Able To Get the Pictures

So yes, a much happier Molly in one week - I was able to get the pictures from the internal memory off the camera - The girls are on their way home back to Goderich.  So long London!

There were also a few pictures from the rally.  The first photo shows Merlin Leis - Avon Maitland's ETFO President, Sam Hammond - Ontario's ETFO President and myself.

I don't have any updated quantitative stats on Molly - but she seems to be doing very well and should be back in Goderich by Tuesday.

I took a few great photos this weekend.   However I didn't put the memory card in the camera, and I can't find the cord to take the pictures off of the camera....

First Molly is doing really, really well.  It took a week, but she is off all of the various tubes and inserts, and back on the feeding schedule that she had enjoyed at home during December and the first part of January.  Her colour looks good, her weight is squeeking back up, and it seems she has got her energy back....  Basically all general 3 month old stuff.....  She should be home by Monday night or Tuesday morning.

Shelly had an all right week considering.  If all things were equal, I know she would rather be on Quebec Street, but people are treated very well at the hospital and at Ronald McDonald House...  Again, I had some great photos - but I need to find the cord.

I took part in the labour rally at Victoria Park on Saturday.  10,000 strong people took part in supporting the 450 locked out EMD workers in London by their parent company Catipillar.  It was very crowded with lots of flag-waving and chanting...  I crossed paths with a friend from Windsor named Enver Villamizar - he and his wife are teachers too and cam to support their fellow brothers and sisters.

Anyhow = I'll work on that camera and keep the information coming as it is revelent.

Molly Is None Too Happy

Neither are Shelly and I...  We've had a setback of sorts.

January had been a great month up until this past weekend.  Molly was doing those infant things just swimmingly and Shelly was doing her mom things fine.  There have been more great visitors over and the only real problem had been not keeping this blog a bit more up-to-date and current.

So I will skip a whole bunch of useless info and just get to it:

Molly is back in the hospital and had another surgery.  She apparently had a combination of some kinks and scar tissue built up in her bowel.  So it is a big step back....  Everything had been going quite well, and she wasn't even that bent-up with this latest ailment, however....  Molly is back in the hospital, Shelly is back at Ronald McDonald House, and Mango and I are just putting out some fires on Quebec Street.  That is the basic run of events.

Molly continues to be very upset...  Shelly and I thinking it is funny, although it isn't:

So January hasn't been all terrible.  Molly has two great-grandmothers.  Nell, Shelly's grandmother, actually met Molly for the first time a week or two ago.  Nell is 93!  My grandmother is a youthful 88 and she lives in Goderich a few blocks away - So she stopped by for a hello too.  We don't have a photo of Nell, but here is Donna & Molly.  Pink must be an "it" colour for 2012.

I got a great phone call from a friend/colleague this month.  Her and her daughter where over on the x-mas holidays, and just had to come over again....  They were just hanging out one evening and just wanted to hold Molly.  So thanks to Diane and Rachel who came over again for a visit during the first of January.  Next time, Shelly and I will take off for that 60 minutes and get a coffee or just some quiet time while those two are minding.

So I will post again when there is movement on the Molly news.  Until then, here are a few funny-ish pictures from the month.

2012

Nothing too profound has happened between Boxing Day and now....  It was just a lot of getting better and recovering from our sore throats and whatnot.  But as of today we are all doing pretty well around here and have bounced back to our normal selves.

We had some great visitors in the past few days.  Larry, Diane, and Rachel Grail were over for a hello and how's-it-going.  Diane and Rachel had popped in on Shelly in London to say hi, so it was nice of them to stop in again with Larry in Goderich too.  They didn't see Molly back in November, and they were just so excited this time around.  Rachel will make a great babysitter in the future I am sure!  Plus she dropped off a pretty funny stuffed toy turkey that gobbles when its stomach is squeezed...

The Iza's were over on New Year's Day - Reg, Mel, Ella, and Liv.  They were sort of excited to see Molly, but once the piano tunes got crank'n and the microphone got hot, their two girls were way more interested in dancing and karaoke-ing.  Who can blame them?  It was Reg's birthday and they were all out just burning the day-light hours.  No pictures...

Tonight my dad and Brittany came over for some eats and visiting.  We put a dent in a lasagna that Shelly's friend Lisa (who says she doesn't read this blog, yet I am sure she does....) made.  It was pretty dam good Lisa.  Then we got playing the guitars and piano for an hour or so.  Brittany minded Molly just splendidly - and Shelly, dad, and I belted out a few tunes

On New Years Even Shelly, Molly, and I walked over to over friends Sherry and Craig's place.  There was a quality cast of misfits in attendace who enjoyed a few drinks, a bit of snacks and Thanks for having us over Sherry!

I don't really have a 2011 summary or write-up = Why bother?  It is all on the blog and I would just be writing about events that have already been mentioned.  I guess I could post a few pictures that didn't make the cut from this past year.

I had about 6,200 hits on the blog in 2011 - and I am at 7,100 total since this started in September 2010 - That seems pretty respectable.  I had 76 posts which averages to one every five days in 2011.  Each post was read by an average of 85 people, and about 17 people daily read the blog.  I am sure none of these stats break any record...  I have had lots of fun writing this stuff up and posting the pictures.  Plus I get lots of postive feedback....

