I've been enjoying the presents I received from family this Christmas. I've been wearing the sweater my sister gave me and the scarf my mom made me (OK, she gave it to me ummm two or three Christmases ago, but I just rediscovered it -- living out of bags and boxes for three years results in gifts being packed back to keep them "safe" in the construction zone.) I'm looking forward to using the gifts of pictures and wall decor in the old farmhouse, once we actually are ready to start that phase. I'm looking forward to hanging the calendar my niece made me, once I am really moved in. I've been making and savoring yogurt using the yogurt maker from my daughter. And the various gifts of lovely smelling soaps and lotions help keep my skin from driving me crazy in the cold weather.
As in years past, the best gifts I received this year, were the gifts of spending time with family. It gets harder as everyone gets older and our children marry and have children of their own. Jobs and loves take them to different parts of the country and so, getting together is always a real treat, if even for only a few hours.
My brother Tim was able to stay the night at our place on his way up from Florida to visit with the rest of the family in Maryland and Pennsylvania. He arrived around 10PM and we talked and visited until 3AM, before we left him to get some sleep in the new guestroom in the old farmhouse.
While we visited, he presented me with his present to me. It was a USB flash drive onto which he had transferred many of the records...the vinyl kind....the ones with which we grew up. It seems that last year, when he was visiting Dad and Lynne last year, he'd returned to Florida armed with the majority of their record collection, and spent the year transferring those vinyl classics to digital format. Then, for all of his siblings, he made copies of those familiar tunes...scratches, skips, the whole nine yards. A most amazing gift!
About two weeks ago we FINALLY got high speed Internet. Seriously....out here in the sticks we actually got real, honest to goodness cable Internet service. And yes, we signed up as soon as we could, having salivated for months as we watched the crews installing the infrastructure to support the service.
As soon as the new Internet service was installed, I moved into my "winter office" as I am calling it. Never mind that it is the closet of the new master bedroom in the old farmhouse. It has electricity, great access to the tea pot (in the mini kitchenette we included in our redesign) and access to the new "restroom." Who could ask for more? So while we may not yet be living in the results of our last three years of labor, at least I am working there. My commute has changed from ten feet to about one hundred feet per day. I think that's OK.
The other day, while I was working in my winter office, I decided to pop in the USB flash drive and sample some of the songs from those childhood days. The Brother Four, The Kingston Trio, Burl Ives and others reminded me of hours and hours spent in the living room of our Bowie, Maryland home, working on my stamp albums, or playing Monopoly or Go Fish with my brothers and sister. I was flooded with memories of singing those same songs as we made our annual trek from Maryland to New Bedford, Massachusetts for our family vacation at our beloved "Pond House," six kids, sometimes a dog, and a monkey, and two parents....well, Mom really didn't sing, but the rest of us did.
And as I sat in my office and sang along to the songs, the words of which I thought I'd long forgotten, I marveled at how much my children and the generations thereafter will have missed, never having to endure the record skips, the scratchy "texture" of the music, and trying to learn the words, as one sibling raised and lowered the needle to the vinyl as another scribed the words, and the rest of the gang argued about what the singer was REALLY singing. Yes, we learned a lot of lyrics that way.... and to this day, and am still amazed when I discover that the words were really, "The Boys of Summer" and not "The Poison Summer" (actually, that was NOT my misunderstanding, but Joe's, however it serves the purpose of demonstration) and other such carefully "scribed" errors. No, now the lyrics are readily available for all of the songs, and though the singers' diction has not improved over the years, the quality of the recording far surpasses those old 45's and LP's of yesteryear.
Between the fun with family, work and enjoying the Christmas presents, Joe and I have made a little more headway on the old farm house. We redid the upstairs shower/tub fixture installation, as the fixture was broken before the original installation.... the shower fixture folks sent all new parts, BUT, we had to do the repair.
Joe finished up the kitchenette and the master bathroom linen closet.
We replaced damaged mirror doors in the downstairs bathroom closet, and recycled the damaged doors, using them as full mirrors in the master bathroom.
