Surgery, Snow, Smiles and Saints

My Aunt Unell, my mom's sister, was like a second mother to me growing up. When I was a little girl, she lived in a house right next door to our house and we all lived next door to their parents. At some point (and I'm sure I was too young to remember) she remarried and moved to Washington, D.C. Her and my Uncle Frank moved into the house they currently live in 1986. So for most of my older childhood and adulthood we have trekked back and forth between Virginia and Florida keeping in close contact. Even though great distances separated us, (and even greater distances when twice in my life they moved to Saudi Arabia for my Uncle Frank's work with the US Census Department) she and her family remained a constant force in my life and ours in theirs.

Not too long ago my mom had carpal tunnel surgery on her hands and Unell came down to be a moral support and help around the house while she recovered. Last Thursday, Unell had the same surgery on her hand and mom repaid the favor. Since I was not working, Mom asked me if I and Paige wanted to go along with her. After all, there haven't been too many days that we've been apart since Paige was born, and a week without her help may have put me over the edge. Since we found good deals on flights, it sealed the deal and Paige and I were off on our first big adventure together.

Here is Paige with Nana on her first airplane ride. She was a really good traveler, as most babies are at this age since all they do is sleep and eat.


We arrived after a long, albeit smooth, day of traveling. We only got in one day of sight-seeing in DC (at the International Spy Museum), then Thursday was the hand surgery and then the snow started falling. The DC area saw between 16-30" of snow fall from Friday to Saturday. This is the 4th biggest snow storm in recorded history. And we were there to witness it.

A fresh blanket of snow that fell Tuesday over night. This is before the big snow storm.


Thursday and Friday was all about stock-piling supplies for our next few days that we would be snowed in. This was what it looked like on Saturday morning. Mom and my cousin Joshua went out to start shoveling our way out. Note the cars across the street from the photo above that are now buried in a white blanket of snow.



Unell goes out in her tank top (oddly enough it was really that cold, just below freezing) and freshly bandaged hand to film the historic snow fall.


Frank heads out to start digging out the cars. Who knew snow could be so heavy?


And I head out to shovel, uh play, in the snow.



Here are more pics of the snow during the storm looking up and down the street that they live on.



Saturday as the snow let up, we shoveled more snow, cooked, ate and drank our way through our "supplies" of food, wine and beer.


Sunday the clouds gave way to sun and the snow glistened in the morning sunlight. Our flight was canceled, as snow plows struggled to clear city streets and the airport runways. At least we had all of this snow to play in. For a good portion of the day, we watched out the window as the neighbors tried their hand at sledding down their front lawn.








We wrapped up Sunday with a Superbowl Smorgasbord (more eating...what else was there to do after all the shoveling) and watching the Saints kick the Colts butt 31-17. GEAUX SAINTS...WHO DAT! What a deserved win and boost for the city of New Orleans.

During this past week, Paige has done quite a bit of growing up. Besides seeing her first snow fall and blizzard - she is awake for more hours of the day and when she is, she does quite a bit of smiling. She is trying to coo, but I don't think the sounds that have eeked out so far would qualify. I finally feel like her and I are getting into a groove now, too - I anticipate her needs, rather than react to them. She is gaining weight well and getting plenty of good breastmilk, so we have stopped the formula supplements all together. Her cousin Lauren and Grand Aunt Unell (and Bailey - who thinks that Paige is her baby) enjoyed spending real quality time with Paige this week.






It was a fun week had by all.