Moments in Palo Alto

Tomorrow afternoon are Erin's 2 doctor appointments. All three of us are getting excited to make the drive up to my house and getting out of this motel room. Cabin fever runs high!!!!


This was taken of Erin I believe the day after we got her home from thehospital.

Erin one of the first times she tried breast feeding Mackenzie after her surgery. If you are looking at her jamies and saying to yourself how pretty they are (I have drooled over them myself) Steven picked them out for her last Christmas from Crabtree and Evelyn. They are beautiful.

Erin walked outside and sat poolside for perhaps 15 minutes earlier this afternoon and I snapped this picture and the one below. Here she is covering the left side of her face so it looks like all her mouth is msiling. She does this to Mackenzie so she looks more like what she remembers. She makes us laugh.

There's our girl. Looking good isn't she? It appears that the feeling is coming back in th left side of her face which is great news. The flipside is that she feels more pain now, but taking the pain med a bit closer together than she was is working for her.

There is a very large hibicus bush poolside that is just gorgeous. Snapped a flower on it today.

These are shots taken of Macekenzie when she and I are poolside shot different days.

She loves being outside and the fresh air. She loves looking at everything, especially the hummingbirds in the morning glories and hibiscus bush.

Playing with her round book. She loves it.

A big yawn......

Fun in the room on her tummy.

Aunt Kim brought these for Mackenzie when she came to visit Erin in the hospital,. They are Halloween owl slippers and they rattle when you shake them. She loves them! She kicks her feet and they make noise. What can be more fun then that?

Making the farting noise...she is so funny.

Just looking cute.

And even cuter..........

Friend Kathy is coming by after she gets off of work at Stanford today. We are so looking forward to her visit. We have lots of leftover Chinese food from last night to have for dinner, and there is wine, gourmet cheeses and Acme bread Herb Slab to start with as we gab. Hopefully it won't be too cool and we can sit by the pool and have our wine and cheese.

Erin Update - 10 PM

What a great day for everyone here. Erin enjoyed her shower and clean hair. She even dressed in a pair of shorts and tank top. She is eating well and more than she has been. She has cut one pain med out completely and the vicodin she has cut to every 6 hours or longer instead of every 4 hours. Such huge improvements! She has not suffered any neck pain tonight which is also a major improvement. Her jaw bothers her the most and that is what she needs the pain med's for more than anything else.

Speaking of oain med's -- Deb spent all day calling doctors trying to get them to fax in a refill for the liquid vicodin today since we are ready to run out and trying to get a doctor over the weekend -- well the red tape is just too much. Crazy. Deb finally got the doctor to say he was dealing with it before dinner. She can pick it up tomorrow morning thankfully.

Erin is breast feeding Mackenzie some of the time and Deb and I bottle feed her bewteen. Mac and I spent hours outdoors today. She loves it and took 2 good naps while we were outside. The room here gets so hot in this 80 plus weather we have been having and are you ready for this? There isn't any air-conditioning!!! We have a ceiling fan which has been okay not but not a great help. We asked for a fan today and they brought us one tonight. Erin has been running hotter than usual, so it is pointed at her.

Mac and I went poolside again after the sun went down to cool off while Erin had her dinner. I enjoyed a glass of wine to relax. (Yes Eileen, Deb and I have a glass or two every evening, and tonight we made it a pizza and wine night with lots of gabbing!)

We have a kitchen, so I have been sleeping in the kicthen on a cot Rob and Erin brought down. There are 2 beds in the living area of the room, and Deb and Erin each have one. It works out well.

Tomorrow morning Deb will be going back and forth to the laundry mat and getting the med and some other things at the pharmacy. I will stay with Mac and Erin.

I am so grateful for this time with Mackenzie to get to know her and for the two of us to bond as niece and auntie. For the time to be able to help care for Erin and the time with Deb as a sister-in-law and friend. I have missed her.

Erin Update - 10 AM

After a rough night and morning, Erin had a very good afternoon and evening yesterday. she sat in a chair and watched TV and ate a nice portion of mashed potatoes and gravy for dinner. She has also added cream soups into her diet. She also napped yesterday which was good for her. After the sun went down, we walked Erin and Mackenzie poolside and we sat and talked in the beautiful evening air. We think the fresh air was good for her tooas well. She had a good night and a good morning so far. She is going a hour longer between her pain meds and is going to wean off one all together. She is napping now and Deb is sleeping, making up for the lost sleep with Mackenzie last night. She takes her at night and I take her during the day. We have the okay from her doctor that she can wash her hair. Hopefully she can try a shower today and wash the hair. She has been having sponge baths so far.