The day before yesterday we installed new chimney liner, which was a big deal.
I think we still only need to put gutters on the new addition before we can call it a wrap...well, except we are STILL in the process of sanding, patching, painting, trim, installing shelves in closets, etc., etc., etc. is it ever really complete?
Has it really been a year, my sweet Eloise? Can it really have been that long since we greeted you as you made your way into this world? How can it feel like only yesterday?
I want to tell you about the time just before you were born, Eloise. Your Mama and Papa were very excited about you, though they did not yet know your name....or even whether you'd be a little boy or a little girl... but they were prepared for both. (I think your Mama knew in her heart you were a little girl -- that she just kept an open mind about it when everyone assured her she was carrying a boy).
There was a full moon a couple of nights before you were born. Joe and I admired the moon and were just getting ready to head to bed when my phone rang. I checked the time... it was 3:15 AM and I knew it must be your Mama calling. She assured me there was plenty of time before you were actually going to arrive, but she suggested I come over after I took a couple hours to nap. It looked as if you would be born that day, December 10, 2011.
I can tell you, Eloise, it was NOT easy trying to take a nap when such an exciting event was about to occur. But I did try. I slept maybe three hours and then I arose, packed some clothes, stopped at the grocery store to get some supplies, and I made the 2 1/2 hour drive to be with your Mama and Papa during your birth.
Your birthday falls during a very exciting time of the year, Eloise. Everyone is bustling about, making plans and securing gifts for loved ones, because many people celebrate Christmas, Hanukah and other special, traditional holidays during this time. Your Mama had not yet put up a Christmas tree. Now, she wanted to do this, not only because it would be YOUR first Christmas, but it would be THEIR first Christmas in their new home.
When I arrived in Rochelle that day, we decided, even though your birth was imminent, we would find the perfect Christmas tree and put it up in the living room.... it might not get decorated for a while, but there would be a lighted tree. Now, by the time we were hunting the tree, your Mama's water had been broken for more than 12 hours. But you had not yet made it an imperative that we stay near home, so, we went out and found the perfect tree and managed to decorate it with lights.
Since you were still not ready to greet us, we all decided to try to get a good night's sleep, and we headed to bed. I did sleep well, Miss Eloise. When I awoke, though the sun had not yet risen, the house was cozy warm and I smelled Italian food..... I thought for a moment, in that stage between dream and awake, that the heating system in your house was quite delightful, pumping out both warmth and fabulous aromas.
Of course, that was just plain silly, for when I made my way downstairs, I discovered your Mama had been up early cooking...and baking... (for future reference, sweet Eloise, this activity would fall into the "nesting category.").
Now your Mama and Papa had a plan. They wanted to bring you into this world in the comfort of their home, your home. They did not want harsh hospital lights and halls of germs to be your first experience in the world. They had worked with a mid-wife who would help coach them through your delivery. But before any of that could happen, you had to make your move. You had to get things rolling, and by now, the time was getting critical. This is something you'll discover when you have your own daughter, Eloise -- the medical professionals like a baby to be born within 24 hours of the "water breaking." We were now beyond that desired time limit, and the mid-wife suggested we start trying some "inducers."
The first inducer was a good long walk. So, Mama, Papa and Gami (that's me, Eloise) bundled up and took a walk. We walked at a pretty fast clip, but unfortunately, the result of the walk was to make the limited contractions less strong. So, inducer number one was determined to be a failure.
Inducer number two was some homeopathic thing, of which honestly, at this writing, Eloise, I cannot recall the name. But suffice to say the results were in line with the brisk walk. At 36 hours after you broke the water, your Mama tried inducer number three....
Now, this will help you, as you grow older, Miss Eloise, to understand that your Mama loved you very much, even before you were born. She loved you so much that she agreed to the rather unpleasant sounding inducer known as cod liver oil....mixed with juice/and or ginger ale. Well, the recommendation was to take two "doses" of this, one hour apart. Your Mama didn't look like she enjoyed the taste, but she kept the first dose down. Afterward, she and your Papa worked on wrapping Christmas presents for all of your family in France.
