Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Baby Hannah























Someone gave me this bassinet and Johanna slept in it quite awhile, even tho we had a crib. I could keep a closer eye on the babe in here, then if she were in her bed and I needed to! Needed to keep an eye lest some little sibling pick up the baby or try to feed her. It wasn't as bad as it could have been as one of my grade school friend's sisters had to be kept in a bassinet on top of the refrigerator so that her next older sister didn't bite her! I didn't have to worry about that -- just had to worry about her siblings smothering her!
Let's just say she was well tended.
















Johanna Rae's Birth Story

Monday, June 11, 1979

Lanny and I bought the grocery store in August 1978. It was new and exciting and we were working hard 6 days a week and Sunday mornings too and the days flew by. One day, about 3 months after we bought the store, I found I was needing a nap every evening when we got home. Not just needing a nap but if I sat down, I was taking a nap! One day it hit me! I finally realized that my body was changing and, yes, I was pregnant! Lanny and I were both delighted (although just a bit daunted -- can we afford? what about daycare? who will work? et al) and looked forward to finishing our family. The kids were all happy and excited too, especially Erica, who went to kindergarten and took part in show and tell for the first time EVER by announcing that her Mom was going to have a baby! It was supposed to be a family secret – we weren’t going to tell anyone for a while!

This new babe was due around the 25th of June. I continued to work at the store and I was healthy and well and in pretty good physical condition from moving cases of food and carrying groceries out to customers' cars, lifting, bending, stretching, etc. – in addition to keeping up with 3, 6 and an 8 year olds!

Monday, June 11, in the middle of the afternoon after helping unload the weekly grocery truck and stocking the shelves, I realized I had that ol’ familiar back pain again. Lanny and I finished up work and closed at the regular time, or maybe I went on home a little early but we fed the kids supper and talked to them about what was probably going to happen this day and they were all excited.

We were living in Mrs. Speed’s house, the gray one on the highway, across from the school. I probably ate supper, too. I suppose I knew if I called the doctor, he would say, “don’t eat” so I didn’t. Didn’t call the doctor. Nothing much ever kept me from eating. Feed a cold; Feed a Fever, is my midwives' tale! I was bound and determined to eat while I had the chance. Being an old hand at this baby business, I knew once I was in the hospital I wouldn’t get anything to eat until after the babe was here. Then I might have to beg to get a piece of toast or a dish of applesauce!

Gramps and Granny were called to come, as they would take Kristy, Erica and Craig home with them. Gramps and Lanny sat and watched a baseball game while we (I) waited for the labor to progress. Granny and I were getting a bit anxious but the back labor was still manageable and the men suggested that we wait to go until after the baseball game. So we did. Finally, my folks loaded three little ones up in the car and off they went and Lanny and I were off to the hospital probably at about 9:30 or 10:00 p.m.

Same routine. Get into this gown. The nurse checked for dilation and felt contractions. They could see I would make good progress (and probably so as not to make a real late night out of it) the doctor was called in. Again, the doctor broke the water and I was taken to the delivery room. This time, the delivery was different in a couple of ways. For one, Lanny was in the delivery room with me. This was one great show of courage! And secondly, Dr. Wilker delivered. Although there have been times I have disagreed with Dr. Wilker or his practices he was excellent in the delivery room. He focused on me and the babe and the delivery. He wasn’t just in the room to talk to the nurses and trade stories with them and to get the job done. He and the nurses worked with me and encouraged me and really seemed to look forward to this new babe.

It didn't take long. This labor and delivery was pretty quick and manageable. Johanna Rae was born at 11:16 p.m. After this beautiful babe was delivered I heard someone counting - 1, 2, 3. I wondered what on earth? Was I having triplets or something? After the babe had cried her first cry and most of the hustle and bustle was over, the staff finally told me that the cord had been wrapped around Johanna’s neck 3 times! Fortunately, it was long enough that it didn’t tighten down. Praise the Lord. And thankfully the danger was all past before I realized there was any danger!

This babe weighed in at 7 # 7-1/2 oz and was 20” long. Johanna Rae had a small birthmark on the top of her right foot and a tiny, deep red one on her right thigh. She was blonde haired and blue eyed and beautiful! We were thankful that this little ‘Anna, as I first called, had made her way into the world as quickly and easily as she did.

It was late and Lanny would be at the store at 7 a.m. the next morning for route men so he kissed his precious new daughter and headed on home in the rain. He hadn’t been home long when the wind took to blowing and a tornado warning was issued.

Down to the hospital, I heard the tornado siren and was mildly concerned but worn out and content nursing my babe -- and so I didn’t worry.

Lanny, at home, finally became concerned and decided to go to the basement as the wind howled and the rain poured down. The entrance to the basement was outside, and around the house. So out he dashed, battling the rain and the wind. The wind blew so hard; Lanny couldn’t get the door lifted open to get down the steps to the cellar! He finally gave up and went and sat in the car, drenched, and the storm blew over. The next morning, I learned at the hospital that there had been a tornado in the area but not much damage – and that the night shift should have moved my babe and bed out into the hall!

