B Minus 6 and Counting

Yes, it is down to six more days until Miles arrives and each day completes another set of tasks to be accomplished before B-day. The gift Miles bought for Lucas is waiting as this will prevent any feelings of sibling rivalry and Lucas will welcome his little brother with open arms. I hope it works as planned as I suggested a shirt for Lucas that says, "I'm the BIG brother." I like the days when a little sibling rivalry was healthy but then I am the last one to have any knowledge of anything to do with siblings.

Cyd went to the doctor today and he told her to stop working. She is pretty reluctant to do just that as she enjoys her work and wonders what she'll do at home everyday. I think she should enjoy the solitude and freedom to do whatever she pleases. Baby A weighs about 3 lbs. 6 oz today and Baby B weighs almost 5 pounds. Maybe by staying off her feet so much she can help both babies gain an equal amount. Things look good so far and the days are counting down for her also.

I have a ticket going to Sea-Tac on Christmas Day but I think I can change it if need be. I called today to see how the last-minute airfare works. I think I just pay a huge amount though Southwest has a way to apply funds to another ticket.

The Christmas lights are up outside and they actually all light up. It took several hours and a trip for new fuses but suddenly there is light. I have gifts all purchased and ready to wrap though I don't have any guns for Lucas. I am considering just buying him an arsenal of weapons including pistols, guns, swords, knives, and hand grenades just so he can have his fill of fighting monsters and dragons. It is such a hassle for him to look for yardsticks, Lincoln logs, branches, and long kitchen utensils for his weapons. I think his parents would definitely frown on that and they know what's best, thank goodness. I wouldn't want to be raising any children.

Lucas is getting a small Rainbow Play System for Christmas though it won't be installed until the snow is gone. Some of these structures are so large that they cost more than a small home. I asked the dealer how many large ones she's sold and she said several families in Warden have purchased Monster Sets. Go figure.

Lilliepie

I don't know why I wanted those silly counters on this blog as these grinning babies just cause me to sit here longer only to get up and snack on something while I stare at the little guys. I have nothing special to do except clean up the rooms Lucas inhabited on his overnight stay. Our traditional Sunday dinner at my house was replaced by a breakfast at a buffet restaurant after my mom got home from church so I am loafing.

Anna Marie is the most ready of any of us these days. From the back you can't tell she's pregnant but Miles is way out in front. She spends her nights attempting to sleep in a chair to abate heartburn. Staying awake all night does help her correct final papers so she'll be ready for the December 6 delivery. She and Brett will take Lucas to daycare at 7:30, check in the hospital at 8 and Miles is scheduled to arrive shortly after 10. C-sections beat this waiting and waiting for the unpredictable birth. My neighbor Carol and I will arrive between 9 and 10 so we can be there for some of the fun. Then later Brett and I can head home in his car and pick up Lucas on the way. Anna Marie will be home a day or two later which won't set very well with Lucas. However he'll no doubt accept this better than her return home with the new brother. Maybe Grandma should just take him to Disneyland for a week or so.

So we have been doing some planning. I have most of the Christmas gifts ready to go just in case Cyd's Lilliepie counter goes awry and the counting jumps ahead. She has everything ready and I guess I need a stockpile of SWA tickets to SeaTac. She sees a group of perinatalogists from Swedish Hospital and they look her over inside and out each week now. She is still working though she has tried to shorten her days. Those babies need to stay where they are for at least another month.

My mom and I went to Warden last Tuesday for her bridge group at the Corral. Aloha Cecil rides with us when we go so they have half a table of bridge players to round out their total of two tables. My mom had a good time even though when we got as far as Sprague she realized she'd forgotten her hearing aids. She is very appreciative when she gets to take a trip. However Dorena will be sorry to know that she's now giving her Columbia Basin Heralds to Aloha.

It was nice to get Dorena's Thanksgiving email. We will have dinner here with Ray and Claire and no babies, just one BIG boy. Lucas corrects us when we don't use the BIG in there. It is wonderful that Gayle will finally have her best new house Christmas present.

Opening Baby Gifts

Opening Baby Gifts
Originally uploaded by arlal.

Room for the Twins

Room for the Twins
Originally uploaded by arlal.

