A Death Always Changes Your Perception of Reality - Part 4

Yes, unfortunately, Part 3 and Part 4 of this blog are being posted very close together. Last Tuesday, October 27, my Uncle Frank passed away, only 7 weeks after our last family death. My Uncle Frank was my dad's only living sibling. Not only did he look like my dad, but he talked like my dad, acted like my dad, dressed like my dad, etc. For being 4 years apart, they were more like fraternal twins :-). At my aunt's funeral several years ago, my Uncle Frank told me, "Well, I ran out of vacation days this year, so I decided to retire." I swore I could have been talking to my father :-). Even my nieces could see the similarities!

My dad was one of 5 children born to his parents between the years of 1938 and 1944. A sister, born before my father, died in infancy. One of his brothers was killed in a car accident in 1985. His younger sister died in 2003 after a surgery. And, Frank passed away last Tuesday in his sleep due to a heart attack - the same way my Uncle Max died several weeks prior.

We spent quite a bit of time at my Uncle Frank's house growing up, and I have many fond childhood memories of he and my Aunt Faye. I will miss him dearly, and again, this causes me to reflect on my own life and that of my loved ones. Again, always take the time to tell your family that you love them. You never know when they will be taken from you.

Since Amelia was just two weeks old, it was her first trip to my parent's home. She also got to meet many members of the extended family that she may not have normally met for months or years down the road. She was very popular, and unfortunately it was such a sad time to meet everyone.

I hope this is the last post like this that I write for quite some time. May all of those who lost family members find peace in their passing.

Frank Lee
5/24/38 - 10/27/09
May you find eternal rest!

I'm A Mommy!!

On Tuesday, October 13, 2009 at 8:30 a.m., I became a mommy to a beautiful baby girl, Amelia Josephine. Amelia weighed in at 9 lbs. 10 ozs. and was delivered via c-section. She is the light of my life.

While motherhood so far has been challenging and a practice in patience, I wouldn't have it any other way. Amelia is actually a very good baby overall. She generally does not cry unless something is wrong - hunger, dirty diaper, gas. She also sleeps fairly well at night - usually 3-4 hours at a time.

Her first moments on earth were fairly eventful, at least according to a new mommy. Since she was born via c-section, her body didn't get squeezed through the birth canal, and there were some breathing problems. They put her on oxygen for about an hour, and she was well. Her mommy had a little bit of bleeding since she delivered such a big girl. But again, nothing that wasn't fixed quickly.

We were in the hospital for 3 1/2 days and were released Friday afternoon. I was nervous about bringing her home and being responsible for her completely, but so far so good. I feel as though I get nothing done during the day except watching her and answering email. But she usually sleeps for a few hours at a time, so if I tried, I could get something done. I just wait to see when she'll wake up - silly mommy!

Lee went back to work on Wednesday this week and is working 1/2 days for this week. He did that so he could readjust to a schedule and so I could adjust to him not being here all day with me. We've been doing good so far. Last night, he also had class, so Amelia and I spent 9 hours alone together, and we did just fine. Hopefully it always goes that well.

Also yesterday her umbilical cord fell off during a feeding. Wow! What a milestone for my little girl! We have been avoiding onesies or anything that would touch the belly button area, so now we get to explore wearing most of our wardrobe. Today is our first "onesie" day, and so far so good.

I'll try to keep this updated with milestones. Right now my angel is sleeping beside me, so I am able to take time to write this. I look forward to each day with her, but I also consider each day a victory - we get through them together! I can't believe she is already 10 days old! The time really does fly by, and it will only get faster. I'm trying to enjoy every minute I can!!

A Death Always Changes Your Perception of Reality - Part 3

Over two weeks ago on September 10, my uncle passed away unexpectedly. This wasn't just any uncle. My mom is one of 6 children, and my father was one of 5 children (although one passed away as an infant). I had many aunts and uncles growing up, but again, this wasn't just any uncle.

My uncle Max was my mom's brother-in-law. My parents have lived next door to he and my aunt Janice for over 37 years. I spent many days in my childhood at their house. In fact, my aunt babysat me after school for many years. I have many good memories of Max and Janice, and this death came as quite a shock - a heart attack in the early morning hours. I wasn't prepared to go to a funeral while 8 months pregnant, but life doesn't give you such choices.

Of course, my uncle was well-known in the community. He was very involved in many organizations. But beyond that he was one of the kindest, caring men I ever knew. He gave so much of himself to others. He was always there if someone needed him, and I have never known anyone with his heart. He will be surely missed by many, as could be seen from his funeral - one of the largest I have been to in my hometown.

It is hard to believe he won't be outside mowing the next time I go to my parent's house. We would wave, and I regret not taking more time to talk with him when I was home. The last conversation I remember having with him was nearly 1 year ago at my niece's district marching band contest. How sad! I lived next door to him every day for years and years, and the last time I spoke to him was over 1 year ago. The things you realize and regret once someone has passed away.

Again, a death always changes your perception of reality - things you could have done or should have done differently. Time heals all wounds, and people get complacent back in their "normal" lives. Let's not forget who we love, who we respect, and who we wish to be a part of our lives. Life is too short to have regrets.

RIP Uncle Max - I will miss you, and I have been a better person having known you!

Max Kreilein
10/15/40-9/10/09
May you have eternal rest!

Happy 5th Annivesary

Yesterday was our 5th anniversary!!! I must say I love my husband more than I did the day we were married. He is my best friend, my greatest confidant, and the father of my baby girl! As we close the chapter on our first 5 years, we begin a new adventure of being parents together. Each day our bond gets stronger, and I can't imagine taking this journey through life with anyone else!