Two days later, we brought Johanna home to Orient, to her two big sisters and brother. We all took to this new baby immediately – we, her family, and most of the community. The first day home, the kids held her and snuggled her so that she was exhausted and I couldn’t even wake her up to nurse her. Johanna was jaundiced after a couple of days so we put her in the window in the sunlight and gave her plenty of water. I didn’t want to give her back to the hospital to sit under the bili rubin lights and it wasn’t long until she regained her normal pretty color. And now we were a perfect family of six.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Big and Little



I love big girls and I love little baby girls.

Morghan, with an "h", Grace, soon to be 9-1/2, is Anne Shirley of House of Green Gables and I've always loved Anne with an "e"'. What fun the land of make believe! Who knows where a free spirit will land? Every event is a play or a drama and every remembered occasion can be embroidered upon. I love imaginative, fanciful 9-1/2 year old little girls to pieces!

Audrianna is almost one year. She is the littlest and at one year, she learns something new everyday -- well sometimes she learns 3 or 4 new things in one day. She is cheerful, patient and can be a tease. She adores her cousins; her little face lights up just to see their pictures let alone have them walk into a room! I love long eye lashes and nicely shaped heads. I love the fat little baby thighs . . . and I don't suppose it hurts that Audri Lu can now give her Nana a hug upon request! I love baby girls to pieces!

Two Peas in a Pod


I love sassy, silly, sashaying little 5 year old girls! Love their giggles and their corny jokes and their primping and preening! Playing house, washing rocks, cheerleading, dancing and all . . .

Tonight, I showed the Small Frey my little Pea Patch. Gave them each a pod to break open and wanted them to eat the peas -- sweet as sugar! Their Mama and I also talked to them a little bit about the expression "two peas in a pod". We should have just shown them this picture . . .



Two sassy, silly, sweet little peas in a pod! I love 5 year old little girls to pieces!


Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Joie de vivre: hearty or carefree enjoyment of life



















I love little boy punks. I love their sense of humor. The energy. Their competitiveness and the joie de vivre. I love their wit and stubbornness and independence. Bless their little pious souls. I love them to pieces.

Monday, June 09, 2008

Changes

This is the way I shop anymore. Look at an ad and find something I like. Call the toll-free number to order, give them my credit card number, pay the extra for shipping and "Voila!", there is my new sectional. I like. Himself likes, Johanna likes and Audri loves it! She lays her head on the cushions and pats it!

It is microfiber and soft.

We sold the old blue set. I was prepared to advertise it on "Union County Free Cycle" and give it away but Himself was sure we could get a hundred bucks for the set. When I
advertised it, I didn't have the nerve
to say $50/pc and after all I was using the Creston paper's free ad for selling items $50 or less. So I asked $50 for the sofa and $35 for the love seat. It was a soap opera and some little gal tried twice to come on our lunch hour to look. When I put others off because she was supposed to come look, Himself got absolutely furious with me! "Sell the d_ _ _ thing!" he spat out! In reponse, I said "isn't there honor among garage sale folks?"

Well it caused some tense moments but finally about 11:30 a.m. Saturday morning, a little gal showed up with her friend, her brother, a pickup AND the eighty-five dollars. Himself helped carry it cheerfully to the truck.

Now, then, just a few more changes for Himself to get used to. Need a few red or forrest green pillows and some changes on the walls.

Johanna will help me get rid of some "country" and add some contemporay and we'll be all updated!




































this much times two


and that is just for today! We had emptied this much earlier in the day and then it poured again.
For the month of June, according to one Des Moines weather channel, the state has had 9.38 in.

Sunday, June 08, 2008

Trashed on Chestnut Street . . . and Cedar and Mulberry . . .

I should have taken some photos Saturday morning as I sashayed up Chestnut Street to go to a garage sale. I cannot tell you how many houses have had water in the basement after the big 6" rain the other evening. Every other household, I think, was carrying wet, sodden messes out of the basement and dropping them on their driveway for sorting or into a truck or dumpster. Today, as we walked up the street, some of them are starting to have some odor to them.



















The city has had trouble with the storm sewers on this side of town in previous, less wet years. I think that some of the storm sewers are not big enough for all the "new" houses put up out here in the 1970s and 80s. There is a big city project, just started, to put in some bigger lines. That will probably take most of the summer so there are a lot of folks suffering now.

The city is actually pumping hundreds of gallons of rain water a minute out of an inadequate storm sewer and dumping in back out into the street. It runs down the street to the next corner where it flows into a bigger storm sewer. (I can only guess at all this.) But anyway, here it is and there is Johanna checking it out.















Below the street is a nicely brick-lined "well" which is supposed to catch the rain water runnoff and transport it to water pipes somewhere else. Again, in this case, the storm sewer is too small for the amount of storm run off it catches.







Water Feature


The ditch had even more water in it the other night when we got 6" of rain in one evening but I couldn't get a picture. We had only two inches today but the ground is so saturated that it doesn't take as much to "fill er up". There is more rain forecast tomorrow, Tuesday and Wednesday. Then maybe we'll get a break.