No baby, but now he can come.  I was able to enjoy a wonderful holiday weekend of celebrating 50 years of community with our old neighborhood in Illinois.  Not only were there more people at the party for the 4th, but there were 150 neighbors, old and current, who came out to a dinner dance on Saturday night.  I had my cell phone with me the entire weekend, but Skyler held off his arrival.  I told Michelle, anytime now is fine with me!

Kaden, being silly and charming on July 3.

The line for the food was 40 people deep for an hour!

A new bench and a brick pathway help make the park look stunning.

The association even hired a clean-up service to remove all the goose poop from the sand and beach area.  What a difference that made!  Even the pier is new.

My backdoor neighbor.

A few of my friends.

Dave thought it hysterically funny that I ended up behing the cabana, serving food.

Ken used to babysit Peter, who is now a sophomore in high school.

So Ken and Peter paired up for the traditional egg toss and the water balloon toss.

Then we went to a private party in the comminity, hosted by my old walking buddy and her husband, who I worked with on the park district board for 12 years.

Dave, proudly wearing his "I love my babop" shirt, talking with Deb.

Ken and KC, who is also majoring in history, but with an education degree.  They decided all those years of playing legos and historic games led to their mutual love of history.

More girlfriend pics.

Saturday morning I met a few of my moms club sisters for brunch at a local restaurant.

We got there at 10:30 and staying until 1:30.  Too much ground to cover!

Then, after a quick stop at SteinMart, which was having a great liquidation sale that I took advantage of, a stop at Tamba's house, Ken's other mom.

We were doing the "Sisters" routine, having silly fun.  I love these women!

140 people at the dinner banquet Saturday night.

With dancing.  What fun this weekend was.

I feel very blessed to have such friends in my life.  Many of the people pictured have helped me through some of my darkest days.  The moms club group has been my spiritual sisters and I can count on them to always be there, just as I will always be there for them.

Community.  It's a wonderful thing.

I hope you enjoyed a warm community this holiday weekend.

We saw the doctor yesterday - no change to anything.  Baby isn't engaged yet, so the doctor told Michelle she'd schedule her to be induced next week and would call this morning.  So this morning Michelle got the call - the earliest they can schedule her to be induced is July 15!!!!  Over 2 weeks past her due date.  So the doctor told her to walk a lot.

With that in mind, we took Kaden to the zoo this afternoon.

I think there was a leopard in the far corner.

It was hot and sticky!

He was brushing down the goats and everything else in the petting zoo!

The peacock was cleaning up the food court.

This was taken on Sunday when we took everyone out to dinner.

Cool dude saying his prayers!

So Michelle's first due date has come and gone without any real labor or baby.  We did go to the hospital on Thursday after she thought her water leaked.  It hadn't - sigh.  But right after she thought it broke, she called me.  She was on her way to the orthodondist to have her braces checked.  I was on my way there to take Kaden.  So we agreed to meet there.  Once we got there, she went in and told them she needed to see the dr immediately since her water broke.  They told her she was crazy to even be there, but she told them she had a broken wire that she really needed fixed to be comfortable, so they did take her back.  When the dr came in he said, "So I hear I get to delivery my first baby!".  Too funny. 

We (our church choir) are singing the service today - we do that every year - sing the top 10 or so favorite anthems of the year.  This year should be fabulous - we're ending with Beethoven's Hallelulia Chorus - so uplifting!

I'm not even bringing my cell phone into church!

Maybe today?  Who knows with babies.  Michelle had a bloody show last night, on Monday her cervix was dialed to 3 cm and she was 60% efaced.  So the signs are good, but babies can still take their time!  The doctor said the due date was July 8, not June 29 like the first prediction, but we say, NO WAY!

Kaden is doing great.  His lungs are loosening up, he has energy and he's eating and drinking.  Thanks for all your prayers.

Yesterday Michelle and I made a baby sling.  I had to buy a new sewing machine to make it because my 30 year old white bit the dust 2 Christmas's ago when I was trying to finish the seams on Kaden's stocking.  So I finally got a new one yesterday - a Necchi.  So, instead of paying $38 for a sling at Target, Michelle paid $1.06 for the pattern at hobby lobby, and $8 for the material at JoAnns.  Then I paid $399 for the sewing machine.  Are we good shoppers or what?

I'll post pictures of Skyler as soon as he emerges and I can post.

Kaden got released tonight - we're all here at my house - the happy family will go home to sleep tonight - which will be very good for me!

So, pictures from Fathers Day until today.

Fathers Day shortcake.

Kaden and his dad.

Kaden and me.

And his babop.

Horsing around.

Anytime now!

Tuesday in the hospital.

Wednesday.  Trying to find something he'd eat.

Abby, the therapy dog.

Kaden liked her.

In the hospital playyard.

The nurse, Chris, who was wonderful, kept after Kaden to eat and to drink.  Here she is forcing him to eat applesauce.

