Little Miracle

My friend (and neighbor's) baby was due March 24th.  That day came and went and the whole neighborhood was forced to wait patiently for this little girl's arrival.  Finally, on March 28th, my friend went into labor and was checked in at the hospital.  I wanted to go to the hospital, but you never know how many people will be there, and you never want to intrude on family time.  However, it was about 7pm and I got a text from another friend who was there that told me to "come and join the party".  So I did!  I wouldn't have missed this experience for the world!

My friend was hoping that the baby would come before midnight so she'd have two daughters with birthdays on the 28th of the month.  And, we thought that might happen because from 9:00 to 10:00, she dilated from a 5 to an 8.  We thought, "Great, she's moving right along!  We're going to see a baby before midnight!".  But, the dilation stalled and midnight came and went.  Myself and the other friend who was there decided we'd stay a little longer and wait for the doctor to check our friend's progression one more time.  It was about 1:00am and the doctor thought that it would be OK to start pushing.  Now we're talking!!

I had never seen a vaginal delivery before, and I was in complete and total awe.  When the baby started crowning, the doctor called my friend and I over to see.  How amazing!  Then, with a couple more pushes, the head came out and we saw her little face....THAT was when it all became real for me.  WHAT A MIRACLE!  With the next couple pushes, Quinn Elise was born.

Watching a baby being born is watching the ultimate miracle unfold before your eyes.  I was humbled, in awe, so excited, and so happy for my friend and her husband.  That little girl will always hold a special place in my heart.  Aunt Janie ♥'s you.

Quinn and her mama

Look Ma, NO GLASSES!...Part 3

I had my Lasik surgery yesterday.  I was quite nervous for about a week...not about the procedure itself, but about the outcome.  I can handle pain, I can't handle being blind.  Thank God, I came through with flying colors!  The procedure itself was a cake walk.  So easy!  So quick!  I didn't feel any pain until the numbing drops wore off about half an hour after the procedure.  When I got home, my eyes were burning pretty bad and watering like crazy.  I laid in bed and finally took some medicine to help me sleep.  Around 4 1/2 hours later, I woke up a brand new person.  I could still feel some irritation, but I was amazed at how well I could see! 

Today when I woke up, my eyes felt great!  I'm still getting used to the fact that I'm not wearing glasses or contacts and can actually SEE.  I found myself this morning looking for my glasses when I first woke up, and then realized, oh yeah, I don't need them. 

I think having this surgery was a great decision for Grady and I.  I know that we are going to love it!  No more glasses in the Gaschler house!

Mama's Spring Break

I wasn't one of those lucky college kids who got to go to Padre or Cabo or any other beachy place for Spring Break.  Nope, instead, I was excited that I got to stay on campus and get a whole 40 hours of work that week.  Now that's pathetic...ahh, the life of a poor college kid. 

However, now that I'm 39, I finally got to go away for Spring Break!  No, I didn't party on the beach half naked with my friends.  I spent most of my time with my butt planted in a lounge chair by the pool reading a book, soaking up the sun, and having other people bring me food and drinks.  The perfect "old lady spring break"! 

Grady had a business trip to Palm Springs, so I tagged along.  I had never been to PS, and when I looked at where it was on a map, I was a little disappointed that it was in-land and not on the coast.  However, it is SO BEAUTIFUL there!  I experienced my first "outdoor" airport.  The hallways between the terminals were all outside!  Must be nice to have year-round weather so nice that your airport doesn't have to be covered!  There were beautiful mountains surrounding the whole area as well as lakes and golf courses.  The whole city seemed to be very manicured.  Our resort was gorgeous, too.  It was surrounded by two golf courses and had flowers and lakes all over the place.

Grady had to work each morning, so I had the luxury of going on morning runs that were amazing.  It's so much easier huffing and puffing through miles when you have gorgeous scenery to take your mind off of it!  I also treated myself to a manicure one day and a massage.  It's nice to spoil yourself now and then!  Grady had to "work" on the golf course a couple afternoons, so on those days I was perfectly content sitting by the pool in the 85 degree sunshine being a lazy California girl.

