That's Papa's Cake

As I chronicle this time in our lives, I have to be honest and include the bad along with the good. This is life and this is the way it works...Good and bad...Full of lessons and laughter and tears. I started to keep this blog to share with Greta what my life was like raising her through a time she won't remember...As well as Jack. I always wanted to know what my mom thought of it all when I was so little. I keep writing about what a blur this is and how I am trying so hard to cherish each moment. And there are some moments that I wish I could delete. One being that my dad is sick.

Presently he is in the hospital due to an overlooked UTI that went septic. He has been there a week and will be there until he has enough strength and control to move his legs again, as my mom can not carry him and their house has lots of stairs. We are living this a day at a time and are thankful that he is in no pain. His Parkinson's Disease is progressing and he is trying to be strong...All of us are. Even little Greta.

We went to visit Papa at the hospital yesterday and Greta was pleasant about it. She said, "Papa is sick and in the hospital and we will go and make him feel better." I agreed with her and we even stopped and picked out a DQ Blizzard to cheer him up and ruin his appetite for that delicious hospital food. Greta brought flowers for him. Jack was along for the ride and, as I later found out, was thrilled with the long hallways that called his name and beckoned him to run/walk/crawl down them with glee.

Papa was in bed and was reading. He smiled immediately when he saw us peek through the door. Greta and Papa have a quiet understanding. She takes to him with love and compassion and I have always felt that she knows he loves her so much even though he can't say it or can't hold her or play with her very well. One of her first words was Papa, after all.

She wanted to sit on the bed with him. Papa made a spot for her right by his side. She gave him the tightest hug and said, "Papa, this hug will make you feel better." She did this all on her own, no coaching from me. And, she did make him feel better. She made me feel better, too. So, from there we left Papa to take a nap and went to Gee's house to play for a bit and look at Gee's treasures (she is a master junker and can find the most incredible collectibles).

And, again on our way home, we stopped to see Papa and have dinner with him. They brought meatloaf and mashed potatoes and gravy and carrots and a thick, dark chocolate cake with icing and pecans. Papa was eating well and Greta was watching and asking all sorts of questions about his IV and the bed that moved up and down...oh, yes...Jack found the controls to move the bed and Papa was bracing himself and his dinner! Up, down, up down...legs up, down up down. It was pretty funny. Papa was distracted and Gee went for his cake with a fork and took a bite. She then got a bite and started to offer it to Greta, who reached out her arm and pointed at Gee. Greta frowned her eyebrows and she said, "No, no no no, that is Papa's cake, Gee!" We were all shocked to hear this come out of a two year old...Turning down cake? Chocolate cake?
Greta really does want Papa to feel better. She knows just what he needs...long hugs and chocolate iced cake with pecans.

Those seem like such little things. But, I think that they will start to add up and make a big difference.

Sunday in the Park

We had a really nice weekend. It was hard not to with the absolutely beautiful weather - cool mornings and bright sunshine. On Friday we met friends, Tara, Jason and Cohen out for pizza and gelato. The kids were a riot together, and made us laugh the whole time. Tara and Jason had good news to share....Cohen is going to be a big brother! We are so excited and happy for them! Baby Lytle is due March 11....I am hoping that it is a little girl with Tara's curls and sweet disposition...and Jason's....fashion sense!

We woke up early as usual and met the Lytles and the Grovers at a park in Mission that was such a ball. Again, the weather was gorgeous and the park was quiet that early in the morning. We picked up donuts and had fresh fruit and muffins and hot coffee and juice. Greta is so brave now and loves to explore. She did so great on the slides, as I remember not long ago she would stand up in the middle of going down which would make her somersault...And make me scream in terror! This park had a fun "Dance dance revolution" type thing that we had fun with, too. Nothing like early morning aerobics in a beautiful park...And then a sprinkle donut.

Salutations!

Salutations!, originally uploaded by DerekandRebecca.

He could get a job at Wal-Mart. Cutest greeter ever!

Was that a pin dropping?

They sleep. It is so still here. Wait, never mind. Jack is up. I knew this would happen.

But before I go and get him and cover his face with kisses because he is so so cute when he wakes up with sleepy eyes and the little tuft of hair sticking straight up I want to write a tiny bit. This week has been hard. I don't know if Jack is cutting bigger teeth or what, but I have slept about 3 hours a night for 3 nights in a row. Wait, Greta is up now, too. She is nude, (yes, she likes to sleep in the buff). She is saying, "Pee pee, mommy." That means go get her.

Brother Jack and his revenge

Brother Jack and his revenge, originally uploaded by DerekandRebecca.

Boom!

Derek's grandparents, Marvin and Betty, celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary this month and the whole family came together. We met in downtown KC for the first Friday of the month during the art crawl and all of the excitement centered around the Liberty Memorial and the Power and Light District...In all, there were 28 of us. Greta and Jack love Crown Center and the fountains and the trains of Union Station. There was so much to do.

Derek repaired Marvin and Betty's wedding photo and I framed it as a gift. We met at Jack Stack BBQ for an awesome Fourth of July dinner and then had a reception at Third Eye Production Studio and Gallery.

On Sunday, after all of the fireworks and all of the goodbyes, we drove to Clinton to BBQ with Charlotte and Elizabeth who are in from NYC and Katie and Chase and Papa and Gee and Aunt Nancy and Uncle Don. The company was nice and the fresh air was perfect. Oh yeah, and the corn was as high as an elephant's eye this Fourth of July!

O Jack.

With my super quick mamma skills I ran upstairs to get Greta from her nap and I left little Jack Jack down in our family room, thinking it was baby proofed. I came back down seconds later to find he had stood up, reached up and gotten this giant bowl down from a desk. The bowl was filled with Cheerios because Greta had poured a whole box of them into it before her nap. Jack was sitting there holding it looking at me with those happy eyes. He hadn't spilled a single O. He must be gifted. Truly gifted.

So, I had to have a photo shoot with him as he munched away by the fist full. Look closely and you will see the airborne O's between bowl and mouth. Such speed and agility. Munch munch munch.


Now, I know, this is lame. I have nothing for you...Not a thing to write about. We are in full swing of summer and I am the prisoner of my babies' non converging nap schedules. Jack naps and wakes almost minutes after I have laid Greta down. Then Greta wakes and Jack starts rubbing his eyes. We do try very hard to get out and about and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine, I just have to juggle one happy and one cranky baby...And also one crazy mamma. But, I do still have my sense. I have to note that a few weeks ago a man approached us and asked me if they were twins. Granted, they were in a double stroller, but there is absolutely no chance that they are even close. They don't even look alike. One is a bald baby and one has these long grasshopper legs hanging out trying to drag on the pavement. At least I am still smarter than somebody even considering my sleep deprivation!

Yes, the sleep deprivation.. I have a confession. I let Jack cry in his crib for the first time. I put him in and awakened all of his toys so he would be entertained and then I jumped in the shower with Greta. I just had to wash the hair. It wasn't even a shave your legs kind of shower. But, Jack began to cry, mostly because he could hear Greta in the shower with me, laughing at my boobs. I could hear him cry and cry and I was rinsing, and drying off. By the time I got to his door and peered in he was laying on his back and his binky was hanging out of the side of his mouth. He was alseep and it was the first time in his whole life that he got that way without my lullabies and rocking. I feel horrible for it! Was he let down or was he comforted in sleep? Did he know I was standing there staring at him dripping all over the floor? He didn't. And, he still woke up smiling.