Back to Normal?

Hi there!  Can you believe how long it has been?  I want to send out a special shout out and apology to Laurene in northern Iowa.  Thanks, Laurene,  for getting on my Grandpa's case about updating my blog.  I've been pestering him too but I'm beginning to understand that sometimes you can't depend on men to get their chores done on time.  You know what I mean?

A lot has happened since my last update.  Grandma had surgery.  Again.  This time on her knee.  For a couple days she was really uncomfortable and spent quite a bit of time in bed.  That was OK with me because I love the play dates I have in bed with Grandma. 

 

Daddy and Mommy would come up and keep Grandma company so she didn't get bored.

No Recreational Whining (well maybe just a little)

Excuse me.  I wish to register a formal complaint. What is up with the heat and the humidity?  And heat indexes of 107?  I was definitely not told about this. This is a gyp.  Sorry about that little rant there; I feel a bit better now. 

Grandpa has this image of Charlie Brown posted next to his desk at work and over the top of it he has the phrase "No Recreational Whining".

Grandpa says that it is important not just to complain about things in life but actually try to do something about your problems.  The more I thought about that the more I agreed with Grandpa.  So that is what I did.  I figured it is just too hot for clothes so I stripped down to my diaper, tried to stay cool and made the best of my day!

Grandpa's Cap

This is my grandpa's favorite cap.  I love to wear it.  I have to wear it backwards otherwise I can't see because it is still way too big for me.  The front of the cap says "Back Porch Mary - Austin, Texas".  Back Porch Mary is my grandpa's favorite band.  They gave Grandpa this cap after one of their concerts.  Their lead singer had triplets a couple months ago.  If you click on the Rolling for Trips link under my blogs list you can read all about them and see them. 

Grandpa loves to wear this cap in the mornings to cover his "bed-head" when he goes out to water his garden in the morning. 

Grandpa and I had a lazy day yesterday.  I had a really active day on Friday and didn't take any naps so I needed my beauty sleep.  Grandpa had a hard week at work and he especially needs beauty sleep.  Don't tell Grandpa but between me and you I don't think all the sleep in the world will help him in that department.  I mean, don't get me wrong, I love my Grandpa very much but once you hit 50...  Anyway, Grandpa and I took an hour and a half nap yesterday morning and then we took a two-hour nap together in the afternoon.  I think the afternoon nap was brought on by the fact that Grandpa was watching Bonanza reruns on TV.  I think that will put anyone to sleep.

That was pretty much my day.  Mommy, Daddy and I went to my other Grandpa's house for dinner last night while Grandpa took Grandma to see a concert for their wedding anniversary. 

Here are some more pictures Grandpa took of me this last week:

Grammy, Grandma and fun at home

Don't you just love this picture.  I did some fun things last week.  On Tuesday Mommy and her friend Brandon took me to Grant's Farm.  They had all kinds of animals but my favorite was the bird show.  I just laughed and laughed when those birds were flying around the crowd of people.

Then on Wednesday my other Grandma (I like to call her Grammy) took me to a orchard and we picked peaches.  Don't you just love my matching sunglasses and bib?  Grandpa says that one can never be too young to learn how to accessorize. 

My Grandma is continuing to get better after her surgery although Grandpa has to keep reminding her to chill out and learn to relax.  Grandma says that I help her to do that.  She loves to read to me and is always getting new books for me.  I just know that my Grandma is going to inspire me to be a really good reader and do well in school when I get older.  Tonight Grandma made mostaccioli for dinner and I got to try some mostaccioli noodles.  They were very good.  Grandpa says that I need to be careful though and not over do it with the carbs.  I told Grandpa that once he drops 40 pounds he can talk to me about carbs all he wants but in the meantime this baby is going to take real people food every chance she gets.

Here are a few more pictures of me from this week playing with my Daddy and playing with my toys and taking a nap when I'm all worn out!

Grandpa is a messy feeder

Hi everyone!  Isn't this an attractive picture?  I usually don't make such a mess when I eat but this day I think Grandpa's eye-hand coordination was a bit off.  He kept missing my mouth and he made quite a mess of things don't you think?  Grandpa said I would have been easier if I would have kept my head still while he was trying to feed me.  I think Grandpa is just making excuses.

It has been a pretty normal week for me.  I've been having to crawl longer distances to get to where I want to go.  Sometimes I think the grown ups in my house are deliberately being lazy by not pick me up and carry me to where I want to go.  Grandpa says it's because with every new skill you need to practice it to become good at it.

