Saturday, February 5, 2011

Blessed Reunion

After much worry, tears, discussion,
heart-ache, and hard work on the part
of little Mr. Ezra, Kennan was finally
reunited with her baby on Friday night
about 10PM.
Ezzie met all his criteria for release and
Trev brought him back to a very relieved
Mommy....and not a minute too soon.
This little Mommy was emotionally stretched
to the limit!

Does this girl look like a different person?
All is well in the universe now that Mom and Baby
are one again!!
Mommy wanted her family all in one room,
so I loaded up her bathed and jammied kids
and we headed to the hospital.
Jude and Greta were beyond thrilled to
finally get to hold baby brother.



He was examined from head to toe and turns
out Ezzie is indeed PERFECT!!

Baby Ez kept staring at his Mommy whenever
she spoke as if to say, "There you are. I wondered
where you went!"

Yes, for the Gregory family, all is right in
the universe.
Welcome back, Little Prince.
You were missed beyond words and
now this little family is complete.
XOXOX

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Welcome Ezra!!

Today was Ground Hog Day and Dustin's 30th Birthday,
but all that was overshadowed by the fact that
today was the day that Baby Gregory was scheduled
to arrive. C-sections are nice like that....you can
plan accordingly. Or so we so foolishly thought!!
It started out fine with the 5 AM wake up and
early arrival at the hospital. Kennan and Trev
were bright eyed and bushy tailed. Brooke and
I were there in the supporting role.

They have this new contraption called the "Bear Paw"
that pushes warm air into a gown to keep the
little Mama warm while in the operating room.
Just what a 9 month pregnant woman needs....
some more width and girth!
Dr. Parker was right on time and Kennan was his
first case of the day. Notice how we are all smiles??

Kennan and Trev were excitedly ready for the
arrival and all dressed accordingly in their party hats.
All went well for the first little bit. We heard a nice loud
cry and little Mr. was announced at 7 lb. 1 oz. and 19 inches.
At this point he was still nameless. Then things started to turn
south. He started grunting and struggling to breath. He
was put on oxygen...things didn't improve. He had x-rays, blood
tests...no answers there. They treated him with surfactin (sp?)
and he got worse. After observing him for several hours they
began to talk about transferring him to Intermountain Medical
Center's newborn ICU. We were all so worried and Kennan
was devastated. She still hadn't held her baby at this point.
So she insisted on getting up in the wheelchair (just hours after
having her belly sliced open) and going to the nursery.
A name was decided upon and Ezra Roger Gregory was
given a blessing by Trev and his Dad and brothers.
The transport team was called and they were waiting for the
final word from the pediatrician.
I couldn't get any pictures of Ezzie in the c-pap
but he looked like a airplane pilot!

In the meantime, the poor exhausted Mommy waited
for word while Jude and Greta snuggled her in her room.

It was finally agreed (with much persuasion on the part
of the Dr.) that Ezzie had to go up north so he was
loaded in the transport isolette and rolled in to say bye bye
to his family.
There were lots and lots of tears. And off he went.
Trevan went with Baby Ezra, Jude and Greta went
with Rog, and I stayed with my baby, Kennan

As evening rolled around, Ezra started to improve
up at the IMC - NBICU. Trev returned to be with
his little wife who had spent the day shedding lots of tears
and getting little or no rest. And I went and
gathered my husband and headed up north.
Our new little guy is doing much better,
but is still on IV antibiotics and some
oxygen but only by the cannula and not
the c-pap. If things continue to improve and
they can wean him off the O2 he should be
home in a few days. He may even beat his Mom home!

When we got there he was resting comfortably
and sucking on his binkie like a mad-man.
I asked when he could be held and the nurse said
"You can hold him now", Well.....
TWIST MY ARM!!!! Look at that adorable boy.
Bright eyes and everything!!!
Check out all his hair....

He snuggled right in like he knew his Nannie loved him.

Grandpa wanted in on some of that action, too.
(He wasn't even supposed to be allowed in!)

