Elizabeth Jean Kelly

Another miracle.  Each and every birth is such a blessing.  This blessing arrived at 5 a.m. today.

It was a long day and night. Kari and Eric went to the hospital around 6 a.m.  Barb, Cassie (Kari's maid of Honor), Bill and Patty arrived too early to wait out the delivery.  We arrived at 11:00 p.m.  Bill and Patty at 3 a.m.

Eric kept us informed, texting the progress to the five of us waiting in the nearby lounge but also to family in Oregon, Washington, and Georgia.

Grandmas  and Cassie checking texts.

I tried to sleep.

At 5:10 Eric texted us that the baby was born giving only that one detail.

About 15 minutes later he burst through the door.

We flocked around Eric hungry for details.  He gathered us in a circle then handed us an item which we were to hide in our hand, not looking as to what is was.  After we each had the object in our hand, he then said, "Look at it."  We opened our hands to review a cookie with pink sprinkles indicating a girl.  (Barb had baked cookies, some with blue, some with pink sprinkles to hand out after the birth.)

It had been an ordeal (aren't they all?) but all were healthy but very tired.  I am not so sure "labor" is the correct phrase for the process of having a baby.  "Labor" seems too kind.  Perhaps better words would be "agony" or "excruciation"  or even "torment".  But I guess since the outcome is such a fulfilling blessing, a kinder word, labor,  is more appropriate.

We went home and went to bed.  At noon we returned to the hospital.

Patty

Bill

Elizabeth already indicates a relaxed mood.  I remarked as I first held her, "Wow, what a comfortable baby.  I think my blood pressure just dropped 40 points."  Very special.

 

Eric, demonstrating how he was helping with the birth process, holding one of Kari's legs, while texting updates to us all.  :-)

June 20 - a day of celebration from here on.  Welcome Elizabeth Jean.

Father's Day not new Grandfather's Day

Father's Day.  My favorite day.  I spent so much effort in that endeavor and my children recognize it as so.  Ben called from Atlanta and he reminded me that he is and always will be #1.  Then he asked for dates that Barb and I will visit their lake house this fall, my favorite escape.    Nathan called from Bend Oregon.  They are on a family vacation.  There is no better news than your child, his wife and the grandchildren are having a family experience on this special day.  Kari and Eric dropped by for grilled steaks.  The topic of conversation was grandchild #4.  Fun.  Celebration of the present and the future.  I am so blessed.

Baby Watch

Each day now we await that phone call from Kari or Eric.  As of tonight, there are rumblings but no contractions.  It could be tomorrow or it could be a few weeks.  She is due June 20.

What a different perspective I have on the arrival of this grandchild.  The three miracles that Nathan announced to us as we sat in the waiting room were indeed some of the most joyous occasions of my life.  Certainly this blog edifies the joy of those announcements.

Barb releasing ladybugs in her garden to kill aphids.  Grayson is unafraid.  Jane and Jensen a bit apprehensive.

This time it is my daughter.  The baby will have a Kelly name.  But it is my daughter.  Somehow, I feel closer.

 

Alton, Cailyn’s father, said it best.  As Cailyn was going through delivery for Jane, the first born, we as grandparents in the waiting room decided to go down to the hospital cafeteria to get some coffee.  Alton related to me, “It is hard for me to relax.  I wonder what some doctor or nurse is doing to my daughter up there (the delivery room)."   Now I understand Alton.  Oh so true.  It is so more personal when the birthing agent is your daughter.  I have been her protector.

Baby Kelly will be here soon.   The child will be in next year’s Christmas photo.  I will love each grandchild with equal favor.

But, oh God, help my dear child, my daughter, Kari

Malibu

Eric has been there several times and I was honored that he invited me to attend with him, "Men's Weekend".  The Young Life Camp Malibu is located on the British Columbia coast and is not accessible via car.  We left Puyallup at 4:30 a.m. and arrived at the camp 12 hours later after some considerable serious driving and 2 ferry rides. The four day event was well attended with 200+ men mainly from Western Washington and a few from Oregon.  It was a meaningful event for me, especially in having some quality time with my new son-in-law.

 Arrival at Horseshoe Bay just out of Vancouver, BC., to catch a ferry.  Eric's best friend and best man, Scott, traveled with us.

 A 30 minute ferry drive then another hour drive to Egmont.

On arrival at Egmont we parked the car and boarded the Camp's passenger ferry for a 3 hour cruise to Malibu.

We cruised through a very primitive area of B.C. seeing very few signs of human activity.  The landscape reminded me of Norway and they do refer to the area, Jarvis Inlet, as a fjord. 