Did I mention, Eloise, that your Mama had asked Gami to make split pea soup earlier in the day? Well, we ate some of that soup, and it was really tasty. A little while after eating, it was time for the second dose, and, your Papa and I sat at the table, sipping our coffee and tea, while your Mama drank the second dose of the odd concoction.....this time, sweet Eloise, she was not successful in keeping it down. In fact, I was laughing as I watched her try to hold it down.... she was so beautiful, even in her discomfort.
Just as I was laughing, I was drenched! That cod liver oil concoction had decided it was NOT going to stay down, and it brought everything with it! (Except you of course -- you were NOT going to be hurled into this world! You were arriving on you own time and at your own pace.) Nevertheless, the cod liver oil concoction won... I was no longer interested in savoring my tea, thank you very much.
Eloise, you did decide shortly thereafter that MAYBE you were ready to start your journey out into this brave new world. Gami monitored the "contraction app" on Mama's smart phone (I wonder what they will have when you are becoming a Mama?) and Papa helped Mama work through the contractions. Talice monitored us all, keeping a watchful eye on your Mama. And the midwife and her assistant arrived to go the distance with them through your birth.
They worked really hard on making sure you could arrive at home, Eloise. Your Mama was so tired and your Papa was so tender with her. But you still had not arrived by 11:30 PM on December 11th, and it was now approaching 48 hours since you broke the water. The midwife was getting nervous, and after another examination, recommended going to the hospital for delivery. Your Mama and Papa decided it was the best thing to do, not wanting to jeopardize your health, sweet Eloise, or the health of your Mama.
We were so happy to find the hospital was not full of bright lights, and that the birthing room into which your Mama was invited was clean and had a homey feeling. I think that allowed your Mama to relax a little, Eloise. Once we were at the hospital, the doctors and nurses and the midwife worked to make your Mama comfortable. She was even able to catch a couple of hours of sleep while the medicine they gave her helped the contractions progress.
After a few short hours (long if you are Gami awaiting the birth of her first grand child), your Mama was ready to push. That meant you were REALLY on the way, Miss Eloise, REALLY on the way!
At 12:18 PM, on December 12, 2011, almost 60 hours after you broke the water, my dear Eloise, we were blessed with our first glimpse of you. You were beautiful. Never mind the normal trappings of birth, you were a delight to behold. And behold you we did.
How then, is it possible that all of this excitement, that seems so vivid in my memory, could have taken place a whole year ago? As beautiful as you were to our eyes then, Miss Eloise, you have grown even more beautiful with each passing day. I wish I lived where I could see you every day. I know your other grandparents wish they could see you every day. But we all know we are incredibly blessed to be able to watch you grow, even if not from right next door!
I look forward to watching all of the miracles that will transform you as you grow through the years. Your lovely smile, your beautiful eyes, your sweet dimpled chin and cheeks will, no doubt mature into a beautiful young woman's face. You will learn caring and compassion from your Mama and Papa. You will, I am certain, speak both French and English, sing and play music, grow beautiful flowers and gardens of vegetables and fruits. And, my dear Eloise, my most sincere wish for you is that you will live knowing how very loved you are.
When I was a teenager, Eloise, I spent a lot of time with my friend Becky, in their home. Her mother Sally sang a song that I love to this day. I sang it to my children (your Mama and your Uncle Stephen) when they were very young and I have sung it to you. I leave you with the words to this song, my dear Eloise.
"A tiny turned up nose,
Two cheeks just like a rose,
So sweet from head to toes,
That little girl of mine.
Two eyes that shine so bright,
Two arms that hold me tight,
Two lips that kiss good night,
That little girl of mine.
No one will ever know,
Just what her coming has meant,
Because I love her so,
She's something Heaven has sent,
She climbs upon my knee,
She's all the world to me,
To me she'll always be,
That little girl of mine."
You are Gami's Little Girl, Eloise. Happy Birthday!
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