Oh Baby Ez....you take my breath away!
This has been a roller-coaster day for sure.
Now we have to work on getting you and your
Mommy re-united ASAP!!
Some blessings just have to come with a
speed bump in the middle. It makes you
slow down and appreciate all that you have.
Thank you, Lord, for Ezra's arrival!
There are many great days yet ahead for us.
Nannie loves you!!
XOXOXOXOXOXO

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

January Blahs...

Well, my post is going to be about as interesting as the January inversion! Christmas is over, the decorations are down, the inversion has set in and I have spent most of the month at home alone while Mike has been traveling...unless of course, I had a houseful of guests. Once again....feast or famine! And to top it off, I have fallen not once but twice in the past week! (And my Mom fell once while on my watch....grrrrrr!)

On the positive side, work is going well....love the ladies I work with! We celebrated Johnnie Belle's 90th birthday (and I couldn't find my camera...par for the course...so I have no pictures to share). Robyn took a grundle of photos that she promises to burn on a disc so perhaps I shall yet share some. It was a great success. We have painted Kennan's kids rooms in prep for baby and we have the baby's arrival in Feb. to look forward to.

Another storm is expected tomorrow....oh joy! Perhaps I shall fit in a quick trip to St. George before baby's arrival. We shall see. I need some sunshine! Good night all. I'm down for a long winter's nap. No wonder bears hibernate!!

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Wonderland Ranch at Bear Lake...

We have all be dying to see Dustin's parents
new cabin at Bear Lake and due to Alice's
minor surgery this weekend...the opportunity
presented itself. Mike was heading off to
Romania for the week so Brooke and Dustin
invited the Gregory's and me to join
them for a long weekend. TWIST MY ARM!!!
I jumped at the chance...and I was NOT
disappointed! It is gorgeous!
We ladies tackled a few sewing projects...

and we were able to get this little lady a
wee bit closer to being ready for the new babe.


The men kept the littles occupied in the snow...

Truly....it is a wonderland!


There was yummy food and a project for the kiddies.
Sadly, Miss Poppy wasn't feeling well and
spent most of her time lounging on one sofa
or another.
Minie Moo was sad when it was time
to tell everyone good-bye.

Because before you knew it, it was
time to tidy up and head back to
reality.
It was a fabulous weekend...
I felt like I was staying in a Bavarian
lodge. Soooo much fun!
(And yes, that is a bit of jealousy you are detecting !)
Alice and Steve, you have really outdone yourselves.
Thanks so much for sharing with us!
And thanks, B and D, for the kind invitation.
XOXOXOXO

Oh Deer!!!

I realize that this is NOT necessarily a good
thing....to have deer nibbling on your
foliage all winter long. But I suspect
that WE have intruded upon their territory
and so we are reaping that which we have sown.






And it continues to delight me when I open
my blinds in the morning and see this outside
my bedroom window. Perhaps it's because
I can pretend that I am enjoying my
life long dream of having a cabin in the
mountains.....or maybe I just like
deer. I know that they are a source of
great amusement for my grandkids.
Regardless, they are welcome
at the Windrush Cottage this winter!!

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Welcome, Welcome 2011

New Year's Eve found us celebrating
in a pretty low-key fashion
with lots of family around us.

This holiday season will be remembered for
the incredibly LARGE tree that was
so generously given to us by Steve
and Alice. It was remarkable!!
And we were lucky to have a visit
from Mr. Cash Williams himself...
(and his gorgeous Mommy, too!)

These little cousins are bound to be
buds in years to come....TOO CUTE!!

The men in the family waited out the
arrival of the new year. Bob was
pleasant....as always.
Trev was incubating a strep throat
that manifest itself the next day!

And Mike was recuperating from a bout with
the flu that kept him bedridden most of
the holiday!
But this little lady with the wild hair
was ready to party on!!
(And she strikes a pose on cue, too!)
Midnight arrived and we all had our
traditional kisses!


These lovely ladies prepared the
sparkly!

And young and old alike toasted the New Year!!

And of course it wouldn't be New Year's without
the banging of the pans!!
Fun group of party-ers....
what a great way to celebrate.
Welcome 2011...may this new decade
show us more prosperous times.
This year I resolve to be more health conscious
(thank you, Paigey!) and to spend more
time smelling the roses.
May I find more joy in the journey.
2011....It's going to be a great one!!
XOXO