So as I mentioned last week, I had to go up to Minneapolis for a business trip. The trip went well; we got everything done we had hoped to do and we were even able to come home a day early. The only real hiccup with the trip was that our luggage didn't make it onto our connecting flight in Atlanta on the way up. We had a pretty short layover to begin with and while we were on time landing, there was some kind of gate snafu and we ended up taxing around the airport for around 20 minutes. Once we de-boarded and checked for our connection, we barely had enough time to briskly walk two concourses down to where the connection was leaving from. We got to the gate about the time they were beginning to board our zone. We kind of assumed it would be a stretch for our luggage to make it on the plane and when we landed, I already had a couple of emails saying our bags didn't make the flight. We checked with the counter and the lady was able to tell us that they were on the next flight up and then set it up to have them delivered to our hotel that evening. When we got back to the hotel from eating dinner, the luggage was waiting on us.
While things in Minnesota went well, things on the home front quickly went downhill. Namely, DeAnne's back went out on her again. She had mentioned it hurting some the Saturday before I left, but during the week, it took her completely down. She went to the doctor and he gave her some stuff to calm it down and then ordered an MRI. We got that done Monday morning and got the results Tuesday afternoon.
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The MRI showed that DeAnne has spinal stenosis. She's going to need surgery, it's just a matter of when. Be praying that the pain she's in currently will subside and that we'll at least be able to put off surgery until around Christmas so that she doesn't have to miss much work.
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No sooner than I posted about Harrison's sleep patterns than he blows it all away by sleeping through the night Tuesday night. He went down about 9:30 and didn't budge until about 4:45 the next morning. DeAnne and I were both pretty excited. In fact, I bragged on him so much that he had to show me who was boss and proceeded to get up twice on Wednesday night. Oh, well. Like I said though; maybe we're getting closer.
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The only plans for this weekend is the yard sale that DeAnne's family is having at her grandmother's house in Opp. We've got some stuff we're going to take over there but we haven't really had time to dig through all the stuff we have in storage to see what really needs to go.
Have a good weekend.
--Paul
Friday, September 30, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Wow
This post is actually being written over the course of several days during different chances I've had to get to it. It's crazy and it's probably going to be long, but this is the new format I'm probably going to be faced with if I intend to keep blogging. I'm probably going to start writing blogs ahead of time and then scheduling them to post automatically when I'm done with one. If I can build up a few, then I'll be able to miss a day or two and it not be a big deal. It's just going to take some work to get it rolling.
Harrison hasn't so much changed the morning routine as the combination of having Harrison and DeAnne working has changed the morning routine. We usually get cracking around 5:15 instead of my old 5:45 and DeAnne's old 6:15 and whereas I used to start getting dressed and walking the dog at 6:30, I now have to be getting in the car at 6:30 if I'm going to get Harrison dropped off and still get to work by 7:00. DeAnne and I have talked a little about me changing my work schedule. PowerSouth lets us set what time we come in and leave so long as we're putting in 8 hours of work each day and the schedule doesn't change every day. We may try me going in at 7:30. The only downside is that I would have to work to 4:00. I know 30 minutes isn't a huge change, but we're so used to both of us being home by 4:00 that it would pretty drastically alter our routine in the evenings.
Of course, I'm not so sure that any of this is an issue once Harrison starts sleeping through the night. We've gotten close a couple of times, but he's still getting up about once each night. His schedule does seem to have changed some the past couple of nights though. He was going down around 9:00/9:30, getting up around 2:00/2:30 and then getting up around 5:30/6:00. The past couple of nights he's gone to bed around 8:00/8:30, gotten up around 11:00/11:30 and then again around 4:00, although today he made it all the way to 5:00. The new schedule wouldn't be awful as long as he can stretch that last stint out to 5:00 or 5:30. I think we're on the cusp of making it through the night, we're just not quite there yet.
--Paul
Harrison hasn't so much changed the morning routine as the combination of having Harrison and DeAnne working has changed the morning routine. We usually get cracking around 5:15 instead of my old 5:45 and DeAnne's old 6:15 and whereas I used to start getting dressed and walking the dog at 6:30, I now have to be getting in the car at 6:30 if I'm going to get Harrison dropped off and still get to work by 7:00. DeAnne and I have talked a little about me changing my work schedule. PowerSouth lets us set what time we come in and leave so long as we're putting in 8 hours of work each day and the schedule doesn't change every day. We may try me going in at 7:30. The only downside is that I would have to work to 4:00. I know 30 minutes isn't a huge change, but we're so used to both of us being home by 4:00 that it would pretty drastically alter our routine in the evenings.
