Baby in the house, class, Grandma, life with Mama

Mama and Victoria kept Rosalee, Seth and Gabriella’s baby, last night. She is not a hard baby to keep. She is busy. She is very mobile. She is attentive to Mama – always looking for approval or disapproval. I am always a little amazed at how well she takes the step into the living room. It is not a big step but most toddlers struggle to get up and down at the step. Even Trace’s Savanna sits down to make the step down. Rosalee simply takes it in stride. Often not even slowing down at all to make the step down. I have stopped panicking as she walks at a brisk pace to the step and steps down without seeming to even notice the elevation change; never looking down to gauge the step. That and the fact that she loves Kobe and Kira makes it easier to keep her than other babies we have from time to time.

Rosalee is teething right now so getting her to sleep was a challenge, but once she relaxed in Mama’s embrace, she fell asleep and slept through the night. Because of the pain in her mouth, she is not wanting to eat or drink, so Mama and Victoria are using all the tricks they know to get her to take in some fluids. She is a very smart child. So far, she seems to know only one sound to verbalize, but she understands most everything Mama and Victoria say to her – even though she is fairly slow to respond to those requests. She is not hesitant because she does not understand. She is slow to respond because she is not often made to follow any commands. At least, it would appear so. Mama and Victoria are working on that slowly and gently. In Mama’s mind, this is a trial period to determine whether or not she would be able to keep Rosalee should Gabriella go back to work. In my mind, that obligation is not merely a question of Mama’s physical ability to meet the constant demands of a toddler in the house, but also the time it would claim that is now spent on her business. We will see how all that works out.

The management at my company worked hard yesterday to find someone to teach the class this morning. I am not sure who they got to fill in. I was not told, and I did not ask but the course is covered. I am glad I arranged for the replacement. I am not doing so well this morning. Not nearly well enough to teach a day-long class. Even a shorter class would not work for me today. Thankfully, I can muddle through at home sitting in front of my computer. Only a few more days and we will know a bit more about my condition. Maggie, as we talked last night, suggested I go to the emergency room and hurry the process, but I am not inclined to do so. All things will come in the proper time – unless I worsen so much that I have to get help prior to the scheduled date. At this point it is a toss-up whether I can wait for my appointment. From my perspective, it is better to wait on the heart cath as the initial diagnostic procedure versus letting a hospital doctor force me through a battery of mostly unnecessary and always expensive tests while the hospital gets the most out of my unscheduled stay. I am not willing at this point to yield myself to someone who does not have a clear path forward concerning my health.

Mama is taking Grandma to a reflexology appointment today. It cannot hurt. In the shape Grandma is in, it will at least bring her some relief even if it offers no long-term solution. She has always loved having her feet massaged. They will take the baby with them to the appointment. That should afford me some peace and quiet for an hour or so. Such is the challenge of working from home. It is not something I have to deal with every day like many of the young mothers that are employed by my company – and it is not an unpleasant distraction. Especially as much as Mama loves having a baby around. It is a fun interaction for her, so it is a fun interaction for me to watch. Part of loving life with Mama.

Chase called and spent a few minutes talking to Mama yesterday. That pleased Mama. Chase, and I suppose Joshua as well, was unaware of the health issues I am dealing with right now. That is kind of sad. In our interactive and highly connected world it is very easy to connect – by phone, text, social media, etc. Unless you choose to stay out of the loop. Other than this blog I am not among the connected. I depend completely on Mama to make those connections. If anything happened to Mama I would have to learn, but I am not inclined to make that effort otherwise; especially since Mama loves the continuous contact.

Why change anything now? It is working so far.