There And Back Again: A Mamma's Tale

Last night Darin and I pulled our little "minvan that could" back into our driveway after spending Christmas in Texas with my family. When Darin and I were newlier-wedded we used to think our periodic drives to Texas were rather romantic. That's mostly because when Darin and I were "dating" each other long-distance between Des Moines and San Antonio, we calculated the difference from his house (now my house!) to my parents' home to be just a hair over 1000 miles. Since we both loved the song "500 Miles" in which the singer declares to the girl he loves that he would "walk 500 miles" and then "walk 500 more to be the man who'd walk 1000 miles to fall down at her door", we loved the fact that there was 1000 miles between our homes. So driving there together has always been... you know... romantic!

Well, now that we have a doggie, a toddler and baby in our family, the drive to Texas is a little different. Adventurous? Absolutely. Exciting? Sure. Romantic? Not so much...

Our plan of attack to get to Texas was to drive the 12 hours to Dallas (where my big sis and her family are) straight through the night to keep the babies sleeping as much as possible. Even with the numerous stops for fuel, to nurse Collin and change diapers, that leg of the drive went beautifully. We were albeit, extremely tired when we arrived at 6 AM, but my children were received by a loving Aunt, Uncle and three doting cousins so Darin and I could nap a bit. We had a blast staying with my family there for a couple days. It was awesome for Collin to meet his cousins and uncle-he'd already met Kelly when she visited us back in October!

Here's Lucy with her new pal, Shawnee, the newest four-legged addition to Kelly and Greg's household!

After a couple days, we contined our southward trek to San Antonio in broad daylight. All I'll say regarding the five hour drive, is that the portable two-screen DVD player we bought on black friday proved to be a great investment. Lucy tolerated the time in the carseat with the help of "Baby Siging Time" and "Miss Patty Cake". : )

Christmas in San Antonio was special for so many reasons. It was awesome to finally introduce Collin to my brother, as well as my grandparents, aunt, uncle and cousins there. Lucy had a great time playing with "Grandpa", "Mamma Gail" and "Uncle Paul" and seeing the other extnded family again as well. It was also special to spend time with the church family I grew up with and participate in the Christmas Eve service there.

Lucy checks out a present from Uncle Paul waiting for her on Christmas Morning!

Collin and Mamma Gail love on each other.

After a great time with family and mild temperatures in the 60s and 70s, we started our trek northward. An unforseen migraine and fever for Darin (that we now know was caused by strep throat!) caused us to forsake our ambitions of driving 17 hours straight through from SA to Des Moines and we crashed at my dear friend's home in Fort Worth overnight. The next morning we plowed ahead and drove the rest of the way home (12 hours), relying heavily on over-the-counter drugs (for Darin), coffee and more "Baby Signing Time" and "Miss Pattycake". We were all on the brink of insanity and over our threshold for fast-food and public potties when we rolled into Des Moines, but we made it.

Darin is unfortunately very sick and sleep-deprived and has had to spend all day in bed today. The babies and I were just happy to get bathed and spend last night and today at home with our regular beds, and familiar surroundings.

So, while this trip wasn't the "easy", light-hearted and romantic experience that Darin and I had in the first couple years of our marriage, having two beautiful children to make the crazy trip with is such a sweet dream-come-true, that it was absolutely worth the extra effort! We're so thankful for the safety that God granted us and the wonderful time of celebration with loved ones!

PS. -Wish we had better pictures to share. My parents and sister did a much better job capturing our time together on camera than Darin and I did!

Christmas

Yes, it has been a shamefully long time since I've posted. The longest I've ever gone between posts on the Knitting Hummel. With so many people using facebook, I've been keeping up with posting pictures there and just haven't taken the time to sit down and blog.

And unfortunately, I'm not even taking TOO much time to sit down to blog right now, but I at least wanted to spread a little Christmas cheer by sharing a picture of my and Darin's favorite Christmas presents (aside from the incredible gift of the Lord Jesus!).

We're packing up our minivan tomorrow night and driving to Texas to celebrate Christmas with my family! I can't wait to finally introduce Collin to my brother, brother-in-law, nieces, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins!! Should be a good time!