Of course, I'm not so sure that any of this is an issue once Harrison starts sleeping through the night. We've gotten close a couple of times, but he's still getting up about once each night. His schedule does seem to have changed some the past couple of nights though. He was going down around 9:00/9:30, getting up around 2:00/2:30 and then getting up around 5:30/6:00. The past couple of nights he's gone to bed around 8:00/8:30, gotten up around 11:00/11:30 and then again around 4:00, although today he made it all the way to 5:00. The new schedule wouldn't be awful as long as he can stretch that last stint out to 5:00 or 5:30. I think we're on the cusp of making it through the night, we're just not quite there yet.
--Paul
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
The Great White North
It's not actually white up here yet, but I'm in Minneapolis for the week doing work for a hardware upgrade that we have coming up. It was always hard to leave DeAnne before, but it's been really hard to leave her and Harrison. Things went really well yesterday and if they continue on at the current rate we may get to leave early.
The one really interesting thing that's happened on this trip was that our luggage didn't make the connection in Atlanta so when we got to Minneapolis we didn't have our bags. It worked out though. Delta knew the bags didn't make it and had them brought to our hotel. It took a while, but when we got back to the hotel from dinner, they were waiting on us.
Maybe I'll be able to blog this Thursday and hopefully it'll be from home.
--Paul
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
MeMaw
This past Sunday, my grandmother, "MeMaw", passed away. She was 75. She'll be laid to rest next to my grandfather, "PePaw", in Mobile this afternoon around 11:00.
MeMaw was many things: a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, wife and widow, friend, sister, aunt, an adopted mother to many and most of all, a Christian. Both of my grandmothers have always been great pillars of faith in my life. Without either of them, I'm not sure where I would be now.
MeMaw loved with a heart so big, she couldn't contain it. There were countless times I've met someone who knew her only to hear them tell stories of how she did things for them when no one else would; how she took care of children who needed taking care of; how she gave of herself so others could have.
Giving may be her biggest legacy. She wanted nothing more than for her children and grandchildren to have a better life than she had had. She worked long hours in a sewing factory when my father and uncle were young just to provide them with opportunities that she had never had. It was a trait she instilled in her sons. It's a trait that my father has instilled in me. To give all of one's self for your family to prosper, for you children to have better than you had.
She was proud. I remember that for many years her van had a front license plate that read: "Let me tell you about my grandchildren." She wouldn't just tell you about her grandchildren though. She would tell you about her boys, her grandchildren and anyone else that she had considered a child to her through the years. She was proud that her sons work as hard as they do and have done as well as they have to provide for their families. She was proud of her grandchildren and the things that I and my cousins have accomplished in our lives. She was proud of the things that the Lord had blessed her with and she was happy to share every blessing she could with anyone she came into contact with.
She could cook. I know no one's ever had a grandmother that couldn't cook. MeMaw came from such humble beginnings that she never wanted anyone to go without food. I don't know of a time I didn't step foot in her house when she didn't ask me if there was something I wanted to eat. She had two great specialties: sweet pickles and pound cake. Personally, I've never been a fan of pickles, but I've been told hers are some of the greatest ever made. And while I can't attest to the quality of her pickles, I can boldly declare that her pound cake is quite possibly the greatest thing ever made by human hands. I firmly believe that the Lord imparted MeMaw's pound cake recipe to her so that she could share a little taste of Heaven with anyone she came into contact with.
It's been a little over two years since MeMaw was first diagnosed with cancer. After surgery and treatments, she was given a clean bill of health and she had a good life for the next 18 months or so. After the beginning of the year this year, her health deteriorated quickly and she spent the past 6 months or so struggling just to eat, sleep and be comfortable. After my grandfather passed away, she missed him terribly and has never quite been the same without him. I have no doubt that they are now standing together worshipping the Lord in Heaven. She's finally at rest; no pain, no suffering, no tears and while we who are left behind mourn our loss, I have no doubt that all of Heaven rejoices at their gain. I rejoice with those Angels and Saints knowing that my grandmother is finally home.
This past Christmas DeAnne and I announced our pregnancy to each family as we had Christmas with them. We gave each of our parents a set of baby booties. When my dad opened his set, it took MeMaw about half a second to realize what they meant. I don't think anyone across all of our family caught on as quick as she did. I also think she had possibly the best reaction and the biggest smile. I didn't know it at the time, but it was the last time I ever saw her that happy. I really think she held on as long as she did in part to be able to see Harrison be born. We took him to see her as often as we could and you could tell that it always brightened her spirits to see him. DeAnne and I took video of our parents opening those booties and MeMaw happened to be sitting next to Dad as he opened his. I wanted to share that video with you all so that you could have a memory of MeMaw that was made of pure joy.
