Monday, April 28, 2008

In Training


Hard to believe it was a whole year ago that I participated in this 10-miler and survived it! I even have the shirt to prove it. After my success last year, I promised myself it would be an annual tradition. The plan was to start getting out and walking sometime around the first of March. Our winter/spring just was not conducive to walking unless one enjoys hypothermia. So now my friend Gail and I are trying to play catch up to be ready for the hilly course by June 14. We're going to be walking 3-5 miles a few times a week. Yesterday we tackled the Triple Butte Loop - about three miles with a killer hill in the middle. Next Sunday is Bloomsday in Spokane. While others are walking/running 7.8 miles with over 50,000 other people, Gail and I are going to walk to the nearest Starbucks. It's a 5 mile trek with more than one nasty hill. We should be able to do it in an hour and a half and at the end there will be a nice grande mocha frappacino. Before the big race, we hope to walk to Starbucks and BACK at least once. If we can keep up the walking over the summer, we should be in awesome shape by fall!

Friday, April 25, 2008

Puppies and More Puppies

The puppies are getting bigger by the day and have learned how to "growl" and "bark" - it's pretty funny when they decide to give it a test run. Sydney is taking excellent care of them and isn't totally wild about us manhandling them, but we do it anyway. :) One week old puppies are not the best photographic subjects, but here are a couple of "puppy piles"



Monday, April 21, 2008

By Popular Demand - Puppy Pics

Nap time!


Diligent mama.



Is this cute or what!?!

Friday, April 18, 2008

A Happy Day




Since you've all been praying with me for Baby Seth, thought you might enjoy these pics Kathryn sent me this morning. Doesn't he look GREAT?! This was the first day mommy got to hold him in 16 days - what a great feeling! He's off the ventilator and most of his meds and hopefully will soon be able to eat breastmilk. God is good!

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

The Story of My Life.....

So one of the "perks" of having a husband who travels for his job is the fact that often when he's gone, something breaks or a crisis develops. Yesterday it was the fact that Sydney decided to have her puppies as he was flying to Las Vegas for a meeting. No problem - I can play midwife! All was going famously - Whit and Trav came to watch - the first healthy little boy puppy was born. After that everything came to a screeching halt. No more puppies even though I could still feel puppies. This resulted in calls to the emergency all night vet ( we know him well - $$) and eventually a trip downtown for a C-section at 5:00 a.m. The doc was very nice and identified the problem right away - a giant monstrosity of a puppy that was blocking the exit for everyone else. They are called "water dogs" due to the fact that they are the size of a piglet and look like they are full of liquid; a freak of nature as the doc informed me. I know this because the nurse just had to show me the "puppy" because it's so cool as they don't see them very often. Hideous - thanks for sharing - didn't REALLY need to see it! Anyway, the happy result is that we have four healthy puppies and Syd is recovering nicely. There are three boys (two black and tan like Taz and one red merle) and one little girl who is the blue merle like Syd. Whit and Trav are pleased as that is just what they ordered. So....happy ending....at least so far....

Here are the little beauties. Hard to get good pics due to their incessant eating, but more will follow.




Saturday, April 12, 2008

Aaaaahhhhh!


FINALLY.... a day warm enough to sit on the deck with a good book and soak in a little Vitamin D. Today is all about getting out there and enjoying the cloudless sky and the reflected heat on our back deck. THIS is the reason I can live in Spokane and tolerate the winters - THIS first real day of spring weather feels like heaven! Keith is umpiring today, so the VERY pregnant Sydney is lounging around with me, feeling no obligation to do anything but get outdoors.
I'm reading Valerie Bertinelli's biography between doing my Bible Study lessons. She was a t.v. star in the 70's - about my age - and I always admired her. As I read this book, I'm thinking "poor messed up kid who had everything except what she needed - God". I'm only about halfway through, but she married a rock star and lived the life of sex, drugs and rock and roll. I wanted to read it because she is now a spokesperson for Jenny Craig and has lost a bunch of weight. Thought it might be inspiring. Hope it has a happy ending.....

Friday, April 4, 2008

Time for an Update

Another cold, blustery, winter-like day. When will it end?! We're supposed to get snow tonight and it's supposed to stay in the high 40's all next week. Pardon me if I'm feeling a little (okay - a LOT) melancholy for spring....

On a happier note, Baby Seth is hanging in and still on the road to recovery. He is doing better today after having some fluid drained from his lungs. It's such a delicate thing this life we live and amazing in so many ways. Seth's surgeon continues to be upbeat about his condition and that everything is pretty much as expected. He wants to leave his little chest open for the weekend but is talking about closing him up on Tuesday. That's a good sign. Plus then his Mommy and Daddy would get to hold him which is a VERY good thing.

Also an update on the robin. His beating himself against the window continues. I think he has brain damage by now if he didn't have it before. The dogs just ignore him now. My window is a mess, but there's no use cleaning it even if I could reach it. Maybe he's lovesick - we can only hope he finds his true love and moves on.

Alex started a new quarter with 19 credits and a job and is positively psyched about it all. He actually does better with lots to do. He's hoping to take a couple summer classes and work a couple part time jobs. The ladies who run the Eagle Shop love him to death, but do make him pull up his pants (Go ladies!!!!). He's making noise about getting a haircut, too, as this is the last weekend of snowboarding. (Go barber!!!!!) Am I sounding like my mother now?

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Surgery Successful


Just an update on Seth Douglas, new baby son of my friend and job-share partner Kathryn and her husband Leland. Seth came through his surgery today and is now being transferred to Peds ICU. I was there when the surgeon came to tell them about the surgery and he was positive, but of course, guarded. The surgery itself went about as well as it could have, but the surgeon reminded Kathryn and Leland that the next 72 hours will be critical as his walnut-sized heart adjusts to the new circulation pattern they created. If he comes through this phase, he will have two more surgeries over the next couple years.

Visiting them at Sacred Heart brings back a few memories for me as I remember what it was like to be there with Brandon and the terrible waiting game. It isn't particularly painful anymore, but just found myself in familiar territory and feeling for Seth's parents as they move on to this next stage of waiting and praying. I am, of course, praying for a better outcome and that Seth will get to grow up and bring a lot of joy to his family. And I am thankful that time heals and I am able to be there for them with not a sense of pain, but merely just observations about the familiarity.
Regardless of what I have been through, I know this little one is in the hands of a mighty God who has a purpose for Seth's life. And He's hearing our prayers.....