Boxing Day

Molly and I hit the road for some Boxing Day festing, feasting, and revelling...  The first order of business was to tuck Shelly in for the day for some much needed rest and recovery.  Then we were on the road to Clinton to meet up with a few fine folks on the Macaulay side of the family tree.  It was to the Fish'N Game....

(Scott & Alden)

(daughter & dad)

There was a super terrific meal waiting for everyone - a small group actually of about 15 people I suppose.  Anyhow we all had a few drinks and got caught up on the year's happenings.  Molly just hung out lazily for the better part of 2 hours before waking up and wanting to eat.  She got fed and changed, then she was ready to go for the rest of the day - Oh, and she got sick all over me....  Maybe a touch of too much to drink.

From Clinton we hit the road out to Molly's first visit to the Wright's - Boy was she at home there!  My associates Joel, Trista, and their two, as well as Bob and Sally of course, were home celebrating their own traditions and received the two of us with open arms - Molly was fast asleep.

We all hung out and rumbled about 2010, knowing what a great year it had been.  We all shared quite a lot - with our Rossland adventure, Port Dover'n in June, rat'n in July, and all the tires we threw...  So ya, Molly and I kicked around out there and by the time I had a drink, a left-over turkey sandwich, fed and changed Molly again, it was about 7:00 and time to hit the road to see what was shaking back in Goderich.

Joel does have a magical touch with babies as he had Molly smiling and nearly laughing for the first time.  Seriously - she was grinning from ear to ear and quite content to be in such capable arms.  

So it was another great day - Shelly got feeling better, but was still under the weather by the time we got home after eight o'clock or so.... 

Merry Sickmas

In the past 72 hours either Shelly or myself have been battling a bit of the seasonal illnesses - I didn't feel like my typical self on Christmas Eve and had to shut it down quite early, and Shelly felt much, much worse then me on Boxing Day....  Molly has been hanging in there - not too much has thrown off her routine of some eating, sleeping, washrooming, a bit of screaming, and return....

Nevertheless it has shaped up to a wonderful time of year...  We have seen nearly all of our imediate family, minus Trevor, Tara, and their munchkins, and Shelly's grandmother is in the hospital recovering from just old age and those things that 94 year-olds get.  Other then that anybody who's in the know made an appearance - Far too many names or pictures to mention.  But that really is what is good about this time of year - seeing the family.

On Christmas Eve Shelly, Molly and I had a few appointments.  We started the night over at the Coup's house for a drink, snack and a hello with those fine folks, and the Pottroff/Goddard's were there too.  Then we went over to my dad's for dinner.  His clan, as well as Marsha, Jeff, Loch, and Alden were there too.  We hit the road by 9:00 and illness quickly set in - Not because of the food or drink, but just a sore throat and headache....  Shelly dropped Molly and I off at her parent's house and she went out to her aunt's for some more Christmas cheer. 

On Christmas morning I woke up feeling much better.  Shelly's dad and I chored for an hour and got the livestock settled....  Shelly and I opened a few gifts (nice life-jacket Shelly!... she is easily pleased) and by 11:30 or so her brothers and their families were on the way over.   We all had a huge scoff and opened a few gifts....  By 3:00 the three of us were on the road to the next gala.

We went out to my uncle Larry's for the rest of the day.  At one given time there were something like 30 people out there...  4 of which were very small kids under 2 years old...  Plus there was a 2, 3, and 4 year old as well.  At any rate, it was a great get-together and everyone had lots of different reasons to be happy and joyous this time of year...

Christmas With The Mother-In-Law's Family

They are truly animals on this side of the family...

They are nice, you know, but they eat while standing up and from a trough, wallow in their own waste, expect others to wait on them hoof & hock - err, hand and foot.  It was a crazy time with the Gawley's....  Oh, the holiday season....  I got a few pictures, but nothing turned out that great.  These pictures are from Norman and Velma's farm outside of Kincardine.  I don't suppose they mind being displayed on the internet (the horse and cows).  The other pictures I snapped are of Shelly's cousins' and brothers' kids - I should have asked permission to post their pictures on this site - But since I didn't ask, I will hold off.

But seriously, they are great people, those Gawleys.  Great, generous people who have welcomed me and provided Molly with another amassment of baby belongings.

So it has actually been pretty quiet and not too much has been going on - No epic stories or milestones to note.  We are all just getting through the days.  I hit up work and put out those flames without too many problems - Shelly and Molly are doing their thing around here;  they get out for walks, sleep in, pick away at different things around the house.  Wrap my Christmas gifts - NOT!

Things will start to rock on Friday around here...  More family, food, fun, & festivities.  Marsha and her family are flying in for a few days.  I'll cross paths with many cousins and inlaws.  There will be a lot of young babies around and pandenmonium will certainly eventualize!

So stayed tuned and hopefully there will be a few good "Christmas Vacation" moments.  Until then, Molly pretty much looks the same.

Her first smug look...