by Claire on March 31, 2010
I’m almost back. Almost me again. Almost to where I can take a deep breath and relax. I can sleep, I can eat normally (as in healthy) again and I can do things for me.
So much has happened, such a huge amount of stress, that I wonder what gives me the strength to get through it all. Friends, faith. Maybe it’s just how I roll. I don’t have the option to collapse or even wilt, so I don’t.
I have a lot of thoughts up in my head and I am finding them hard to articulate into any sort of blog-worthy post. I’ve lost my blog “muchness”, to quote the Mad Hatter. (Have you seen Alice in Wonderland yet? It is awesome.)
Anyway…
My daughter had her baby on March 9th. I’ll post more on that later, but the short story is baby weighed 7 pounds 2 ounces, very close to what the perinatologists estimated. My daughter had a hard time of it and baby has had an extended stay in the NICU. In fact, she’s still there but hoping to be home by Easter – pray, pray, pray!
On top of supporting my daughter with her baby – because she has no one else but her sister and me – there was a party to be given for my mom’s 90th birthday. Parties for my mom are never quiet or dull, so in true fashion this needed to be a grand affair – or as grand as I could make it given all the circumstances.
I relied heavily on friends to pull it off, but we did.
All the while, there was work – my paying job, that thing that pays my mortgage – to also be done. And somehow I managed that as well.
I’ll blog about the party and the baby as I get my energy back, but for now, I just thought I’d say hello.
At my mom’s party:
left to right: the new mommy, my mom, and me.
Missing is my oldest. 
by Claire on March 7, 2010
There’s an end in sight to what I should call my daughter’s never-ending pregnancy. The doctors had us convinced that she would deliver early due to risk factors in this pregnancy and early contractions that started back in January. So we’ve had false start after false start, only to be sent home and my daughter told to take a hot bath and relax. It’s been very frustrating not to mention that the contractions has caused my daughter’s fibro to flare too. (Yes, we both have fibro. Great, eh?)
However, the great news is that baby Laila has proven everyone wrong. She is strong and healthy, and the doctors are estimating (as of last Friday) that she’ll be a “chubby” 7 and a half pounds or so. (They admit their estimates based on her size can vary by 15% or so.)
My daughter is now scheduled to be induced on her due date at 40 weeks. That’s this next Tuesday, March 9th. Ah, the luxury of knowing something, at last. My oldest daughter had scheduled C-sections so we just knew on X date, she was having her baby. I really enjoyed planning for those dates. Not knowing is killing us!
This is good for me because once the baby gets here, my job of caring for my own daughter is mostly done, and the focus will shift to my daughter caring for HER daughter. I can get my life back to a somewhat normal routine of work and play.
Until this next party is over, that is.
Partay???? PARTAY!! My mom is turning 90 on March 30th, and I’m organizing a big party for her on March 26th.
For that event, I’m going to need a pretty new dress. Every girl needs a pretty new party dress, right? And considering I’ve had no time what-so-evah to sew, and what time I did have to sew for myself ended up in a major FAIL, I’m buying. (This is good news too cuz now I have a body that I can fit more easily! Go me!)
So, I went to Kohls.com (my favorite store these days as they seem to have clothes that fit me pretty well) and picked out three new dresses. Gotta love free shipping and Kohls Cash. I purchased all three of these for $132 (including tax) and got $20 Kohl’s Cash to spend in a store – thinking I’ll be needing some cute shoes to go with these dresses.
Not sure which one I’ll pick to wear that night, but most likely the pink one. What thinketh you?
Tagged as:
dresses,
Kohls,
life events,
parties,
shopping
I’m almost back. Almost me again. Almost to where I can take a deep breath and relax. I can sleep, I can eat normally (as in healthy) again and I can do things for me.
left to right: the new mommy, my mom, and me. 