 Camp Malibu.  Several hundred acres with buildings located on 44 acres. The site is so isolated that the camp has its own low head hydroelectric generating plant with generator back up.  There was no cell on wifi contact for the entire 4 days.  :-)

 The main structure set on a rocky point jutting out into the water.

 The view from the deck in front of my room.

 Following Eric and his best man, Scott, to a session.

My roommates.  We were surprised that Scott, Eric and I were not placed in the same room.  I was placed with 10 men, all  from Waypoint Church, Gig Harbor, who were attending the camp as a church retreat.  We met each night to digest the day's events.  I was privileged to spend 4 days with these dedicated men.

Memorable 4 days.  Memorable environs.  Memorable men.  Memorable dialogue.

Old Friends

I met Dave when we were 15.  He lived just down the road, about 4 blocks away.  He was the Methodist preacher's son who lived across the street from his church.   He had come from the coast and had attended a school many times larger than ours.   I was a Lutheran who had recently moved into town from the farm.  My new school was twice as large as the school that I had attended in Hay.  Lacrosse High had over 100 students. 

He always pushed the boundaries, in relative form.  Boundaries were very defined and narrow in our hometown of Lacrosse.  He started playing a guitar.  We sat and sang folk songs, some with deep religious meaning.  He talked me into buying a motorcycle which he had already done. He instigated a motorcycle trip for our senior tour.  Five farm boys traveled on Honda 65's thru 125's to Samish Island near Burlington to his friend's cabin. Then home via the Olympic Peninsula and White Pass.  We traveled most of the way on roads that don't allow small motorcycles any more. 
 I went to PLU.  He went to UPS.  I went to graduate school.  He went to Viet Nam.  I traveled southeast Asia as a teacher.  He came home to be a cop.  I came home to be a teacher.  We raised our kids.   We worked hard to provide for our family and our community.  I studied to be a principal.  He took flight lessons to work to locate marijuana fields.  Different paths should have drawn us apart.  It did, but only in location.  We saw each other only a time or two each year but we stayed close.

We are both retired now and are each doing our own thing.  On a cloudless and beautiful day recently, Dave called me.  "Want to fly with me up to Orcas Island for lunch?"  "Sure"  Within the hour he picked me up at a local airport.  A little more than an hour later we were flying over the San Juan islands. 

After landing, Dave extricated two folding bikes for the back of the plane.  We two old codgers may have looked peculiar peddling those bikes down to a restaurant by the water.

Fun.  Not what a lot of old codgers do.  Those were the type of boundaries that Dave tended to push.

Old friends.

Assembling the bikes

 

Artists, Somehow They Keep Showing Up and I Know Not From Where They Have Come

The gkids spent the weekend with us and it coincided with a Tacoma visit of Barb's favorite children's  author, Eric Carle.  Saturday, Barb and Jane, age 5, coordinated to produce a piece representative of the art in Carle's book, 10 Little Rubber Ducks.  Barb had used Carle's art techniques in her kindergarten classes and Jane readily jumped into the medium.  Sunday afternoon, after church, Barb and Jane stood in line for over an hour at the Tacoma Art Museum to meet Carle.  On approaching his table Jane handed Carle her artwork.  Carle responded to Jane, "Do you want me to keep this, or do you want this back."  Jane was ready to give it to him but Carle  offered to give it back.  Carle responded, "Well, this piece deserves an A+."  He then applied the A+, he signed it, and returned it to Jane.  A family heirloom created...

Saturday afternoon with GrandB creating the artwork.

The finished product from 10 Little Rubber Ducks



Waiting in line to meet the author

Jane hands her artwork to Eric Carle.

The signed product



After a long respite...

Wow.  It has been a while since I have blogged.  So let me try to make it up one chapter at a time.

The Aune Christmas here was mid January.  All were healthy and we had 4 days of sharing, love, and a Seattle vs Atlanta (Ben and Penny) playoff game.

Jensen wanted Uncle Ben to know that Jensen was in "Beast Mode".

Ben and the boys reading books.

It has been a good year.....apparently.

The first hat for the "first".

Jane, as the only "grand" daughter usually gets some really grand clothes from Ben and Penny.

Jane and Penny love games.

Seahawks score.  Can we win vs Atlanta?

Mexican train after the game.

The next eve at Kari's and Eric's.

Girl time.  Early morning after sleepover, Jane combing Penny's hair.

It was truly a different atmosphere to meet mid January but it afforded family, time, experience and wonderful memories.  Thus it exhibited the traits of Christmas.