Josh brought my laptop up to the hospital this morning so I could have a distraction from the fact that he and Asher go home each night and I cannot join them. This will be my third night here and I am so ready to go home, but I have to say that this hospital (OHSU) is amazing and I am being so well taken care of by the staff who are so helpful and caring. Being on the Mother Baby unit makes the stay much more comfortable and accommodating for Asher’s visits. I wasn’t sure where they were going to put me when I was down in the ER the first day but I breathed a sigh of relief when they chose this unit.
Asher will be two months old on Monday and I never would have imagined that I would have to spend nights away from him this soon. Each time he and Josh leave for the night to head home, my eyes well up with tears and my heart aches a bit.
Being here for the week reminds me of how many things we have to be grateful for. Aside from this pesky infection, we are so very grateful for our health and the health of our entire family. On that note, we are grateful for all of our family! My dad and his wife, Sandy, who we were supposed to be spending Thanksgiving with today, are in the process of purchasing a home in Vancouver — just across the river, which they are supposed to close on next week. We are thrilled that although they travel for most of the year, they will be laying down some roots here and be able to see Asher as he grows! We are planning to attend a delayed Thanksgiving at their new home sometime next week so we can all be together…perhaps it will be a bit of a housewarming celebration as well!
We continue to be so grateful for Sterling (my brother) who seems to do a solid for us at least once every week and we always hope to return the favors whenever possible. This week, he has been taking care of Belle while Josh and Asher are at the hospital with me during the days. Thanks buddy!
Beyond just our family, we are also so very thankful for our family of friends — who again and again flatter our hearts with incredible support and thoughtful gestures. For instance, on Josh’s first day back to work (which happened to fall on Halloween), my friend Gay came by with a carved pumpkin and candle saying that she thought maybe we didn’t have time to make one this year. She was right.
Another example of how gracious our friends are — last week, I got a call from my friend, Lucinda Henry (you remember her right? she was one of the graceful hosts for Asher’s baby shower). She wanted to stop by to drop off some homemade soup and a gift for Asher.
This picture above doesn’t do it justice, but she made Asher a globe night-light out of the goose. It is SO cool! We love it — thanks so much Cinda! Now at night when I nurse or change Asher in his room, I have the glow of a goose lighting the way!
Since all of the outlets in the nursery are hidden behind furniture, my stepfather-in-law installed a light switch on the cord so I could easily access the on/off switch.
I love the picture of Gary and the goose above with the classic look Gary gives after he does something he thinks is pretty cool. That’s why we call him the Cool Dude…which brings me to the very entertaining topic of what all of the grandparents in the family want Asher to call them…the whole thing started when my mom requested the name Glammy back when I was pregnant. Yes, GLAMMY. As in glamorous grammy. ANYWAY, that’s where things began. Then my mother in-law decided she’d like to be Gigi. Okay. Doable. It was at this point that I just started asking everyone what they wanted to be called, assuming they were all somehow philosophically opposed to the title of Grandma and Grandpa. I have to say that Asher already has his work cut out for him because he has four sets of grandparents since our biological parents are all divided up.
Please enjoy the list below:
Josh = Papa
Me = Mama
My Dad = Pop Pops
My Stepmom = Grandma Sandy
My Mom = Glammy K
Josh’s Dad = Grandpa Oz (thanks for keeping it simple 
Josh’s Stepmom = Grandma Colleen
Josh’s Mom = Gigi
Josh’s Stepdad = Cool Dude
LOL. Yes, COOL DUDE! I know he said it as a joke, but I really want that one to stick because I’d love Asher one day to say to people, “We’re going to Gigi and Cool Dude’s house for the weekend.” In all reality though, Asher will create his very own names for all of them. Perhaps everyone will simply be Grandma and Grandpa. Who knows. A friend’s two-year-old son calls his grandmother “Oxygen Gramma” because she uses oxygen. That’s just the way kids see things. Plain and simple. Remember that old show, “Kids Say the Darndest Things”? There is a reason for that title.
ANYWAY, it is because of Cool Dude that my kitchen didn’t burn down last week when I left some bread on broil for far too long and started a fire. He truly lived up to the name. When it all happened, he was holding Asher in the living room while I was in the kitchen yelling all sorts of profanities to declare that I had caused the fire. And, the calm, COOL DUDE who is a retired Fire Captain came walking toward the kitchen and said in the most slow and relaxed voice (as flames are visible behind me) says “Sweetheart, you take the baby out of here, I’ll take care of the fire.” So Asher and I went into another part of the house that was not smokey while Gary, eh-hem, I mean Cool Dude took care of the fire. He then educated Josh and I on what to do in different fire scenarios. Since we were just cooking bread, the best thing to do was to turn off the oven and not open the oven door. If it were a grease fire (stove top or oven), we should always call for help because if it were to get sucked up into the cooking vent (which we actually don’t have), then it can get ugly. I’m sure this is common knowledge for most people but I needed the refresher course.
That’s what the bread looked like by the time Gary placed it outside so the house would not be too smokey. Boy was I grateful that this happened when I was not alone with Asher. I think I would have just gone outside and called the fire department because I wouldn’t have wanted to put him in any danger. GO COOL DUDE! We love you!
Oh, and before I “over and out” this blog post, I have to give props to our friend Tiffany, who has been such an enormous help on making sure we have everything we need for Ash, and then some! Aside from bringing over a swing, bouncy chair, a play gym and a bassinet, she also hand-made about a dozen burp clothes and a beautiful car seat cover that we get SO many compliments on:
It’s so great because in its lifted position, it keeps the sun out of Asher’s eyes, and then we can lower it when walking through the rain or when he is asleep and we are at a cafe or something of the sort. It works out really well. I think Tiff Schiff needs to go into business making these covers!
Okay. I’m ready to sign off. Thanks for letting me ramble for a bit. It’s allowed me to escape for a while and feel at home. The crying babies in the rooms around me also make me feel at home in a weird way. The one next door I have nicknamed “The Kazoo” because he/she (not sure) sincerely sounds just like a kazoo when it cries.
Thank you all again for your kind thoughts and healthy vibes for a quick recovery! I am working on it and hope to be able to head home tomorrow.
Over and out.