Random

Maybe these random tidbits will give you a smile... as they have me recently.

• The other day I was immobilized on the sofa feeding Collin (as I often am) and heard Lucy in the other room "playing" with Collin's infant swing. Sounded innocent enough so I took my time with Collin and finally headed to the swing to check on Lucy. This is what I found:

• I drank water from a sippy cup all morning. We were out and Lucy was uninterested in her cup. I, on the other hand, was quite thirsty and didn't have my own water with me, so...



• Darin and I are thinking that Minnie the pup has come to terms with Collin's arrival and has given him her "stamp of approval". What do you think?

• Lucy has started to put her fingers in her ears during Collin's crying spells (which are much more frequent and of longer duration than Lucy's ever were). Not sure how she came up with the idea of doing this as I'm sure she's never seen anyone else do it. Pretty cute.



• Collin's has started to smile for the camera.

• Fall has arrived and we are all enjoying daily playtime in the backyard.
  
  
• Tomorrow is the one year anniversary of Lucy's "Adoption Day" in court. We're so blessed by her presence in this family.
  

I've Been Needing a Good Laugh

And I just got one. Thought I'd share it with you...

Lucy Walks!

Well, at 16 months, Lucy has finally made her walking debut! So without further ado....

Also, since I just can't help myself, I'll throw in a cute pic of my sweet Collin.

That's about all I have energy for in this post. Love to you all!

Parents

My mom and dad got on the road to make their 16-hour drive (no stopping overnight) to come help us when they found out I had gone into labor. They arrived at our home at about 5:45 AM on Friday, July 3rd and were by our side until they left this morning at 7:00 AM. While I stayed in the NICU with Collin, Darin and my mom alternated staying overnight with me- helping with unglamorous aspects of my recovery and supported me while caring for Collin. When my dad and mom weren't at the hospital, they worked with Darin's parents caring for Lucy and helping her through her time away from Mommy. Then when Collin was released from the NICU, my parents continued to help me take care of myself, cooked, cleaned, helped Darin and I take care of Lucy and Collin among MANY other things.

It was so hard to see them leave this morning... I miss them so much already, but it is with a grateful heart that I said goodbye to them. There is nothing my parents wouldn't do for Darin and I and I am blessed to have their example as I now raise my own children.

Tonight, Darin's parents arrive with dinner in tow and their servants' spirit to continue to help for awhile with our adjustment to being a family of four. This will be especially helpful as Darin has just started his new job and I am missing him very much. The blessings just keep overflowing and I am so thankful for how God has provided for us through our parents.

Finally Some Pictures!

Well, Collin and I have been home now for four full days. I am feeling better everyday and I am so thankful to be home with Darin, Lucy and my parents who are here from Texas for one more day and night. (What a blessing to have had them here since Friday of last week!).

I thought you all would appreciate a few pictures!

A rare moment with his eyes open during his week-long hospital stay.

Snuggling with Mommy.

Lucy and Mommy have a short visit in the NICU lobby. Boy did I miss her!

At home! Lucy and Collin meet for the first time.

Some good father-son time.

The one question everyone seems to have these days is how is Lucy doing and what does she think about her baby brother... to answer that question I feel she is doing exceptionally well considering everything that has gone on. Honestly, I think that the week that she and I were separated might have been harder on her than meeting Collin. Regarding him and what she thinks of him, it seems that her main frustration is that she can't have as much access to yank, swat and grab at him as she feels entitled to. : ) The adjustment for all of us will be gradual.

In other news, God has provided a job for Darin as the general manager of the Des Moines branch of a civil engineering firm. (They have several locations throughout the midwest.) Please pray with us as he has his first day tomorrow. Lots of changes happening for our family all at once, but we know we can trust God and rejoice in the roles He wants us to have in His plans.

Don't know when I'll be posting on here again, but hope you enjoyed this. I've appreciated the many phone calls, e-mails and Facebook comments we have received from so many of you since Collin's birth. Most of all we appreciate your prayers and words of encouragement. We feel deeply blessed by the family and friends God has provided in you!