--Paul
MeMaw was many things: a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, wife and widow, friend, sister, aunt, an adopted mother to many and most of all, a Christian. Both of my grandmothers have always been great pillars of faith in my life. Without either of them, I'm not sure where I would be now.
MeMaw loved with a heart so big, she couldn't contain it. There were countless times I've met someone who knew her only to hear them tell stories of how she did things for them when no one else would; how she took care of children who needed taking care of; how she gave of herself so others could have.
Giving may be her biggest legacy. She wanted nothing more than for her children and grandchildren to have a better life than she had had. She worked long hours in a sewing factory when my father and uncle were young just to provide them with opportunities that she had never had. It was a trait she instilled in her sons. It's a trait that my father has instilled in me. To give all of one's self for your family to prosper, for you children to have better than you had.
She was proud. I remember that for many years her van had a front license plate that read: "Let me tell you about my grandchildren." She wouldn't just tell you about her grandchildren though. She would tell you about her boys, her grandchildren and anyone else that she had considered a child to her through the years. She was proud that her sons work as hard as they do and have done as well as they have to provide for their families. She was proud of her grandchildren and the things that I and my cousins have accomplished in our lives. She was proud of the things that the Lord had blessed her with and she was happy to share every blessing she could with anyone she came into contact with.
She could cook. I know no one's ever had a grandmother that couldn't cook. MeMaw came from such humble beginnings that she never wanted anyone to go without food. I don't know of a time I didn't step foot in her house when she didn't ask me if there was something I wanted to eat. She had two great specialties: sweet pickles and pound cake. Personally, I've never been a fan of pickles, but I've been told hers are some of the greatest ever made. And while I can't attest to the quality of her pickles, I can boldly declare that her pound cake is quite possibly the greatest thing ever made by human hands. I firmly believe that the Lord imparted MeMaw's pound cake recipe to her so that she could share a little taste of Heaven with anyone she came into contact with.
It's been a little over two years since MeMaw was first diagnosed with cancer. After surgery and treatments, she was given a clean bill of health and she had a good life for the next 18 months or so. After the beginning of the year this year, her health deteriorated quickly and she spent the past 6 months or so struggling just to eat, sleep and be comfortable. After my grandfather passed away, she missed him terribly and has never quite been the same without him. I have no doubt that they are now standing together worshipping the Lord in Heaven. She's finally at rest; no pain, no suffering, no tears and while we who are left behind mourn our loss, I have no doubt that all of Heaven rejoices at their gain. I rejoice with those Angels and Saints knowing that my grandmother is finally home.
This past Christmas DeAnne and I announced our pregnancy to each family as we had Christmas with them. We gave each of our parents a set of baby booties. When my dad opened his set, it took MeMaw about half a second to realize what they meant. I don't think anyone across all of our family caught on as quick as she did. I also think she had possibly the best reaction and the biggest smile. I didn't know it at the time, but it was the last time I ever saw her that happy. I really think she held on as long as she did in part to be able to see Harrison be born. We took him to see her as often as we could and you could tell that it always brightened her spirits to see him. DeAnne and I took video of our parents opening those booties and MeMaw happened to be sitting next to Dad as he opened his. I wanted to share that video with you all so that you could have a memory of MeMaw that was made of pure joy.
--Paul
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
And So It Begins...
Up early this morning to make sure we have enough time to get ready and get out the door on schedule. We went down to the school for about an hour yesterday to make sure DeAnne had everything ready to go and where she wanted it.
We had a good weekend for the most part.
Saturday, DeAnne met Sara in Baker and picked Liam up. (Harrison and I were at home watching the Auburn game.) One of Sara's friends from Utah came to see her and so we took Liam for a couple of days and then DeAnne's mom has him until Wednesday, I think. It was interesting trying to take care of an 18-month old and a 2-month old at the same time, but it wasn't terribly difficult either. Liam's a lot of fun and as long as he gets his nap in, he's a really good kid. He just really needs that nap.
Harrison wasn't feeling good on Sunday. He was running a low-grade fever and had a stopped up nose. A little Tylenol broke the fever but it came back Sunday night. Thankfully, he didn't run one at all yesterday and his nose seemed to be better, but he got stopped up a little early this morning when he got up to eat. We're thinking maybe the weather changing so drastically had something to do with it and hopefully he'll get past the nose thing after last night.
Pray for us, and especially DeAnne, today.