With that being said, we decided to spend the night at the French Lick Springs Hotel for our anniversary. Ever since I was about 13, I have been driving through French Lick - first to visit my sister who moved to Indianapolis and then to visit my parents once I moved to Bloomington. The French Lick Resort consists of a $500 million renovation of two old-world hotels and a casino. While we visited the West Baden Springs Hotel in 2005 before it was a "hotel" again, we had never been in the French Lick Springs Hotel.

We decided that this trip was our gift to each other, but as is normal, my husband decided to not conform. We have slowly been collecting Willow People over the years - most as gifts. Since wood is the traditional 5 year gift, he bought me the "Anniversary" Willow People set. It is very sweet!!!

Once we arrived and checked in, we had reservations at the 1875 Steakhouse for our anniversary dinner. It was the most expensive meal we have ever eaten, but it was wonderful. We were sat next to a floor-to-ceiling old mirror off by ourselves, and it was very romantic. We then went to explore the hotel including the Pluto Spring, which is what we are pictured in front of, and the gardens.

This morning after we checked out of the hotel, we had fun in the casino. Of course, we lost money, but it was a nice break away from our world that is about to get crazier. We soon realized that this may be the last time we are in a casino for quite some time. Before heading back home, we drove around French Lick and stopped at a historical marker in Orleans.

All in all, it was a wonderful time away. As you can see from the picture, I am now very close to giving birth - 7 weeks from our due date. So, as our lives are about to change forever, we stopped to remember our time alone.

4th of July Weekend

So as I mentioned in my previous post, Lee's family from Oklahoma came to spend the 4th of July with us. His uncle Larry from Michigan also came down for a couple of days. Lee's aunt Beth and Larry had not seen each other in nearly 30 years!!

Beth, Ed, and their son Alex came in on Friday night. We had a cookout and just enjoyed the time together. We set off our own fireworks and attacked the neighbors who typically send fireworks over our house all the time. We stayed up way too late, but it was great reconnecting. We hadn't seen them since last 4th of July on our trip to Oklahoma.

Saturday (July 4th) was very wet here in south-central Indiana. We took Beth, Ed, and Alex on a tour of Bloomington, showed them where John Mellencamp lives (Beth is a big fan!), and took them to Lake Monroe. Unfortunately, the weather never did clear up, so we couldn't get out of the car and explore. We went back to the house for another cookout, and after a little while decided that we needed to get out of the house.

The fireworks in Bloomington were not cancelled, but we also didn't want to sit in the rain. So instead, we went glow bowling. Never in a million years did I think we would go bowling on July 4th, but we actually had a great time. Taylor and I also got to see some of the big fireworks from the bowling alley's front door.

On Sunday, Larry went home, and we spent the day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway - touring the track, museum, media center, gasoline alley, victory podium, timing and scoring, etc. The above picture was taken of all of us there along the start/finish line - Alex, Beth, Ed, Taylor, Richard, Lee, and pregnant me :-).

His family left early Monday morning, and we were already missing them greatly. If only we lived closer or they lived closer :-(. But, it was an all-around great visit!!!!

99 days and counting……….

My official due date is now 99 days away. I can’t believe how quickly this is all happening. At times it feels as though it is standing still, and other times, it seems as though we can’t get enough done quick enough. We know that she can really come at any time in September or October, so 99 days is just the projected number. But, it certainly puts things into perspective.

Also, tomorrow is the 3rd anniversary of our home ownership. Time certainly does fly. And, oh, how life has changed in those 3 years.

Lee has been working on the basement renovation since mid-March. We intending on renovating our basement at some point in the future, but when we found out that we were expecting our little girl, the renovations became a top priority. Lee has been using our new nursery as his office for the past 3 years. Seeing as we now need that bedroom, his office needed to be moved downstairs. We also created a “den” area in the basement. It took 3 months, but the basement is now complete (see above) and furniture is continuing to be moved in, so we can begin work on the nursery.

At the end of May, we found out that Lee’s aunt, uncle, and cousin will be visiting over the July 4th weekend. They, as a family, have never been to Indiana, so we are so excited to have them come!!!! Finishing the basement became even more important, so they had a place to stay. With that, Lee installed a shower in the basement bathroom so that any guests we have would feel more at-home. As of today it is still without plumbing, but that will get fixed before the end of the week.

And, in other news, Lee and I purchased a new (used) vehicle this weekend (see above). Lee’s truck was a 1997 S-10, and my Kia was a 2001. Both were certainly showing their age, and neither was a good “family” car. So, this weekend we purchased a 2007 HHR. It only had 15,500 miles on it, great options (leather seats, seat warmers, remote start, tinted back windows, etc.), and we got it for a good, fair price. Unfortunately, this means that Lee’s truck was officially traded-in. He has put his heart and soul into that truck and modifications for it, but it was not conducive to having a family in it. The “new” vehicle is great and was desperately needed!

Baby Girl Lawmaster (Part 2)

Well I had my final ultrasound yesterday afternoon. Baby Girl Lawmaster is doing wonderfully. Her heart has four chambers, and everything else looks healthy.

My actual doctor's appointment was today, and I learned that she is measuring big - very big. She is in the 97% for 24 weeks, and I am only at 23 weeks. So, I am measuring big as well, but I still haven't gained too much weight, which is the positive. She is now 1 pound 9 ounces, and she has long legs! They will keep an eye on her and see how big she gets.

It was great to get to see her again, especially since I know I can't see her again until she is born. But that time will be here before we know it!