TYPICAL DAY!

I am posting on Camille's old laptop-so limited pictures SORRY!

What is involved in a typical day of taking care of The Jennings Family?

My day starts with getting up with H when he awakens around 6. His Mom & Dad sleep until the next feeding time around 8 or so since they are the ones missing sleep at night. This is our special time of the day with no one else around. One of the things we did this morning was sit on the couch and listen to the train-somewhere far away. It was a sweet 30 minutes.

We looked out the window at the dark and talked about Dada's canoe and truck and listened for the train whistle. When I listened I put my hand behind my ear and said, "Listen". He quickly picked up on that and spent the remainder of the day-putting his hand behind his ear and saying something like "Listen".

The first thing we do every AM is play with the train in his room before coming down and fixing his breakfast. We then just PLAY! Once Dada gets up-I usually get busy. We all take turns changing MANY diapers a day and most of the time changing Baby Bubba's clothes a few times-between wet and spitting up. I pick up the house-several times a day, wash 3-4 loads of laundry, prepare all the meals, do the housekeeping and PLAY and ROCK!

Tonight we had one of Camille's favorite meals---Meat loaf, smothered squash & onions, & smashed potatoes. I am sorting H's clothes slowly but surely to weed out things he has out-grown--SOMETIMES after the trail & error of putting something too small on him. I have been cleaning out the kitchen cabinets. I have started raking the yard-but not gotten very far-since H requires LOTS of attention.

Camille has one LARGE project for me to do---we haven't even managed to begin it yet! Don't know how I will get it done and the yard. I could use some help with the leaf pick up & yard work if anyone from Erie has any suggestions. I have used a couple of local co's in the past that I thought WAY over-charged and the last one didn't fulfill all he promised. Also need someone to cut a tree that is dead.

IT IS COLD IN ERIE! I didn't come prepared for it to be THIS COLD!

By the way----Baby Bubba is a SWEET BABY!

TYPHOID CAMILLE

Henry, aka Big Bubba, has a virus. He feels pretty rotten and consequently is an ill pill. Camille had the virus the week before Baby Bubba was born. Since we have been here in slightly over a week, Poppa Bob has gone home with same virus and now Henry is ailing. DaDa is also trying to claim sick---I'm not having that! Perhaps I am too mean or too busy to get it---I can only hope!

New parents did go out to a friend's Halloween party last night. Camille had a C section-LAST MONDAY and is really amazing with all she is doing. We made these cute little mummies for her to take as a food offering to their party. I am anxious to hear what everyone thought.

For now---I am waiting for Big Bubba to rise & shine-it's that time. Busy day!

THREE ON TWO

After a day's delay from bad weather, BC is back on home territory. SO that leaves 3 adults and 2 babies. We have not stopped ALL DAY! It's all joy though! This afternoon while Da Da napped and Momma fed Elliot-Henry was having a tough time. I got about a dozen plastic cups out of the pantry and we played for almost an hour with them and his trucks. We built towers, we stacked them, we made barricades to ride our trucks through, and we rammed them down with the truck. HE LOVED IT---It is truly the simple things-mostly one on one together time!

Note to my running buds-IT IS COLD UP HERE! In the 40's today and raining and very windy--we would all be shivering and complaining with longer pants and long sleeve shirts (well except for Sandra). I saw one of the natives running in shorts and tank through the rain. My blood is too thin from all the years in the South---I'll bet these PA runners couldn't take our heat and humidity though~

BABY BUBBA

BABY ELLIOT MADE HIS APPEARANCE MONDAY AM. MOM & BABY ARE HOME ALREADY & WE ARE SLIGHTLY BUSY HERE. HENRY CANNOT GET HIS TONGUE AROUND ELLIOT, SO WE ARE CALLING HIM BABY BUBBA! AFTER A ROCKY START AS EVIDENCED BY THE ABOVE PICTURE, HE IS BEGINNING TO GET USED TO THE IDEA OF ANOTHER SIBLING AROUND. EXCEPT FOR THE MAJOR MELTDOWN WHEN HIS DADDY WOULD NOT LET HIM HAVE AN ICE CREAM SANDWICH AFTER NOT EATING SUPPER, THINGS ARE SETTLING IN. ALL IT TAKES IT 4 ADULTS-UNTIL BC LEFT TODAY TO KEEP THINGS GOING SMOOTHLY! MORE TO COME-WE SHOULD BEGIN TO SETTLE INTO A ROUTINE SOON.

