Monday, May 31

Today my brother and his wife had a birthday party for my 60th birthday. The weather could have cooperated a little better but we still had a great time. Lots of good food and a great birthday cake added to an already fun afternoon. We were hoping to go kayaking and do a little swimming but that will have to wait until another day. We flew kites and little Olive showed off some of her new dance moves. We also learned that Olive really likes birthday cake. Mr. B played a little bocce ball and euchre with our nephews.

Yesterday, which was my birthday, I was surprised with a wonderful blueberry coffee cake from my S.S. class and Mr. Bichler and I had dinner at York Steakhouse and Flyer's pizza for supper. No cooking for me on my birthday, yeah!

Zoo tomorrow for me and Mr. B has his first open gym after school for his girls to get them ready for team basketball camp at Cedarville College in 2 weeks.

I'd also like to give a shout out to our son-in-law, Matt for his current service in the Navy and previous service in the Army where he spent time in Bagdad, Iraq. Thanks for all you do!!

Friday, May 28

Trish posted some pictures of their first trip to Rehobeth beach with Lily. Looks like Lily might be a little bored with the beach scene but Luke and Grandma Peg are having the time of their lives. I understand that the water was freezing and Peg was the only one that would go wading with Luke.

Been pretty busy all week, mostly trying to get the spring yard work caught up. So far I have weeded the garden twice, planted my hanging baskets, put up a birdhouse that Sara sent for Mother's Day, vacuumed the pool twice, put weed n feed on the grass, sprayed the grass on our brick walk, edged the walk and started some of the pruning and mowed the yard. Tomorrow I will start putting the mulch in the flower beds.

Wednesday night I went to a lecture by author Sy Montgomery. She wrote a book titled Birdology. I haven't read the book yet but seems to be a light-hearted look at our everyday interactions with birds. The first chapter is about her chickens. The lecture was held at the new Grange Audubon Nature Center downtown on Whittier St. If you have the chance you should check it out. There are some well placed observation decks, lots of paved walking/bicycle paths and in the center is a library with a beautiful view of downtown Columbus.

Today, I took my parents to the cemetery to leave flowers at my grandparents graves and we had lunch at Der Dutchman. They seem to be settling in at the Madison House and are enjoying all the activities that are offered. Mom was actually disappointed that the bowling outing was cancelled on Wednesday.

Saturday, May 22

The weather cooperated and we had a clear rain-free morning to complete our Walk for Thought on the OSU Fred Beekman Park walk way. I saw 2 of Mr. B's therapists from Dodd Hall and met up with a friend of mine from our TBI spouse support group. There were 3 races, a 5K for runners, a timed mile and the fun mile. You guessed it, we took part in the fun mile. Our time was 20:12, a time that would not even qualify me for a C in my own PE class. But we did have fun. There were people there in all age groups and several dogs also participated. There were information booths available at the conclusion of the race and free helmets and helmet fitting for children sponsored by the Brain Injury Association.

According to the Brain Injury Association of America 1.4 million TBIs (traumatic brain injuries) occur each year in the United States. An estimated 227,063 Ohioans live with the residual effects of brain injury. The leading cause of TBI are falls (28%) followed by auto accidents (20%). Blasts are a leading cause of TBI for active duty military personnel. Males are about 1.5 times more likely than females to sustain a TBI. The two highest risk age groups are 0-4 year olds and 15-19 year olds.

Brain injury is often referred to as the invisable injury because often there are no visable signs that a person has had a TBI. Awareness is key, and it is important to realize that a person does not need to lose consciousness to have had a concussion or TBI. Many mild brain injuries go undetected because they are not diagnosed properly or they are given inadequate recovery time. For more information you can visit the Brain Injury Association of Ohio website at: http://www.biaoh.org/

Friday, May 21

I had a request for more baby pics so I will include some more of our favorites in today's post. Yesterday I took advantage of the nice weather and power washed our pool deck and the sides of the pool, finished filling the pool and even got the filter hooked up and running. We also tilled the garden and I had to replant the green beans and peas thanks to our local ground hog. He also ate our cabbage plants, the broccoli and cauliflower. We finished planting by adding another 4 rows of sweet corn. Next week I'm going to try to put an electric fence around it to keep the critters out.

Tomorrow is the "Walk for Thought" sponsored by the Brain Injury Association at Fred Beekman Park off Lane Ave. My friend Sharon agreed to walk with me even though she joked that she wasn't sure she could walk a mile unless there was a waterfall at the end. Well Sharon, it might be raining, does that count? Maybe we will get lucky and the storms will be over by then.

Monday, May 17

Yesterday, we said our tearful good byes and headed back to Ohio. Luke is at the age now that it makes it more difficult to leave. I had so much fun playing with him, but I must admit I was exhausted most of the 2 weeks. I have not climbed so many stairs, stepped over so many baby gates or climbed the play set so much in all my nearly 60 years. I should be in pretty good shape for the Walk for Thought this Saturday. I have been putting together my photo album and feeling pretty depressed and this rain is not helping. Although our trip was a roller coaster of emotions, the result of our expanded family has been a wonderful experience. Trish is feeling so much better and she is in good hands as Ed and Peg drove in yesterday afternoon soon after we left. I'm already looking forward to our next visit.

Friday, May 14

Today Lily is one week old.

