before Ella, we would sit out on the porch in the morning and drink coffee. That doesn’t happen too much anymore. There is something about sitting out with a hot cup of coffee, my Bible, or a newspaper that is so relaxing. I don’t need a rocking chair, any chair will do.

I guess the only beef I have with sitting on the porch lately is the recent increase in the number of bees and wasps. I’ve walked around the house and looked to see if there are nests, but I can’t seem to find any. I read somewhere that peppermint oil will repel them. Maybe I need to find a way to put that around the porch?

The walk around the neighborhood really helped me relax. Noticing the sights and sounds instead of being lost in thought was a big part of that. I’m looking forward to my next walk …