A Trip Down Memory Lane - Happy Birthday Stacia!

The next contraction began, I pushed, Dr. Adams said "Oh my" as Mike and Rose began to laugh. I asked if I'd done something wrong and was told that I'd delivered a baby girl. One push and Stacia was born....if we do this again it may take a hiccup!

It didn't take long to see that Stacia doesn't have Downs and has a "perfectly, beautiful" heart. She'll have a renal ultrasound in a month to be "completely sure" her kidneys are fine. A highlight of this birth experience is that Krista spent both nights in the hospital with Stacia and I. I was a bit nervous about the cockroaches I saw in the shower....and they do all rooming in and I was a bit tipsy that first night. The second night we just watched chick flicks and ate chocolate. Ah girls night out.

In a real way Stacia's birth motivated the creation of this blog. The girls moved out 2 weeks after Stacia's birth and were sad not to be able to watch her grow. I committed to posting our daily lives so they could watch the youngers mature.

Photos from Stacia's first two weeks are posted here.

Our tradition is a big Birthday Party in the Hospital. Here's photos of Stacia.


©2008 D.R.G.

Day 11 – RAIN

We awoke in the middle of the night to the most amazing THUNDER storm I’ve heard in a long time. I love the sound of rain on top of a tin roof…and the trailer was great. The boys in the tent were soggy….we dragged them in.

Mary, Mike’s sister-in-law, came over this a.m. to visit with us and to see the girls before they left. The girls left about 8:30 a.m. We just heard word that they were turned away from the hotel in Billings. I called and gave the man a piece of my mind…he returned in kind….I called their central office and lodged a formal complaint. By the time I called the central office I was still shaken and upset but had calmed considerably. I wish I had been more gracious with the first gentlemen and will probably write him a note to apologize…but honestly telling a mother whose daughters have driven 12 hours that it’s not your problem if they have an accident while driving 8 more hours is NOT a good business move. ::snort::

I got 8 loads of laundry done today. The rain was useful for that.

We went out to watch Wall E this afternoon. It was a strange movie…cute but strange.

We’re hoping the downpour will blow over tonight. LOL

©2008 D.R.G.

Day 10Whit’s End, Garden of the Gods, Birthday Celebrations

{connection is being touchy - I'll try photos after I get today's entry loaded too. } LOL

This is another day that was packed as full as possible.

We began our adventures at the Welcome Center of Focus on the Family. If you ever visit the Colorado Springs area, this is worth a visit. I’ve not agreed with all that Dr. Dobson has said over the years…but I HAVE always 100% endorsed his vision of strengthening the family. The Welcome Center has something for everyone. We enjoyed the art, the explanations of various aspects of their ministry (which is much broader than it was the last time I really followed it), and of course Whit’s End.

The basement is amazing…..Scenes from various Adventures in Odyssey, Last Chance Detective and Narnia are set up. There is a giant 2 or 3 story slide for kids (75 feet); all for FREE. Whit’s End serves reasonable meals. There’s a picnic area where you can picnic. I was impressed that they’ve made their headquarters such an inviting place for families; affordable to all.

We picked up samples to various magazines that I’ve heard pros and cons on for years. ::snort:: I’m interested to find out what the Focus Institute is all about. Oh yes, the book shop. We picked up 3 more AinO volumes, a computer game and a Father Gilbert book on audio. They had ipods with all the AinO pre-loaded…made me think….hmmm. They give a 10% military discount.
We drove over to Garden the Gods next. This is an old Ute camping ground. There are amazing rock formations of various sizes and shapes. We drove a bit, walked a lot and drove a bit more. This was also FREE.

Next we headed for Dairy Queen. Did I mention that we decided to celebrate Stacia’s 3rd birthday today?

Back on base we stocked up at the commissary and made sure the girl’s car was ready for the trip back to WA.

We played a few games, sang Happy Birthday and gave Stacia a gift we’d found in Westcliffe and a Barbie from BreAnne.

©2008 D.R.G.