Drivin' 55

Arrived at the hospital just before noon but I had to stop at the hospital gift shop to buy Erika a New Mom tee shirt. Aaron has a New Dad tee shirt so they new parents will have a matching set. Last night, I dreamt Jack started talking at 1 week old. He looked at me and said, "Grama, you smell good." This was probably generated because of all the talking baby commercials. Erika's co-workers, Marion and Tori. Tori is the one beaming like a bulb in a light house! And no, Great Uncle Steve, Jack is not a Mets fan! Dad holding Jack.

Jack arrived into this world tonight at 6:24PM, weighing in at 7 pounds 8 ounces and 20 inches long. He is soft and squishy and smells wonderful...just like heaven. Mom did really well. There was a period of time that we thought she may have to deliver C section, but Erika is a champ and managed to take matters under her own accord. Doesn't this face say it all? Proud dad, Aaron, holds his first born son. Grama cried quite a bit today, but what could be better than holding her very own little grandson. Grama and Grampa Kirby already are glowing. Grampa Fred will fly down to see his grandson next week. I'm sure he will make up for lost time. A grand day!

Hi everyone! We are at the hospital. Erika had the epidural about an hour ago and not experiencing any pain. Soon they will crank up the level of the pitocon. My very wise sister, Aunt Geri, the labor and delivery nurse, said that one won't have surgery without anesthesia or a tooth pulled without Novocaine, therefore, the epidural is a safe way to bring forth babies. At one time, one in ten mothers didn't make it through childbirth. We have come along way. As I write this blog, I can hear my grandson's heart beating on the monitor. I told Erika that when he's about two years of age, playing with his little cars or trucks on the floor, he will make that very sound and you can smile and remember the very first time you heart his heart beating. Northside Hospital is amazing. The women's center is a palace and the labor and delivery units are labeled A thru F. Each unit has 15 labor and delivery rooms. Tonya, Erika's nurse said they deliver 1400 - 1600 b...

Today, I made the most delicious chili for the kids, in fact, it was probably the best batch I ever made. What was so different about this batch? Well, the smokey flavored Tabasco sauce which is not spicy hot, but just has a real smokey flavor to it. And since, we are just sitting around on baby watch, I had to do something to keep me busy. Erika is waiting for Northside to call when they have a room available. It probably won't be until tonight. This morning we went to Mittie's for brunch. Although I was rather eager to again visit Mittie's, this visit was not so memorable. I ordered Tangy Sausage Pie which was described on the menu as tart apples, vermont cheddar cheese, caramelized onions and savory sausage. When the food was delivered to the table, I knew immediately something was wrong. After one bite, I knew BIG MISTAKE! The entire pie was sugary sweet and wreaking of brown sugar. Had the waitress not been all of 11 years old, just kidding, she may have r...

Did anyone catch the Oprah show the other day about the 21 day cleanse? Well I only saw a bit of it and all I can say is "My hat's off to you, Oprah". She eliminated all meats and meat by products, caffeine, sugar, alcohol, and gluten from your diet for up to 21 days. Oprah is keeping a blog, detailing her experiences and thus far, she is doing well. Some of the food choices are not something I could manage to eat. What exactly is an egg less omelet ? Mushroom soup with chunks of pecans? Now neither one of recipes sound remotely eatable to me. On a good day , I can barely eat an egg and as for mushrooms, well, it's all about the texture. We all know Oprah has someone to cook for her both at work and at home. How easy would that be for us common folk to do a cleanse or just a healthy diet regime if we only had to instruct the chef to make a meal minus our likes and dislikes? In closing, "You go, Oprah!" I hope you make it 21 days on your cleanse and tell us...

Having a little time on my hands on Sunday at the Rubber Stamp & Scrapbook Expo in St. Paul, MN, I walked the show floor looking for things I just could not live without. Sure enough, my friends at The Paper Cut, http://thepapercut.com/ , Ron and Sarah, had an adorable little accordion library pocket album. The neat thing about their stuff is it is packaged superbly and the instructions are very simple. The little album is for a busy mom and made to capture the baby's photos at the 1 month birthday and through 12 months of age. This one, of course, is for my grandson Jack.