--Paul
We had a good weekend for the most part.
Saturday, DeAnne met Sara in Baker and picked Liam up. (Harrison and I were at home watching the Auburn game.) One of Sara's friends from Utah came to see her and so we took Liam for a couple of days and then DeAnne's mom has him until Wednesday, I think. It was interesting trying to take care of an 18-month old and a 2-month old at the same time, but it wasn't terribly difficult either. Liam's a lot of fun and as long as he gets his nap in, he's a really good kid. He just really needs that nap.
Harrison wasn't feeling good on Sunday. He was running a low-grade fever and had a stopped up nose. A little Tylenol broke the fever but it came back Sunday night. Thankfully, he didn't run one at all yesterday and his nose seemed to be better, but he got stopped up a little early this morning when he got up to eat. We're thinking maybe the weather changing so drastically had something to do with it and hopefully he'll get past the nose thing after last night.
Pray for us, and especially DeAnne, today.
--Paul
Thursday, September 01, 2011
One Post Kind of Week
It's been a week to say the least.
If you're friends with me on or DeAnne on Facebook, then you already know that I had a stomach virus on Monday. It wasn't the worst one I've ever had, but it still wasn't pretty. I spent the day quarantined in the bedroom trying to make sure that neither DeAnne nor Harrison picked it up. So far, they seem to have avoided it and I've not really heard of anyone else that we were in contact with over the weekend being sick, so I've been wondering if it was something I ate. Who knows? Whatever it was, it was bad.
So that kept me down Monday. Tuesday morning I was feeling better, but I slept late and went in to work around 9:00, so that's why there wasn't a blog Tuesday.
Backtracking a little, we had a good weekend. I don't think we did anything Friday, but Saturday we went to Opp for our friends Charlie and Erin Robinson's daughter's third birthday party. We haven't seen Charlie and Erin in years and it was good to get to see them and catch up. Their little girl is precious and it's hard to imagine that in no time, Harrison will be that big.
Harrison went to daycare for the first time yesterday. He was only there from 8:00 to 11:30, but it was a lifetime for DeAnne. He's going to go for a whole day today. We're making a trial run. We got up and got going like we'll have to next week when DeAnne goes back to school. I'm going to take him and pick him up and DeAnne's going to try her best to stay occupied all day so she doesn't go get him early. He did good yesterday and I'm happy with the place he's going.
As to the weekend: We're going to have Liam overnight on Saturday. It'll be a fun little experiment to see if we can handle a toddler and a new born. Trial run for the next one, if you will. We haven't really seen much of Liam lately, so it'll be fun to have him over for a night. Maybe he won't destroy the house. We're going to have to spend Friday toddler-proofing as best we can.
I guess missing a day gets you a longer post. Should I consider going to one post per week or stick with two? Let me know.
Have a good weekend.
--Paul
If you're friends with me on or DeAnne on Facebook, then you already know that I had a stomach virus on Monday. It wasn't the worst one I've ever had, but it still wasn't pretty. I spent the day quarantined in the bedroom trying to make sure that neither DeAnne nor Harrison picked it up. So far, they seem to have avoided it and I've not really heard of anyone else that we were in contact with over the weekend being sick, so I've been wondering if it was something I ate. Who knows? Whatever it was, it was bad.
So that kept me down Monday. Tuesday morning I was feeling better, but I slept late and went in to work around 9:00, so that's why there wasn't a blog Tuesday.
Backtracking a little, we had a good weekend. I don't think we did anything Friday, but Saturday we went to Opp for our friends Charlie and Erin Robinson's daughter's third birthday party. We haven't seen Charlie and Erin in years and it was good to get to see them and catch up. Their little girl is precious and it's hard to imagine that in no time, Harrison will be that big.
Harrison went to daycare for the first time yesterday. He was only there from 8:00 to 11:30, but it was a lifetime for DeAnne. He's going to go for a whole day today. We're making a trial run. We got up and got going like we'll have to next week when DeAnne goes back to school. I'm going to take him and pick him up and DeAnne's going to try her best to stay occupied all day so she doesn't go get him early. He did good yesterday and I'm happy with the place he's going.
As to the weekend: We're going to have Liam overnight on Saturday. It'll be a fun little experiment to see if we can handle a toddler and a new born. Trial run for the next one, if you will. We haven't really seen much of Liam lately, so it'll be fun to have him over for a night. Maybe he won't destroy the house. We're going to have to spend Friday toddler-proofing as best we can.
I guess missing a day gets you a longer post. Should I consider going to one post per week or stick with two? Let me know.
Have a good weekend.
--Paul
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