My Daughter who is the Daughter of my Daughter

Blaubeere had her baby a few days ago but the little girl sure has been having a hard time getting started. She weighed just under six pounds when born, the smallest baby on my side of the family in recent memory. She seemed to do fine the first day but then she began to have difficulty breathing and they found she had air in the sack around her lungs, where it didn't belong. That made it difficult for her lungs to inflate when she tried to breath. So into the NICU she went and a tube was inserted to remove the air. And an IV to hydrate her. And a tube went in to feed her. And on top of all that were various wires attached here and there to monitor her all over the place. They made her mom leave the room each time they had to put a new tube or monitor in. No fun. And then she got a little jaundiced so they put her under a lamp and put some cool shades on to protect her eyes. Plus her Mom put on a mitten because she kept hooking her hand on this tube or that line and pulling on them. 

So there she was, laying all small and tiny in her warming crib, surrounded by machinery, nurses and a Mom who desperatly wanted to hold her but couldn't. She wasn't the smallest, most serious baby in NICU (there was a set of twins there that were under two pounds) but to her parents, brothers and grandparents, she was the most significant child in the hospital.

In all of that, though, it was cool that in all the limiting of visitors the hospital did, they allowed grandparents free access, as much and whenever they wanted. So we did. We've been able to go a couple of times and provide her mother with an opportunity to get some much needed rest and still have her little girl have someone with her. Also gave her grandma some time with her.  Grandmas like that kind of thing. This one sure does, anyway.

We are also happy to report that she is doing much better now.  The errant air is gone, tubes have begun to come out. She's eating like a healthy baby more, though not yet getting all her milk that way. She's well on the road to recovery. And the best part?  Her momma is getting to hold her more and more each day. What a little angel.

Christmas Vacation

This Christmas holiday has been good, for the most part. Well, if you overlook the fact that nearly all of us got sick during the vacation its been good. Schwartzbeere was sick just before the school vacation started but swears it wasn't what the rest of us got. I guess he doesn't want to get blamed for bringing it into the house. Can't say as I blame him. But if it wasn't him then it was me. Anyway, wherever it came from, we got sick. Be that as it may, it was still a good holiday. I had to go in one day because I ran out of vacation time but that wasn't bad. Its usually very quiet between Christmas and New Years. And by the time I went in I was feeling better enough that it wasn't so bad. 

So Christmas morning we got to sleep in later than the kids used to let us. This year it was just the kids who still live at home that were here. The rest were off doing their own thing or visiting the other side of their families for Christmas. Got to share, I guess. So we got up around 7:30 am and opened presents. With just the few of us it didn't take all morning like it has some Christmas mornings.

Everyone got stuff that made them smile.  Then there was goodies the rest of the day.  Food on Christmas at our house is "do-it-yourself".  Plenty of stuff, healthy and otherwise, to choose from but you're on your own.

 

Because we were all sick at one time or the other we really didn't go out and "do" anything.  Just stayed around the house.  We got a few new movies for Christmas so we watched a bunch of those, played games and just talked.  Actually, it was all kind of nice.

 

And Mr Hobbs nailed it again.  Snow; a white Christmas.  You just can't beat a good, reliable weather pig. He is in this picture, just kind of hard to see.

At the Conclusion of General Conference

And it came to pass that when Jesus had thus spoken, he cast his eyes round about again on the multitude, and beheld they were in tears, and did look steadfastly upon him as if they would ask him to tarry a little longer with them.

III Nephi 17:5

Sunday Thoughts

We’ve been reading in the Book of Alma for the last while. We’re getting into the part where Mormon wrote in detail of the wars and conflict that went on between the Lamanites and Nephites some 80 – 60 years before Christ was born. From time to time I’ve wondered about why Mormon included all the details about this time of war. From several years after arriving in the Americas until the Nephite nation was finally destroyed some 1000 years later there were wars and conflicts between the two groups. For most of the history Mormon gave us these wars just get mentioned, without going into much detail. So why choose this particular period to give detail? The more I’ve thought about it the more reasons I find, benefits that we gain because Mormon did that.

At the end of one particularly intense period of war Mormon makes a statement. “Behold, now it came to pass that the people of Nephi were exceedingly rejoiced, because the Lord had again delivered them out of the hands of their enemies; therefore they gave thanks unto the Lord their God; yea, and they did fast much and pray much, and they did worship God with exceedingly great joy.” (Alma 45:1) The people combined their prayers of thanksgiving with fasting as a way to show the extent of their gratitude. You don’t often think of fasting as a way to show thanksgiving. At least, I hadn’t. But that is an aspect of fasting, a way to approach the Lord and let Him know the depth of the feelings of our heart.

