Progress

I apologize in advance for the length of time between posts.  It has been an incredibly busy couple of weeks, between work, holidays, work, family obligations, and work.  Did I mention work?  It usually slows down this time of year enough for me to make runs to Target and the Mall so I can join the masses in the frenzy to buy "last minute" Christmas gifts.  All of my gifts are last minute every year.  Does that make them less worthy?  I think not. 

I digress.

To say that we have a lot going on in our lives right now is an understatement.  Remember our purple bathroom?  This one:

Well.  The purple beast has been slain.  Let me tell you -- it was not a pretty process.  Indeed, it was a very, very ugly process.

They started on the bathroom two weeks ago.  I am still finding dust everywhere in the house. 

Goose was so sweet to draw a heart in the dust on my dresser.  I <3 her. 

Obviously, our master bedroom was not usable during our renovation undertaking.  Therefore, I have spent the past two weeks sleeping in the Goose's loft bed.  While it is an extremely comfortable bed, there is something decidedly uncomfortable about a 39 year old woman dragging herself down the ladder at 3:00 a.m. when the baby who is "sleeping" in the room next door decides he needs a bottle and his mother's arms.

Here's a shot of Henry and Goose high aloft in Goose's fancy bed. 

I am pleased to report that I survived my nights in Goose's room.
The headaches that accompanied the demolition, while not beautiful, were well worth it  in light of the finished product.

Remember those imperfections I discussed in a previous blog post?  Well one of those (the purple beast) is no more.  Praise God!  Progress.

I also talked about my baby brother, who was recently disappointed to learn that he would not be attending Harvard University.  This one:

Michael definitely has something to smile about (other than his upcoming nuptials with his beautiful bride to be.)

As I predicted in an earlier post, Michael just learned that he was accepted into the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.

I predicted he would persevere.  And persevere he did.  I am so very proud of the young man my "baby" brother has become.

I love him.
I also posted about my girlfriend, Stacy, who underwent significant losses and hardship in trying to get pregnant with her second child.  Some folks in the office threw her a little get together last Thursday. 

That's her cake (which I ordered from one of my girlfriends, who is a phenomenal baker, at http://www.sweetnsinful.com/).  Stacy was so happy.

Twenty-five hours later, I received a frantic call from her.  She was at the hospital and they were going to do a c-section within an hour.  I dropped everything, drove to the school where Goose and her son, Carson, attend, and took Carson immediately to the hospital so he could be there when the world welcomed his baby sister.  When I arrived at the school, I thought Carson was going to pass out from the excitement and anticipation.  I knelt in front of him and told him to stop and breathe.  I wanted him to savor the moments for his life was about to change forever. I spent time talking with him in the car about all of the wonderful joy a baby sister would bring -- and how her being here would change his life -- especially in the beginning. I told him that his mom and stepfather were going to be very tired and maybe a little bit cranky.  They were going to be excited about the baby and would be extremely protective of her.  But no matter how thin their patience, how exhausted they are, or how much attention they lavish on the baby, they will always still love him just as much as they love the new little one.  I hope some of my words sank in.

When we arrived at the hospital, Carson was beaming.  So was his mother. 

Have you ever seen a woman more beautiful just minutes before undergoing major surgery?  (Stacy makes me ill, for the record.) 

And then we waited. 

I took Carson to the gift shop so he could buy his sister her very first birthday gift ever.  He perused the shelves very seriously, wanting to make sure he chose the perfect gift. He finally settled on a pink and white spotted puppy, which I'm sure she will treasure for years to come for it was chosen with a lot of love by someone who loved her before she was even born:  her big brother.  I also bought him a "BIG BROTHER" t-shirt, which he hurriedly put on when we returned to the waiting room.

And then we waited some more.

The doors opened.  We heard footsteps.  It was David, Stacy's husband, who had just become a father for the first time.  Seeing him in his scrubs, holding the camera so he could show us pictures of his new daughter, brought tears to my eyes instantly.  I cried with joy.  So did David (who kept saying "I'm a DAD!!!"). 

Carson did not cry.  He beamed. 

Can you see it?

Lauren Grace is here.  She weighed in at 6 lbs, 3 oz and was 19 inches long.  She has the most beautiful head of dark hair and chubby cheeks (despite her small stature). 

Those toes.  I had to kiss those toes.

So I did.  And Stacy indulged me as I unwrapped her swaddled baby so I could ogle her feet. 

This is the best kind of progress.  Welcome to the world, Lauren Grace. Hang on tight, for it is one hell of a ride.