All is good here in our little 'house' here in Palo Alto. Routines have been made and evrything is running smoothly and calmly. Erin is really an mazing strong woman as is her Mom. Mackenzie has great roll models in her life. She is going to be some woman when she grows up!

The prayers are being heard. We can see an improvement in Erin and she feels it. Wonderful! Wonderful! Love to all.

Erin Update - Noon

Erin was feeling better yesterday and like so many of us do, she overdid it and had a rough middle of the night and morning. She is feeling very tired today. She stayed awake all day yesterday and worked on thre blog off and on alot of the day. She breast fed MacKenzie and starting pumping again to get her milk up so she can bond with Mackenzie that way again. Very early this morning I put on a meditation CD I have from a class that also helps with cronic pain and healing. She focused on that and did relax and fell alseep. Thismorning we used it again to relax her and put her to sleep. Eating even cream of wheat is difficult for her; her favorite thing right now is warm chicken broth. She also eats applesauce, yogurt and drinks juice, water and Ensure. Littl4e bits at a time but she is doing goo. Yesterday she walked around the room and did well on her own. Today Deb gave her a spnge bath and her sheets are beinbg changed. That always makes one feel better. She is doing well, but a harder day for her than yesterday.

Mackenzie is adorable and doing well. She seems to be content having 3 mommies right now. She and I are outside by the pool in the shade right now. She loves it out here and plays in her bouncy chair with her duck and book for hours.

This time with Deb and the girls is good. It makes the happy times even happier and the difficult times for everyone easier. Love, respect and team work is what we have going on here. There is joy to be found even in difficult moments.

Love to you all and thanks from all of us here, esecially Erin for your thoughts, prayers and good vibes for her speedy recovery.

Erin Update - 9 AM

I arrived the very same moment Ron and Erin did coming from the hopsital yesterday. It was funny, we pulled into the parking area of the hotel at the exact time.

Getting settled at first was a bit crazy. The pharmacy because of one of the idiot doctors orders gave her pills for all med's instead of liquid. Erin can;t swallow well and is on soft and liquid foods. Poor Deb was on the phone and at three pharmacies before the vicodin for Erin's pain was finally in her hands in liquid form. Erin had at first gone past her time frame for her pain med's and had a meltdown and was upset. Erin is fine now, on her med's right on time and doing pretty well considering. Getting her comfortable seems to be the biggest challenge for all of us at the moment.

She had a little cream of wheat this morning and is sleeping now. Mackenzie is doing well. When it warms up outside she and I will spend some time around the pool. She loves it out there.

Today Deb and I are going to organize everything in the hotel room so we can move about and find things easier. More later when momentsd arise..................

Creative Moments

"Happiness is not a destination. It is a method of life." -- Burton Hills

Yesterday I was looking for something quick and easy to make for dinner and still use what I have on hand. I made Taco Soup using the above.....

as well as 1 pound cooked ground beef (could use ground turkey) and 2 cups of water.

Stir together in crock pot and cook on low for 7 1/2 to 8 hours.

I had some tortilla chips leftover from when the kids were here, so I served the soup in individual bowls with crushed tortillas chips on top and shredded Mexican cheese blend. It was tasty for something so simple and out of cans basically. David suggested I use 2 pounds of meat next time and make it even thicker. I might. I have enough to bring with me to Palo Alto today to have for meals there.

My spirit and soul need creative activities everyday to remain happy.

I have been enjoying making the covered notebooks for gifts.

I am trying to think if what I can bring to Palo Alto with me that won't take much room or make too much of a mess

but will fulfill the creative need I have.

I haven't figured it out quite yet.

The Halloween card Theresa made this year. She is very creative with paper and is a Creative Memories consultant as well along with her normal job.

Jen always carved our pumpkins when she lived at home. She's very creative at it. The last Halloween before she got married (the week before actually) she carved pumpkins for us using the imitation ones you can carve available at Michael's. This is my very favorite -- the cat face. Well, I am off to get everything together, including myself to leave for the San Franciosco peninusla.

Erin Update - 7 PM

Erin is being released from the hospital tomorrow around 11 AM. The surgeon wants her to stay at the motel near the hospital until her follow-up appointment which is next Tuesday. (A week from tomorrow.) Rob and Steven will be leaving tomorrow -- Erin doesn't want Steven staying to see her recover at first and we can certainly understand why. There wouldn;t be much quiet and rest for her either. I will be going down tomorrow morning and staying the week with them so I can help Deb by caring for Mackenzie while she cares for Erin. After Erin's first apointment if all goes well (it should be) the surgeon has given the green light for her to come as far as my house since it is closer than her own home. She will recoup here for a while with her Mom and Mackenzie.

I will be bringing my laptop with me so I can make updates on my blog. The next Erin update from me will be made from Palo Alto.