That’s one facet of fasting. Isaiah gives us another in the 58th chapter of Isaiah in the Old Testament. He tells us “And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday: And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.” (Isaiah 58:8, 9). One of the main purposes of fasting is to provide for those in need. That’s pretty well known and understood. But when we’re doing that the blessings go further. When we are using our fast to care for those in need the Lord blesses us with knowledge. Fasting is a key to revelation. Knowledge of the things of the Lord, which is what we sometimes call the mysteries of God, will flow to us like a spring of water.

While I started out talking about the record of wars, what I really wanted to say was about fasting. That’s what has been on my mind the last little while. Because I am diabetic I can’t really fast like we think of as the proper way to fast. Because of the medicine I take to help my body use sugar the way a healthy body does, I have to eat on a regular basis to keep my blood sugar from going too low. If I don’t it can have serious consequences. So I don’t have the option of skipping meals for anywhere near a normal fast of 24 hours. But the more I learn about fasting the greater the power I discover there is in it. So I look for ways that I can still tap into that source of power the Lord has given us. I won’t go into detail, suffice it to say that I have come to learn that when we sincerely try to avail ourselves of the blessings of the Lord, He looks past our inabilities to our heart and the blessings are still available. Anyone can do this with any blessing the Lord has promised us in connection with any commandment He has given us.

A New Experience

Blaubeere came over tonight with her two boys. That's always fun.  Brombeere had gone to the store and found that one of the local stores was having a promotional, showing little kids how to fish.  So she called Blaubeere and they went.  Turned out to be a pretty good deal.  And because they were one of the last ones to leave the folks at the store gave them a  whole bunch of stuff, including a beginner's fishing pole, two life kids sized jackets and a few other, smaller fishing stuff; lures, and a grab-bag of stuff.  So they were all set.

The plan originally had been for them to come over and get the kayak out. But the weather was looking a little stormy so we cancelled that idea early one. Now with the fishing stuff and a little boy eager to go fishing we decided to do that instead. So we went up to one of the parks o the river and got started.

First Himbeere, the resident expert, got the line all set, bobber, bait and everything.  This is highly technical stuff, an exact science.  After all, fish are wily little critters and it takes science and all to trick them into taking the hook.  So it took several minutes of close consultation and careful work to get ready.

Then they headed over to the pond, which is so loaded with fish you can see them swimming around all over the place.  Lots of other stuff, too.  But plenty of fish.

There is a small foot bridge about halfway up the pond. They fished off the bridge for a while.  Then they went down below the bridge.  Then the little guy went up above the bridge for a while.  Then his Mom came over and he ended up on her lap.  Its nice to have a grown up near by to help with the tangles.  And there were plenty of those.

But in the end, after staying with it for an hour or so and not catching anything, as we decided it was enough for the first trip out, I asked him if he'd had any fun.  "It was awesome!" was the response.  I'll take that as a "yes."

Three at Once

So my three oldest girls, each of who, have married wonderful guys, have done an amazing thing.  All three are expecting at the same time.  Who would have ever thought this would happen!  Heidlebeere first, then Erdbeere and then Blauberre.  Heidlebeere is keeping no secrets; she's expecting a little boy.  Erdbeere is not telling what she'd getting, even though she knows.  She's keeping everyone guessing as to whether its a boy or a girl.  My official guess is a boy but that's just a  guess.  And Blaubeere isn't telling when she's due.  What's up with that?  Course, with her last one she fooled us by having it a couple of weeks earlier than everyone was expecting.  Maybe there's a pattern here.  I dunno.  I just think its amazing that they all three are expecting at once.  This is going to almost double the grandbaby count.  That is also amazing!  I'm officially excited.

Sunday Scripture

2 Kings 6:16

And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.

National Pig Day

Today is National Pig Day.  Started in 1972 by two school teachers, it is a day to accord the pig its rightful, though generally unrecognized, place as one of man's most intellectual and domesticated animals.  Mr Hobbs celebrated by remaining domesticated and continuing his service as our weather pig.  As you can see, it snowed yesterday. The rest of us would have celebrated with pork ribs but we forgot to get any in advance of the day.  Maybe next year.  This year?  Probably pizza.  Pepperoni is a pork product, right?

Mr Hobbs, the Meteorologist

Mr Hobbs, it turns out, is a talented pig.  A weather pig, to be exact.  See, he can tell weather.

When he's dry, its clear and sunny.  When its hard to see him, its night.  When he's wet its raining.  When he's got snow on him, like today, its snowing.  When its light but hard to see him, it foggy.  Yep, a talented pig, that Mr Hobbs.

How It Was

Brombeere (as she and Schwarzebeere were cleaning up after dinner): I'm full.
Schwarzebeere: I'm not.
B: You're not?
S: Nope.
B: Why not?
S: I always breath out and then I'm empty.