Unfortunately, yesterday Trish was re-admitted to the hospital w/post eclampsia. Her blood pressure is extremely high which also caused painful headaches. She is on a magnesium drip to help to bring the BP back into normal ranges and to lessen the possibility of seizures or stroke. We were hoping that after 24 hours she would have everything under control and she could come home but today the pressure went back up and the Dr. said at least one more day. I am so thankful that we are able to stay and help out. Sunday, the other grandparents will be returning to help out. Hopefully by then Trish will be feeling much better and be home with her new family. Please keep her in your prayers as it is difficult for her to be away from Luke and Lily. Chad and Lily did spend the night with her last night and Chad said that when Lily was laying with her, her BP dropped down from 148 to 140. We are doing fine and just following the doctor's orders. Luke and I are still finding ways to have fun even though we miss Mommy!

Tuesday, May 11

Lily had a doctors appointment today and everything was just fine. She has lost a little weight but that is normal. The way she is eating, I'm sure that will be temporary. Luke and I took a walk this morning just to get out of the house. There is a small wooded area down the street and Luke calls it the jungle. We found some roly poly bugs, an earthworm and we saw a mom and daddy mallard duck in the pond. This afternoon Luke and I took a well deserved break and went to Chuck E. Cheese for lunch. We had a great time and Luke showed me how to win all of his favorite games. He was asleep within minutes on our way home. What a great day!

Monday, May 10

Today Trish and Lily were discharged from the hospital. The weather has been a lot cooler and it is windy and much colder. Luke is very happy to have both Mommy and "baby sister" back home as we all are. Trish can't do stairs or lifting for several weeks so we are all pitching in to make life easier for Mommy.

Sunday, May 9

Happy Mother's Day! Well our baby girl has an official name. Our little bundle of joy will from hence forth be called, Lily Marie. Both mother and baby are doing fine but Lily is a little jaundice so they are staying until tomorrow morning just so they can monitor her. We just got back from the hospital and Luke is taking a nap, giving me time to catch up on the blog and maybe even get out and finish mowing the back yard. Yesterday, the Foulk and Bichler grandparents planted flowers in the flower boxes on Trish and Chad's back deck for a mothers day present. I thought it was going to rain but it didn't so I better water the flowers too while I'm out there. Peg and Ed had to leave yesterday, earlier than planned because Peg's sister is not doing very well. Keep her in your prayers as she and her sisters go through this difficult time. It is very cold here but the sun is shining so at least it looks pretty out. Enjoy the pictures, I love the one where Lily is yawning and Luke is pretending to yawn also!

Friday, May 7, 2010

Good morning!! This morning at 7:58 a.m. our precious little girl (to be named sometime soon, we hope) was born. She weighed in at 8 lbs. 3 oz., the same as her mommy when she was born. She was 20 inches long and perfect in every way. We think she looks a lot like Luke when he was born. Trish is feeling a lot better this time around even though this morning she was having some blood pressure issues. The Dr. was called back in and things have gotten much better as the day went on. She is happily exhausted. Now if they could only decide on a name we would be all set. As it is, we are just content to watch and hold her. Luke was so cute when he finally saw his baby sister. He just kept tickling her. Thank you for all the prayers and good thoughts! Enjoy the pics.

Thursday, evening May 6

Well the grandmas had a full day planned for Luke. First we went swimming at the hotel pool. He didn't want to go in the water because he missed his mommy. He gradually edged his way over to the pool but still refused to put on his swim trunks. After about 15 minutes he was in the pool with Pop Pop Ed and Grandma Carol swimming in his clothes and having a great time. We couldn't hardly get him out. After lunch we drove by a small circus that was in town and planned to take Luke to the 5 pm performance. He still hadn't had a nap so I guess we should have expected him to be a little out of sorts but he was more than a little unhappy. He did take a pony ride and tearfully watched the circus acts. He barely cracked a smile until the dog rode the pony and he seemed to like the buffalo (bison) and the big alligator and snake. We decided that the clown must have scared him when we got there and it was pretty much downhill from there. We left at intermission which made him the happiest he had been since we arrived. He did enjoy his blue cotton candy! Tomorrow is the big day, baby sister is coming. Surgery is scheduled for 7 am, and I will try to let you know more as soon as I get to a computer. Mr. B has not been feeling very good and I am hoping that tomorrow he will be feeling a little stronger. I hope it is just a little flu bug and nothing too serious.

Thursday, May 6

We arrived in Dover at 2:15 Monday afternoon. Can't believe how tall Luke has gotten just since Christmas. It has been non-stop action since our arrival and Grandma is very happily exhausted each night. Pop Pop is also enjoying the warm Delaware weather and playing with Luke. On Tuesday, Luke had a birthday card for Pop Pop that he had picked out with a chimp on the front. Luke and I went to the park to fly his Spiderman kite and play on the playground. Yesterday, Luke's other grandparents flew in and we have been having the time of our lives. Luke, Grandma Peg (Luke sounds like he is saying Grandma Pig) and I took him for ice cream after lunch and we giggled for about 30 minutes because our napkins kept flying off the table. Tomorrow is the big day and we are all ready for the big birthday for our newest addition. I will try to get a post up tomorrow as soon as possible. Lots of prayers and good thoughts for the Foulk family!