Cyd's Showers

Cyd had a weekend of baby showers first from the women who work with her and then from her friends, relatives and neighbors. Nancy and I arrived a day early and we helped shop for nursery decor. Nancy likes putting together rooms so we visited Target and found everything that a baby might like that matched a sports theme. We washed the bedding and made the beds. I'll post a photo though when I left you couldn't see the room for all the gifts spread around the floor.

The best part of the weekend was having lots of friends and family discussing babies. Mari, the hostess for one shower, had us all write our rules for raising children. I guess the most common thought was to enjoy them as the time goes so fast and then they're grown. Of course my suggestion was to follow Dr. Spock.

Cyd is looking good and feels pretty good except for being tired much of the time. Dave is looking overwhelmed and mytisfied. Nancy says he's excited. We went to Fred Meyer for some last minute items and ran into Gary Suko and his son and grandson. At first it took a while to place that face out of the Columbia Basin but it's fun to see Warden people when you least expect them.

It is great that Brice is out of the hospital and getting stronger every day. Leslie is visiting in Chicago this week for a business trip. Barb and Ron just returned from Disneyland. What else is going on? I'll have to call Charlie and find out.

Great Thinkers

Anna Marie presented a lecture tonight at Gonzaga University and the lecture hall was packed. I didn't think Freud could attact that many especially on a rainy evening. The lecture went on for two hours and I think Anna Marie enjoyed every minute but she especially enjoyed the question and answer session at the end. She is never one to pass up a good argument so she and the philosophy professor debated something that had to do with whether or not history mattered. I could be wrong about this but that's what I kind of picked up on. I also came home with a few new words in my head-hermeneutics, biomechanistic, falsifiability, and anathema to name a few I can remember after looking at her outline. I think academics just toss around big words to sound good especially after I heard the other speaker use the word medicalized. Is that a verb?

Now that the lecture is over it is time to settle in and set up a bedroom for Miles. I think we start tonight organizing never-been-worn, hand-me-down clothes in size order.

Learn from Anna Marie

scan.jpg
Originally uploaded by arlal.

Politically Correct Darth

Lucas loves Darth so he was happy when he got his costume together. He tells me things that I can't quite understand for instance when he mentions Darth he always says, "Darth Vader Belt". I showed him a photo of a belt on a man, handed him a belt to hold and said, "This is a belt but Darth Vader's name is just Darth Vader". He mostly loves Darth because of his saber but in school he can't say shoot, gun, saber, or anything that denotes a weapon of any kind. If he has a stick and uses it for a weapon he gets it taken away unless he can find a way to use it in another fashion. He can use the words, squirt bottle, because even though it has a trigger like a gun it is used to spray water. Therefore, when Lucas is in costume he announces in a not very threatening manner, "I'm Darth Vader Belt and I've got a squirt bottle." Brett says if Lucas ever joins the military he'll be saying, "This is my rifle, this is my squirt bottle".

My mom and I went to see The Lion King on Sunday. She said she liked it but she didn't see any lions. She was happy when I dropped her off at her apartment as she wanted to share her program with the ladies she visits. Yesterday she asked about paying her rent and when I said I was doing that she acted kind of hurt like she wanted to do it. I told Cyd I felt bad about taking that job from her because it made her feel good to write checks. Today I took her for a ride to visit her old apartment and when she looked in her wallet she had a check in the coin section. It was written by someone I've never heard of, Allan Hinkley, and made out to Southside Christian Church on September 4, 2005. I asked her how she got the check and she said she didn't know. I phoned my friend who goes to that church and took it by his house and he'll put it in the offering. She said you know I didn't take money from the collection plate and I don't think she would but how could she get a stranger's offering? Maybe the word collection made her want to do just that. I've been rethinking her need to write checks.

I hate to tout books by Oprah and when she announces that it's about a drug addict I'm really not interested. In fact I admire Jonathan Franzen who resisted even appearing on Oprah when he knew doing so would make his novel a best seller. However I relented and bought Millions of Tiny Pieces and I only read, ate and slept for two days until it was finished. It's not just about drug addiction but more about the human spirit and the things that make a difference in life. Now I'm starting Amy Tan's new book so I'll keep you posted on how that goes.

I'm pleased that the Johanson's 37th Reunion will be at Chiwawa Lodge this year even though the lodge has 5 bedrooms and there are 40 of us. I'm proposing that we form a corporation, buy the place and remodel. We need a benefactress.