Well....

there has been quite a bit of emotion for me of late. My dad was transferred to Cleveland Clinic in the hopes that they would be able to take care of his problems. The mitrol valve was leaking, he was fighting some pneumonia, his kidneys weren't working properly and he was plum tuckered out. His kidneys have not been up to par for some time and he had the mitrol valve replaced about 11 yrs. ago.We about lost him then as the valve pretty much disintegrated as they were opening his chest. Needless to say, we were anxious that time was wasting.When he was finally scheduled for surgery on Thurs. morning it was not a pleasant site that we walked in to. Dad was having quite a difficult time breathing and was very tired from lack of sleep. We were glad the time had finally arrived. We left home about 3:20a.m. in order to be there before he went to surgery. After the 4 hours of prep, the actual operation took only about 2 hours and all went well. What a relief to my Mom! So, it was a long day Thurs. Dad is coming along well except for the kidneys which they're keeping a close eye on.
On a lighter note, we are on the countdown for Nathanael's wedding this coming Sat. He leaves WA. Tues. and flies into Pittsburg where Becky will pick him up. We won't see him until Fri. when we go to Southington and probably won't get to spend much time with him before the wedding. Of course, then they're off and running! We may get to see him before they actually head back to WA.
Hannah is doing well. We're getting anxious for the baby to arrive. She is being very patient.It actually sounds as if Andy is getting more anxious that she is!I still hope to make it down for the birth but, she'll be in capable hands if I can;t make it.Tom's sister,Karen, has offered to be her Doula. She has been doing this for about 11 years and I hear she's very good. That all helps Hannah (and I) to be relaxed.
I completed my workshop for Doula training- one important step to my certification. I'm looking forward to getting it all complete!
Aaron volunteered to be layed off since he will be leaving for boot camp May 24. His boss was going to lay 3 guys off and asked Aaron about it. Works out in one way but, it sure doesn't bring in any money! It will sure be different not having any of our kids around for a while. We won't even be able to talk to Aaron for 13 weeks unless he would get a special privilege. It wasn't quite that long for Nathanael and he got a few special calls from his Petty officer.
We are working on our garden. We doubled the size this year so I thought I'd put a small pond in the middle for Tom. He really enjoys them. When I told him what I wanted to do he really took off with the idea. He dug it out Fri. night- in the shape of a heart. He said he couldn't think what shape to dig until he thought of me- is that sweet or what! It has 2 shallow parts, one a bit deeper and the the tip of the heart is about 3 ft. deep. We'll probably put some feeder goldfish in and maybe a bullhead! It will be good for the bees, too. It should keep them from going to the neighbors pond! Their boy is very allergic to bee stings-something Tom didn't know when he got the bees. I did post some pics of the proceedings. The picket fence in the garden is where my herbs will be planted and on the 3 other corners there will be wildflowers. We're majoring on cabbage and tomatoes but will also put in some beans and a few other things. We plan to do plenty of kraut this year and the flowers are of course for the benefit of the bees.
Thanks for stopping by and have a great day. I'm so glad Spring s here!

Ummmm.....

it sort of feels like things are starting to snowball a little. My dad was released from Toledo hosp. and put right back in Tiffin hosp. where he remains until Cleveland Clinic gets a bed for him. The Dr. is not very optimistic for a recovery. In fact, he said he will not get better but, maybe Cleveland Clinic will think they can do something he can't. Dad is in serious trouble-heart, lungs and kidneys are all in bad shape. He had the mitrol valve replaced about 11 years ago and it has started leaking. The million dollar question is how much is it leaking and can it be repaired. Then, there's the question of whether he is strong enough to find out. It just doesn't look good.
Hannah feels like the baby has moved down some more so, now I'm wondering about a trip to Fla. , also.
I think you can understand my first statement.
This past Sat. we had a shower for Becky and had a lot of fun. My dad sure got a kick out of the pics!
Say a prayer for my dad if he crosses your mind. He said it would be ok if it didn't work out but, he worries about my mom. He does a lot for her and they will celebrate 65 years of marriage in Oct.
Hope you enjoy the pics!

Jocelyn Charlie

Here's a better picture of a content baby Jocelyn. She is my first baby as a Doula and also my niece. She's gained 1/4 lb. since her birth last Sun. and continues to do well.
The flowers are some of the first to come up at our place. Happy Spring!

The happy family

This is Tom's brother and wife and the new baby, Jocelyn. Mommy and baby are doing fine.

This and that

My weekend was pretty full between hospitals. My dad was admitted to St. Vincent hosp. on Fri. -enlarged heart and kidney's shutting down- so I was at the hosp. half the day Sat. with him and some family.
Sat eve. my sis-in-law called at approx. 11:20 to say her and John were on their way to Lima Memorial- her water had broken! So- I got ready and headed to Lima. I didn't leave the hosp. til about 9:15. I acted as her Doula. She delivered Jocelyn Charlie at 7:13 a.m.- mother and baby are doing well. Jocelyn was 8lb., 20" long. This was my first birth to assist in so it was exciting.
Tom's bees are feeling at home and busily getting into Spring. Right now, he still has to feed them since there aren't to many blossoms yet.
I think the next major event is Nathanael's wedding on May 3rd. I do have a shower for Becky this Sat. but, that's not to major! After that is Hannah's baby and then Aaron leaves for boot camp. Of course, the garden should be in by then and I'll be working on getting some requirements met for my certification, then I'll be attending a midwifery workshop in Aug.and Oh-yes, Tom is taking 1 class at Sinclair college on Mon. eves. I guess the list goes on----------
Til next time-have a great day!

BEES

These are Tom's bee hives. When we lived in FL. he raised bees and really enjoyed it! We are hoping to get a nice supply of our very own honey this summer! It will all be alive-not heated and killed-so we'll get optimal benefit from it. Bees are quite interesting-it would be a good subject to look into. So- in preparing to give the bees plenty of options, we'll be planting a bunch of wild flowers and sunflowers as well as the garden. We're looking forward to that first harvest-it's usually the lightest and best-well, if you prefer light honey!
Looks like a bee-yutiful day here! hope yours is ,too!