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Pancakes at Grandpa’s
I had to make one more quick trip to the sticks for a birthday party for my niece, Super Chic and to do one last load of laundry before we go on our big trip up north. Gotta have all the clothes clean so that maximum cute outfits can be worn. You know how it goes.
While I was out in the sticks we also squeezed in a pancake breakfast at my Grandpa’s house. As you can see he’s doing quite well after just having a pretty serious surgery. I guess we just have super genes in this family. Surgery? No sweat! My Grandpa’s surgery is way way way more serious than mine but he recuperated almost as quickly as I did. He’s amazing.
I love visiting my Grandpa’s house. It’s like stepping back in time. I used to spend a lot of time at my Grandparent’s (not this house but others that they lived in) when I was growing up and all the knick knacks and doo dads remind me of being a little kid. I miss my Grandma so much. She died many years ago. My Grandpa keeps almost everything exactly the way she did. Except he does guy things like hang every single cooking utensil on the wall just like he hangs all his tools up in his tool shed. I love him for his quirky ways. He’s an inventor. He’s invented lots of things but none of them are famous.
Thank you to all of you who prayed that my Grandpa might get better quick. He sure appreciated it. I need to ask you to keep praying for him. Physically he’s back to his old self but mentally he’s still suffering.
You might remember my Great Aunt, my Grandpa’s sister? Well, her health has been declining drastically this last year. She finally had to be put into a rest home and she’s slowly dying. Unfortunately, it’s affecting her mind the most. What’s so terrible is that my Grandpa has waited on her hand and foot for probably the last ten years. He’s caring that way. He cooks for her and cleans and runs around town doing errands for her. He stays by her bedside 24/7 when she’s in the hospital. His life is dedicated to her. He used to leave little notes in her bed clothes for the nurses to find. The notes would say things like, “Please take care of my sister.” It’s all very sad and tragic because the hospital staff wasn’t always as caring as he would like them to be.
But what is the most sad is that my Great Aunt is turning against my Grandpa. She’s going insane and telling him that he doesn’t love her any more. It’s ripping my Grandpa to pieces. He knows it’s her dementia and that she is not herself but for some reason he can’t stop taking it personally. He’s been crying a lot and worrying himself sick when he should be taking it easy. It’s just so hard to lose the ones you love.
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Hi ho! Hi ho!
It’s off to the in-laws we go! We’re going up north for Thanksgiving. It’s going to be the first big trip with the baby. I’m excited to share her cuteness with all the relatives but I’m scared for the long drive. Can we do it? I can barely stand spending twelve hours cooped up with Toby, how am I going to do with a crying baby in the mix?
I think we’re going to take advantage of Toby’s nocturnal-ness and leave at midnight so we can spend the bulk of the trip driving at night when the baby is asleep. This may or may not work. We may end up with a very cranky sleep deprived baby and a very awful drive. Who knows. Hopefully we’ll beat some of the holiday traffic at least.
We wanted to take the new sports car because it is so fun to drive and so comfortable to sit in but there is absolutely NO room in it’s itty bitty trunk for all the gear the baby needs for a nine day trip. Forget taking a portacrib or a stroller. We’ll be lucky if we can jam in all our luggage, not to mention Toby’s brother’s who is also riding up with us. (He has no idea what he is in for.) We decided that we’ll have to give up the fun of driving the sporty car on winding roads and stick with the good old faithful Eurovan. Ho hum. Parenthood.
So anyway, we’re not leaving until next week but I’m already plotting out what we need to pack. Phew! Gone are my days of light maintenance grab a bag and pack five minutes before you hit the road. I always have drawn out little sketches of what I need to pack (I’m weird, it’s just the way I work) but now I have to draw one out for the baby, the food supply (baby food, sandwiches, snacks for baby etc. etc.) and me. Thankfully Toby packs his own stuff.
In other news: Baby Bug turned 10 months old today! If you clicked over to see the movie, I’m sorry to disappoint but I’m going to stick to my new tradition of posting the monthly movie several days late.