After Erika's doctor appointment today, regretfully, no advance progress has been made since last week. Erika was secretly wishing that Dr. Houston would tell her after the exam to walk across the street to Northside Women's Center and let's get this party started! Baby Jack is determined to enter this world on his schedule and no one elses. Jack is already showing signs of unique Independence. As my sister, Geri, the labor and delivery nurse in New Jersey says, "we have to throw some little boys out of the womb!", this may be true with Jack! The current plan is as such, if labor does not begin naturally, then Erika will check into the hospital next Tuesday to coach labor along. I'll keep you posted!

Many of you know I joined WW a few weeks ago. I remember where I was, in Mesa, Arizona, not necessiarly the date. In retroscpect, having been on the WW plan, hasn't felt like I restricted myself in any way. Because I choose the points option, one could have anything at all...from a Krispy Kream donut (6 points) to the ultimate In -N-Out burger (15 points). If you crave it....you can have it on the points plan. Just reporting the great news, I lost 9.2 pounds thus far.

Any young pregnant woman living in the Atlanta area knows about the miraculous powers of Scalini's eggplant Parmesan. They say that a pregnant woman who consumes their famous eggplant parm is sure to go into labor within just 48 hours. Erika's old college friend dined on the yummy entree and her baby entered this world within the allotted time frame. Aaron's bosses wife went into labor at the 47th hour. The Scalini legend is now under pressure to deliver Little Jack Kirby to the arms of his mother by Tuesday evening. How will this little baby's arrival change the dynamic of our family? I am guessing he will rule the roost and be the center of our universe for many years to come. Our life will be consumed with Jack's birthday celebrations, his first tooth, first steps, first day of kindergarten, baseball game, and so, so many wonderful life experiences to share. I am ready to take on the challenge of being his grandma. I already love him more than he will ever unders...

Today, Erika had her doctor's appointment. We always wait with bated breath for the phone to ring an hour after appointment time. Today's news alarmed both her parents. She was on her way to the hospital, driving herself, poor baby. Although she has not made any progress from two weeks ago as she is still only dilated to 1 cm, her blood pressure was elevated and her doctor wanted to have some tests. There was a chance that she would induce labor tonight if her blood pressure didn't return to normal ranges. Now here we are, 100 miles from no where and trying desperately not to go crazy. We arrived in Jordan, Minnesota at the friendly KOA and I immediately begin the search for airline flights. The cell phone rings and it's our baby girl, telling us she is driving home, blood pressure was normal and protein levels are fine. Alas, she won't be holding her baby boy in her arms tomorrow after all. No baby boy dumpling just yet!

As promised, I finally had time to post some of the photos from my Hoover Dam experience. I am a lucky person. I have been on the dam tour and even ate a dam hot dog ! Somehow I love using that line as it always makes me chuckle! These are just a few of the photos taken as we drove the RV over Hoover Dam during 40 - 50 mile an hour winds. Remember, I was really quite nervous for reasons I cannot explain other than I am a big chicken! Looking back on this drive across this engineering feat, what terrified me most were the high winds. As we drove back across the dam on Tuesday, it really wasn't a big issue. No winds to contend at all. Just a different day and a different experience.

Sorry, I've been away for a few days but I really don't have any good excuses on my end. Life gets kinda busy from day to day and computer time just isn't in the cards. On Tuesday, we drove the RV over the Hoover Dam during a raging wind storm. I was just certain we would blow over and die! But in the same token, I have wondered when I become so scared...no...terrified...of such routine things. It all stems from our first trip to Hawaii, the big island, when we went out to explore the volcano. My crazy husband and friends thought it would be such an adventure to actually walk on the crusty black volcano ground. I, on the other hand, thought it would be best to keep my little size 8's on the grassy ground. Why mind you ask? Well, the volcano in Hawaii is a tube lava flow volcano...now there's a fancy scientific name for it but, hey, I'm not a scientist so my description will have to do...anyway, the tubes of lava flow right below the surface of the ground. I was...