St. Nicholas Day

Today started out at some point or another with Galadriel at a "5" for pain which is the highest so they gave her morphine. Mind you she has not complained one bit. By mid-day she was down to "2" for pain. They had her sit up briefly, that didn't work out too well but it was an attempt! She has had increased movement in her arms and legs and is opening the left eye a bit more when she is at a strong point in the day.


The neurosurgeon came in today for a follow up and he was so happy and said she is doing far better than expected. That was wonderful news! Of course one can hardly think otherwise when 1/2 the planet is praying for her!! Unbelievable!

I was allowed to feed her the first solid meal since her surgery.... if ice cream is considered a meal. She tolerated it very well.... very, very well so she can now eat. I started her on soft foods of course. So this was another triumph.

A family member came to stay with Galadriel so Aragorn could come home so all the rest of us were able to go to Mass together. That was very nice since it was the first time we have been together in months... ok, a couple days.


I spent the afternoon/evening at the hospital while Aragorn stayed home to sleep for a while. At the end of the day Galadriel needed sleep and her pain was back up to "5" . So she received another does of morphine.


When I left for home last night I asked Galadriel if she wanted me to bring her anything and she said "Lord of the Rings" so here they are watching "Fellowship" She is sporting a nice crocheted blanket one of the ladies from the "Linus" group who donates blankets for the patients to bring home. She also received a patchwork quilt when she was in her last room.

I will add her a huge thank you for the overwhelming number of prayers. Wow! You just wouldn't believe it. I have gotten hundreds and hundreds of emails. I have read every single one. We have gotten meals and promises of more meals. I have to say the funniest part of all this is that I am absolutely notorious for never remembering to send a thank you card. So I'll say here and now that we are ever so grateful for everyone for each and every single prayer, Mass, gift, card, etc... I will say that one of the greatest things we the little notes sent on this blog. I get them in my email and to hear all the "that is great news!" helped me alot. After I saw Galadriel in the recovery room I was shocked and it felt hopeless. It took me a full day to realize that I'm so in the middle of all this that I just wasn't able to see that. So each word, has been meaningful in some way.



Hmm... we need to work on Poppy's modesty... we'll make exceptions since bloomers are so cute.

HAPPY ST. NICHOLAS DAY

I printed up a story for Galadriel for St. Nicholas Day. She cannot read at this point since she is having double vision (this is very sad since she is a very avid reader and had already read well over 200 books since August) And JOY of JOYS! Galadriel *laughed*. It would have been one of her hearty laughs but of course it was a quiet laugh but she had a big smile and then she started to have all the laugh motions. I was so delighted I read it three more times. So you wonder what makes her/us laugh:

St. Nicholas was at the Council of Nice and became so incensed... outraged... that the heretical Bishop was denying the dual nature of Jesus Christ (fully God, fully Man) that St. Nicholas slapped him across the face.

The story about St. Nicholas and the Seafarers:

It is read in a chronicle that, the blessed Nicholas was at the Council of Nice; and on a day, as a ship with mariners were in perishing on the sea, they prayed and required devoutly Nicholas, servant of God, saying: If those things that we have heard of thee said be true, prove them now. And anon a man appeared in his likeness, and said: Lo! see ye me not? ye called me, and then he began to help them in their exploit of the sea, and anon the tempest ceased.

(Thank you to Fisheaters for this story)

We put up our Christmas stockings each year for St. Nicholas day. Usually the children get socks and gold chocolate coins. This year however I was sick of plastic cups that spill more milk. So instead of crying over spilled milk I bought 10 stainless steel "tin" cups. Apparently they are so difficult to spill that the 3 year old decided he needed to pitch it across the room to get the milk spilling effect. I was not at home at the time and I'm always secretly glad with interesting catastrophes occur when Aragorn is at the helm. heh-heh

My mom has always gotten all the babies their Christmas stocking for their first Christmas. Poppy's has a partridge in a pear tree on it. And here she is with her cup.

Poppy is interested in everything except cameras.

Advent

We usually have a list of things we do for Advent but this year we are just trying to survive.

One "project" we are able to keep is putting up a piece of our rather extensive and growing Fontanini Nativity set. We had received the original pieces as a wedding gift and I've added to it every year.

Thanksgiving

Backtracking a little here.

This year I decided to get a ham for the mid-day meal for Thanksgiving since we'd go to Aragorn's family's house for dinner. This is before dinner.

This is during dinner. Thanksgiving seems about 100 years ago so I'm trying to think what we served besides the spiral honey-glazed ham... fruit, rye bread dip, rolls, cranberry salad, pumpkin and chocolate pies and a cranberry/orange hot drink and more I suppose.

As it turned out Pippin... of course... drank lots of hot drink and cool whip and precisely as everyone finished their last bite of pie he threw up. Figuring this was going to turn into an epidemic, which is what happens when a large family gets *that* we had to cancel getting together with family.

And this is after dinner. Let's say it took about 2 days to finish all the dishes!

Aragorn's family sent us over some of the dinner. As it turns out one of the families that was suppose to come hit a deer so it really was a bum-deal for Thanksgiving. But we all take things in stride so we'll aim for a wonderful time together at Christmas.

How to make some cute pink underthings for the baby: stupidly (or brilliantly, however you want to look at it) wash the nice red tablecloth with white onesies "voila" cute pink onesies.

Bilbo wanted to go outside and came up with this get-up. We are always making a fashion statement around here.

We had a new neice born a couple weeks ago. She is soooo adorable and has a whole crop of jet black hair! This was taken on her baptism day.