I love playing with my toys.  My Grandma's friend Vanessa came to visit us this last week and she brought me three new toys.  Pretty soon I may need to get a bigger toy basket.

My Great Aunt Lori

Hi again!  You remember my Great Aunt Lori right.  She is my Grandma's sister that lives in New York and had my Great Aunt Joy's wedding at her farm a couple weeks ago.  Well Aunt Lori came to St. Louis last Friday and spent a few days helping to take care of Grandma after she came home from the hospital.  She did a really good job.  She cooked lots of really good meals for everyone to eat.  Well, everyone but me.  I have all my food specially prepared by Chef Gerber.

Grandma and Aunt Lori had a really great time together.  Aunt Lori introduced Grandma to her favorite TV show, Law and Order.  Grandma introduced Aunt Lori to The Bachelorette.  Grandpa tried to get them both to watch the animated Ricky Gervais show but everyone in our house except Grandpa and I think that show is stupid.  They don't have our finely honed sense of humor. 

Grandma was very sad when Aunt Lori left tonight.  I think Grandma doesn't think Grandpa can take as good of care of her while she recovers from her surgery.  Grandpa says he probably can't cook as good as Aunt Lori but he will do his best to make sure nobody starves to death. 

I am really getting good at standing up now - as long as I have something to hold on to.  It's really cool.  I just love standing next to the coffee table and pulling off whatever is on it onto the floor.

Tonight Grandpa gave me a bath in the bathtub.  He put on his swimming trunks and got in with me and he held me in the bathtub so I wouldn't slip and drown.  He washed my hair and rinsed it with clean water from a big cup.  It felt like I was sitting under a waterfall.  Then I had a lot of fun splashing my hand in the water.

Grandma's Surgery

So Grandpa and I were talking a couple of days ago.  Our conversation went something like this:

Grandpa:  Hey Pumpkin (that's what grandpa always calls me), can we talk for a second?

Me:  Sure Grandpa.

Grandpa:  Tomorrow morning Grandpa is going to take Grandma to the hospital and she is going to have an operation.  Everything is going to be fine but she will have to stay at the hospital a couple a days.

Me:  A hospital?  That's like the place I was born right?  Is Grandma going to have a baby?  I thought just young people did that?

Grandpa:  No, Grandma's not going to have a baby.  They do a lot of things at hospitals besides being a place where babies are born.  You know how girls and boys are different?

Me:  No, not exactly.  What do you mean?

Grandpa:  Well, girls have two arms and two legs and ten fingers and ten toes.  And boys have two arms and two legs and ten fingers and ten toes...

Me:  Well, not uncle Zach.  He's only got 9 toes right?

Grandpa:  Ok...you got me on that one.  What I'm trying to say is that there are some parts of the body that only girls have and some parts of the body that only boys have.

Me:  [after a long blank look of confusion] What do mean exactly.

Grandpa:  I'm sorry Pumpkin.  I forget you're too young to know these things yet.  I'll get back to you on that later.  Much later.  The bottom line is that some of the girl parts of Grandma that you can't see have gotten sick and the doctor has to get rid of them.

Me:  Grandpa, this is TMI for a baby.  Can you just cut to the chase?  Is Grandma going to be ok?

Grandpa:  Yes, sweetie.  She's going to be just fine and we will go see her in the hospital but when she comes home she won't be able to pick you up for six weeks.

Me:  What?  Are you friggin' nuts!

Grandpa:  Alexis, watch your mouth.  One weekend with your Great Aunt Joy and you start to talk like a drunken sailor.  I knew that would happen.

Me:  I'm sorry, Grandpa.

Grandpa:  That's ok pumpkin.  Just remember to always act like a lady.  Anyway, like I was saying, Grandma won't be able to pick you up because she can't lift too much until she is all healed.  But you will still be able to go up in bed and lay next to her and after a bit she will be able to hold you on your lap.  You'll just have to be a bit patient.

Me:  Ok.  it won't be easy but I'll try.  Remember I am a baby and I inherently want things when I want it.

Grandpa:  Where did you learn the word "inherently"?

Me:  Duh...from my Grandpa silly!

So that's how the conversation went, more or less.  Grandma had her operation yesterday and everything went fine just like Grandpa said.  She picked me up and held me before she left and today I got to go see her in the hospital and I layed next to her in bed and she gave me a bottle.  Grandpa says that tomorrow morning she can come home.  Just as soon as she can poop!