On our last full day there, we found a mountain with a hiking trail and decided to venture up it.  The views were so pretty.  How I wish we had mountains to hike in KS!

By the end of the trip, I was tanned, relaxed, and really missing my girls.  Thank you, honey for taking me on this trip!  And, thank you to Tom & Judy for keeping the girls!

Here are some pictures of our trip:  Palm Springs

Look Ma, NO GLASSES!...Part 2

We have one more family member who has kicked glasses to the curb!  Macey got contacts today.  Holy moly, she is growing up too fast.  She has wanted contacts for the past year and we finally decided it would be OK for her to get them.  She was so excited for her appointment this morning.  It is going to take her a few days to get the hang of putting them in and taking them out, but knowing her, she will have it mastered in no time.  I think the whole concept of touching her eyeballs was a little intimidating!

I know getting contacts is not an emotional event, but I can't help thinking how fast she is growing up.  Today contacts, tomorrow driver's license...  {sniff}.

Look Ma, NO GLASSES!

Grady has been contemplating having LASIK surgery for the past few years.  Well, on Friday, he took the plunge!  The surgery itself took about 5 minutes per eye.  I think that is amazing.  The girls and I watched the whole thing, too!  I'm one of those weird people who likes things like that...yep, I'm that person who, when flipping through the channels and stumbles upon a knee surgery, will stop and watch in awe.

It was pretty amazing.  We got to watch the surgery up close and see everything that was happening to his eyes.  First, he laid down and a laser cut part of the cornea, right above the iris, creating a flap that the doctor peeled back with what looked like a tiny spatula (this part was REALLY FREAKY to watch!).  Then, his eye was held open by a device so he wouldn't blink.  The doctor then used lasers to reshape the cornea to correct Grady's vision.  When the lasers were finished, the doctor replaced the flap on his eye and smoothed it out with a tiny tool that reminded me of a squeegie.  He put some medicated drops in the eye, repeated the whole process with the other eye and WALA!  Done!

He was in some discomfort for the first few hours post-op, but after a 3-4 hour nap, he was feeling much better.  He had a follow-up appointment the very next day and was seeing 20/15...which is better than 20/20!  He is beyond thrilled with his results.

I wanted to watch the procedure, and on one hand, I'm glad I did.  However, it probably wasn't the smartest thing for me to do since I'm getting the same surgery in 2 weeks!  Eeeek!

Getting ready to start the surgery

After surgery and the doctor is replacing the corneal flap and smoothing it out...ewww!

Jolee was holding Emmy on her lap the whole time!

I want my Mommy, too!

The last week and a half sure have been a doosey...and we're not in the clear, yet.  Two sick kids one right after another.  And, this virus just HANGS ON! 

Last night after the girls went to bed, Emmy walked into our bedroom with that, "I want my mommy" look.  So, how could I resist?  She was feeling yucky and I let her snuggle up in bed with me.  After a while I tucked her into her own bed and was looking forward to some much needed rest.

After getting up with her nearly every hour on the hour, I am now exhausted and my caffeine has long worn off.  I want my mommy, too. 

I wish I had a magic wand...take 2...

After 4 days, I am happy to report that Jolee is back to running around the house on all fours pretending she's a cat...in other words, she is finally feeling like herself again!  Hallelujah!

However, Emmy woke up and told us that she didn't feel very good and that her tummy felt "yucky".  Great, just great.  A 101 degree temperature confirmed that she now has the crud that Jolee just got rid of.  Another confirmation that she was not feeling good was the fact that she told me today, "Mommy, will you shut the TV off, I want to take a nap"...two things that NO child ever says.  Yep, definitely sick.  Where's my magic wand?

I wish I had a magic wand

I think the hardest part about being a mom is feeling helpless when your kids are sick or hurt.  Jolee has been feeling yucky for the past couple days and I hate it.  Hate it, hate it, hate it.  I wish I could take her pain away.  She told me this morning, "going to school is way more fun than being sick".  Poor thing. :(

We went in this morning and had a strep test ran on her.  It came back negative.  Hopefully she will start feeling better today.  In the mean time, it's lots of gatorade, rest and hugs. ♥