Hospital girl

Shelby has been hospitalized since Wednesday with strep in her blood. Fortunately, it was identified and 7 days of treatment has begun. By my calculations, this coming Wednesday is the earliest she can be "sprung". At least she is only hooked up to the i.v. when the medicine is administered (every 6 hours), so she can walk the halls and go to the playroom. Here she is enjoying get-well cards from her classmates.



After William & Katie's party, I took Riley up to the hospital to spend some time with Shelby. The sisters were glad to see each other. When Shelby's vulnerability to her illness shows, it is also very hard on Riley.



We brought Shelby her gift-pack from the party so she had to model the sunglasses in her pack. And they were ORANGE - her favorite color!

And some pictures of the beautiful flowers Auntie Lu & Uncle Freddie sent to Shelby and how her hospital room is "decorated"! THANKS to everyone for your love and support!!

From Shelby's hospital room

MORE cake-faces!!

William & Katie celebrated their 3rd (the 20th) and 1st (the 4th) March birthdays yesterday. Thought I would share some pics....especially the cake faces!

From 2009Wm.Katie.bds

Remembering....life, loss and love

I'm going to make a birthday cake for my daughter. Jenn will be 33 years old tomorrow, March 2. Today we will celebrate with her husband and daughters. My baby...33 years old.

For 33 years, we have not been able to celebrate Jenn's birthday without remembering another mother and daughter. We think of Sally and Kelly Waller. Kelly was 16 years old. Her mother, Sally, had taken her to the doctor and they were on their way home. The roads were slushy and icy. Sally lost control and hit a bridge abutment only a couple of miles from home. Kelly was killed. Thomas recalled the story yesterday in another setting. He went to see Sally in the hospital the next morning as I went into labor. Sally lost her only daughter the night before, and by that evening we had a daughter. One family's pain, another family's joy, bittersweet.

Happy birthday, Jenn! We are thinking of you Sally & Don & boys, still, 33 years later.