Friday, January 23, 2009

And to Jimmy...


In the interest of fair play, it's time to write about Jimmy. He and Kari were married fourteen years ago, at which time he became our our third son. He fits right in with the others both in age and behaviorally (this can be a Bad Thing!). In addition to being the love of Kari's life, he's also a great dad to three of our grandsons: Skyler, Shea, and Connor. He's a math teacher and a football coach and, in the jargon of a confirmed romance writer and reader, a hero.


He's also having a birthday on the 24th. Happy birthday, Jim. Love you.

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Saturday, January 17, 2009

Happy Birthday...



Thirty-seven years ago on January 17, I went into labor. I had taken a bath and noticed I couldn't get completely dry--a bad thing in our chilly little rented house in mid-January! However, the reason was that my water broke, not in a gush like the first time, but in a quiet little ongoing trickle.




Well, the roommate came home from work--he worked nights; what fun--and said very calmly, "We're going to town. We'll stay at Mom's." We, you see, lived 13 miles from the hospital. His mother's house, on the other hand, was a only few blocks and absolutely no train tracks away. So we packed up Chris, the sleeping two-year-old, and my three new nightgowns and went to town. Chris and the roommate promptly fell asleep while I...didn't.




Several hours later, when things were only a few minutes apart, I shook the roommate. "Hey," I said, "it's time."




"Uh-huh." Pat, pat, pat on my huge stomach. "I love you, too, honey." Pat, pat, pat.




"Now, I think," I said, and then not so calmly. "We need to GO."




Several hours later, a nurse said, "Hmm..." and then the doctor came in and said, "Hmm..." and I said, "WHAT?" and the roommate said...oh, who knew what he said? I wanted to know what "...hmm..." meant.




What it meant was, for the second time, I was going to have a breech delivery. In case you've never had one, it's a whole lot like parking a schoolbus in a one-car garage. (I know this isn't a real good analogy, but just as I was 37 years ago tonight, I'm tired.) Like the mature adult I was (I was, after all, 21), I wailed, "I want a caesarean!" The doctor agreed, since I wasn't very dilated and there was plenty of time. The roommate breathed a sigh of relief, and a surgical team was hastily assembled. But we never made it to the operating room, there wasn't any need for surgery, because...




Fifteen minutes later...




Awkwardly and noisily, weighing just a little over six pounds, Kari Christine Flaherty came into the world in her own way and her own time. It was one of the very happiest days of my life and of the roommate's life, too. Chris is still reserving judgment, but he did give up on asking us to send her back.




Now she's married to Jim, has three boys of her own (ALL of them born by caeserean; what a wimp!) and is a Special Ed. teacher. She's given us many, many more happy days since that first one, not to mention a few anxious ones.




Happy Birthday, Kari. We love you.

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Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Happy New Year!


Oh, I'm sorry, I've done it again, haven't I? I really was going to do better. This is why I don't make New Year's resolutions!


It's cold here in North Central Nowhere! Single digits and below. I have little patience with winter after Christmas, and I feel the cold way into my bones, but every now and then the sun peeks out and gives me hope.


Anyway, I hope everyone had wonderful holidays. We did, seeing all our children and their children except the ones who live too far away, and we talked to them.


I'm watching Biggest Loser as I watch this, and being so ashamed of myself because I'm into couch potato-ism these days. My friend Debby's walking up a storm, but it seems once I walk into the house after work, that's it for me. The Boyfriend's going to the gym and looking splendid. I'm proud of them, but still...well, just still.


The book of the month for January is one I'm reading right now: Simply Perfect by Mary Balogh. In a word, wow! I've always been a fan of Ms. Balogh's and this story is doing everything to reinforce that position.


Till next time.

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