I had an uneventful drive west. I stopped at Deborah's to drop off some tomatoes and beans and give the grandkids a hug. Then on to Miranda's. I got settled in and on Tuesday we were off to the hospital for a baby.
Nathan stayed with Alex and Deborah's two little ones. She came over to stay with Miranda during recovery. So we all headed to the hospital with Miranda and Dan. There were a few stressful moments as the IV's were uncooperative and they said Dan might not be able to be with her since she would be in general surgery instead of delivery. But they let him in and all was well.
There had been some concern that the placenta had grown into the uterus and she'd need a hysterectomy (thus the general surgical room) but it turned out to not be a problem and so all her parts are intact... except for the c-section incision. The baby girl was born at 10:30 and Dan was back in our room by 10:45 and Miranda was back up by 11! So all went well. Baby McClellen was 20 inches long and 7 pounds 10 ounces.
There had been a long ranging discussion of names. I think they expected the baby to tell them her name. Alas, she did not. So the discussion continued. Deborah and Dan left about 12:30- Deborah to return home. And Dan brought the boys over to see the new baby. They were pretty excited to see her and each took turns holding her. The loved stroking her soft, dark hair.
That afternoon I got a text from Tom. He had been helping a friend move a chicken coop. Somehow the roof part slipped and came down on Tom's arm. It had the corrugated metal edge sticking out beyond the 2x4 and it cut Tom's wrist to the bone. The friend freaked out, Tom went in washed it off, bandaged it with paper towels and took himself off to the urgent care clinic.
They looked at it and said, "Oh," bandaged it back up and sent him to the Emergency Room. There he got 10 stitches and the good news that no major blood vessels, tendons, nerves or muscles had been severed. We are most grateful. I will put a picture of the unsutured wound down at the bottom of the page. It is not for the squeamish. I was so sorry for him. And sorry that these hospital events seem to happen when I am out of town.
Tuesday evening Dan stayed with Miranda and I headed home to feed the kids dinner and put them to bed. We had a tenuous relationship and they were not overly cooperative, nor thrilled with my response. But they got to bed after calling and talking with their mom and dad.
Dan came home late that night and then went off early the next morning. I got the kids off to school. Alex and I cleaned up the back yard so Nathan could mow. We didn't exactly do it the easy way. We gathered the hundreds of balls into a bag. Then Alex climbed to the second floor of the play structure and threw the balls into the sandbox boat. A surprising number made it in. After cleaning up the rest of the balls Alex and I went to the hospital. Mom and baby were doing pretty good. The nursing thing was still a bit of a struggle. Alex happily watched a movie while we visited. Then Dan took him home and again, a little later brought the boys back with pizza and we ate dinner there. This time Dan took them home for bed and I stayed with Miranda for the evening.
Friday I decided to stay home and clean up the house in preparation for Miranda's return. I didn't need to make dinner. The neighbors were bringing it over. But I vacuumed, cleaned kitchen and bathrooms and washed and folded laundry. I changed some beds in anticipation of Kera and Andy coming that evening. Tom called to say that the stake presidency would be attending our ward on Sunday. He was to be released as Bishop, but I was not to tell anyone. I was surprised at my reaction. I felt sad. It was the end of an era. We had an organized, predictable life... and now what? What lay in front of us?
Miranda came home Friday afternoon with baby Rachael Marie. She's a pretty baby. She eats well and seems to be pretty happy for a newborn. Of course I'm not the one up with her at night. The neighbors brought over a banquet: 2 1/2 roasted chickens, corn on the cob, roasted potatoes, cabbage wrapped rice, hummus, salsa, and a huge pumpkin pie. Oh and a giant Mum! (we didn't eat that.)
It was utterly delicious!! Andy and Kera, Matthew, Emma, and Charlotte arrived a little after 6pm and were able to join in the bounty.
I decided I should be home for the release. The stake president wanted to hear from the wives. So I used Dad's hand as an excuse. Andy and Kera went to the temple on Saturday morning. About 9:30 a friend of Miranda's came over to help me figure out the amounts and cost of the food for our Relief Society trip to Nauvoo. She had some wonderful suggestions and was very helpful. Dan spent the morning out creating more wonderful play equipment. The kids mostly played well... although I believe there were about 5,000 legos over the bedroom floor at one time.
I left a little after 12 and got home just in time for dinner with the missionaries. Tom, Katie, and Aaron had fixed Tacos. It was a good meal, but I was tired! After the dinner and short lesson, Tom and the kids went downstairs to watch a movie. I had some work that needed doing, so I worked on that. I had recorded the speech I wrote, but she could not listen to it. So I researched recording to mp3 and re-recorded it for her. I also had a call with a relief society president and needed to send out some messages about the upcoming Nauvoo trip.
Sunday was bittersweet. The new bishop called will be excellent. He's young and works and has a wife in a wheelchair, so things will be different. But he loves the lord and the youth and is humble and will grow into the calling. It's been an adjustment for Tom. A time of introspection. Did he do everything he should have? Were there areas left undone? Again, where do we go from here?
So it's been an eventful week.
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