Shortly before we got released.

He just had a nebulizer treatment.  Oh joy.  The diagnosis is viral pnemonia, with the right lung affected and both lungs inflamed, which the doctor says is a clear indication of viral, not bacterial.  So he has to avoid smoke, perfume, airborne allergens, etc.  We'll need to keep him in and away from other children for the next week.  Hopefully he'll all be over this when Skyler makes his arrival. 

I slept OK in the hospital last night, but I'm looking forward to my own bed tonight. 

Thanks for all those prayers.  He's starting to act like himself again.

Hugs.

Another day in the hospital - I'll be spending the night there with Kaden becuase Michelle really needs to sleep and she isn't getting that in the hospital.  She'll be there soon enough - like any day now, so we really want her rested and ready for the trama of delivering a baby.

Kaden had another xray - pnemonia is still there.  Temp goes up and down - at one point today it hit 104 - now they are thinking it's viral, not bacterial.  So they took off the IV since he's starting to eat and drink.  He's starting to interact again - all good signs.

I'm hopeful that he'll be sent home tomorrow if the improvements continue.  I'm sure I'll be beat, but at least Michelle will get some rest.

Thanks for all those continued prayers - we all need them!

Just got home.  Kaden is still in the hospital and will be there overnight - he's just not taking in anything orally.  He's on IV, so no danger of dehydration, but he's only had a few sips of liquid on and off all day.  He's a sick little puppy.  If you can imagine a two year old, flat on his back, not moving, just crying once in awhile, you've got an idea of what he looks like.  It near about breaks my heart to see him like this.  He doesn't want anyone to touch him, and he's hiding the arm that attached to all the tubes.  That's rather funny.  He ate a little bit of soup for lunch and showed some interest in the mylar balloon that I got for him, but since then, nothing but misery.  At least his temp is down. 

The baby in the crib next to him went home so they wheeled in a bed so Michelle can get some sleep tonight.  They are being very solicitous to her, given that she is ready to drop this next baby and they are concerned for her too.  Please pray that she doesn't get the pnemonia - she is probably more suseptible to it than anyone else, given her lessened immune system and that she spends more time with Kaden than anyone else does.

Thanks for all the prayers.  I know he's in God's hands and that's the best place for him.

Hugs.

I'll probably spend the whole day at the hospital with Kaden and Michelle.  He still has the high fever this morning.  He's hooked up to an IV where they are giving him the antibiotics.  Poor baby.  He's already told Michelle he wanst GeeGee (that's me) so I need to get over there real soon.  When they got to the room late last night there was a stuffed animal with a matching book, from the Kohls for Kids series.  This was a bunny that he already has, so he was really thrilled to see "Mr. Hoppy" waiting for him!

I'll keep you posted as I know things.

Thanks for all those prayers.

Michelle and Sam took Kaden to the ER tonight - they just received a diagnosis of pnemonia in one lung.  Please pray for our little guy.  She thinks they'll end up staying the night.

Just got back from Michigan where we attended a wedding last night.  The reception was held at the Amway Grand Hotel - la de da!  It was very lovely.

The groom is my Aunt Emily's grandson, Joe.  The bride probably stand at 5 feet tall and I'm sure doesn't weigh 3 digits.  They make for an adorable couple, as you'll be able to see from the pictures.

Sam, Michelle and Kaden couldn't make the wedding because Kaden came down with a non-streph viral infection on Friday which required a doctor visit because of the rash.  She (the dr) thought it was streph so she gave him a fast test (which involved sticking a gag stick down his throat and swabbing a sample).  Kaden said,  "Doctor.  Stick.  Throat.  Cry."  Very adamate he was too.  Even though it wasn't streph the doctor said he was still contagious, so he couldn't stay at his other grandma's house with baby Susan.  Bummer for them.

So, pictures.

My dress.  I got it from Penney's - Michelle and I went shopping and she said I had to get it.

So I wore a shawl with it.  Not like this - I was just funnin.

More like this.

They had balloons up the walkway.

The bride and groom running the gaunltlet of bubbles.  Just after this, Joe picked Rachael up and ran with her the rest of the way.  Like I said, she doesn't weigh much of anything.

 

the Bride and Groom

the happy couple with the groom's parents

the groom and his mom

In lieu of a cake, they had a candy table.  Tiramatsu was dessert, which was a bummer for those of us who hate coffee.

Aunt em and me.

First cousins.  Me, Ron (father of the groom), Maria

Aunt Emily and Dave

Me and  Maria

 Aunt Em, Brooke (another cousin's daughter) and me.

Roses and peonies

Dave and me

Uncle Ralph, Maria, and Aunt Em

Ruth, Jason and Ken

Aunt Em, Marabeth, Ruth and me

Sorry to bore most of you, but my mom really wants to see all these pictures!