ANGELINA

Occasionally flying---it proves HIGH LARIOUS----

On the last leg of our journey, I sat by Angelina---quite by accident-since BC offered to change seats with her as a courtesy (LONG STORY). Angelina is a native of Venezuela, was an engineer now living in Chicago who had been in New York working. She was on her way to Erie for her friend's, from Panama, wedding. We struck up a conversation and let me preface this with the statement that she had already begun the celebration. After a short lead in-this is the conversation--please speak all of Angelina's lines with a strong Latino accent for the FULL effect

A- When I discovered that my stay in New York would not end in time to fly back to Chicago for the wedding, I was in a panic. I called my friend from Chicago and told her to go to my house and get the dress that I was wearing to the wedding and the wedding gift. Wrap the wedding gift and ship them all to the bride in Erie.

Me- That was smart.

A- Yes-but my friend, the bride, called me and said, 'You gave me a dress as a wedding gift? And not just a dress--but a used dress in the cleaner's bag.'

Me-Laughing--She thought you had sent her the dress--WHY?

A-Well my friend who shipped the dress had wrapped it inside the luggage I got for a wedding gift, so it was all wrapped up.

WE BOTH LAUGHED AND LAUGHED.

Then we land and I think we are bidding adieu.

She opens her purse and holds up one black 4 " heel.

A-Oh Yes, she also shipped the other black shoe in the luggage. When I asked my friend to send the shoes, she could only find one. So I looked in my suitcase in New York and there was the other one.

Me---SPEECHLESSLY LAUGHING

A-My Chicago friend told me that I was in New York and I could go buy a pair of shoes, but I told her I am going to dance the night away and need these good looking, but comfortable shoes.

OK---so the friend had put the dress in the cleaner's bag and one black high heel shoe into the luggage which was a wedding gift and gift wrapped the whole thing and shipped it.

By this time I was laughing so hard that the entire plane was turning and looking and BC is quite envious of my really great time.

We get off the plane, and there stands the bride's brother holding a sign with Angelina's name waiting to whisk her off to a great weekend. WHY DON'T I EVER GET INVITED TO THESE KIND OF REALLY FUN WEDDINGS!

WATCH OUT ERIE!

I am off to fly the friendly skies-well the skies anyway-today via Houston, Cleveland & finally Erie--I am on my way. I am anticipating enjoying the beautiful Fall Colors that I saw while there last October. My sweet daughter has also mentioned that I might enjoy raking those colors out of her yard while there. It has to stop raining first!

We will be welcoming Elliot into the fold and entertaining Henry A LOT! If this rain continues, I plan to take him to the mall and let him go. SO if you happen to see a 2 foot flash run by with a silver streak in close pursuit----say Hello. If I happen to speak to you first, since we Southerners speak to one and all, say Hello back--DON'T look at me like I have lost my mind. If you want to see 2 really cute babies, enjoy some slow talking, and feast on a Southern delicacy--come on over!

While in Erie, I will once again be trying to convince my favorite sil of how wise and wonderful I am. He's just not quite on board with all of that yet!

SO WATCH OUT ERIE--THE SOUTHERN SILVER STREAK --WILL BE VISITING YOUR LOVELY TOWN FOR A WHILE!

JUST IN CASE-TODAY I SPRINTED!!

There is something about leaving town for a few days that throws me into a tailspin. I have this strange compulsion that EVERYTHING must be taken care of and in its place when I leave. When I leave for more than a few days-that entails LOTS of planning. November's bills have to be all taken care of -in their envelopes-or scheduled for on-line payment. ALL the loose paperwork and business in my office has to be in order. The yard has to be cleaned--the house has to be clean----the clothes have to all be clean. Everything for my volunteer work has to be in order--future projects planned---all notified of my leaving---future lessons for the student I tutor prepared and explained to her. The car has to be washed and full of gas-FLYING NOT DRIVING on this trip. There is PLENTY to do and today I sprinted to finish it all. NOW TO PACK!

You might ask WHY----why this strange need. WELL- you never know when the plane may fall out of the sky, I might have a heart attack, or one of those crazy Erie drivers might run over me.....It's kind of like the old saying "Don't ever leave the house in holey (NOT HOLY) underwear---you have a wreck for sure." In case I don't make it back and you all come over--things need to be in order. SO--I'm ready---and I am not packing any holey underwear!