Sam 12/20/2016

We light the first candle of Hanukkah.  This is an electric menorah that my grandfather made.  He used it every Hanukkah with my dad and uncles, and my dad used it with my sister and I growing up.  Now it is being used with the third generation of Orelove!

It was just after midnight on December 20th when Kim woke me up and told me it was time to go to the hospital.  Sam was not due until January 15th, but he was ready now!  I got socks, boots, and coats on the girls and they wore their pajamas as their clothes.  We all headed to Edward hospital and were admitted.  We stayed in the hospital delivery room for about five hours and the girls camped out on the lone couch, doing their best to rest or watch a movie on my phone while the doctors checked-out Kim and Sam to make sure all was on-track and looking healthy for the premature delivery.  Audrey and Violet are true champs and were really good and just accepted the situation and did their best to adapt.

Audrey and Violet in the middle of the night in the hospital, waiting for Sam to arrive!

We didn't know it, but at this moment, Sam was being born as we ate breakfast in the hospital cafeteria.  

Audrey meeting her baby brother, Sam, for the first time.

Sam was born premature by almost a month, so he had to have oxygen and a feeding tube for a couple days.  

I took them to breakfast in the cafeteria at 6am, and I was paged at 6:25am.  By the time I got back to the delivery room, the doctor informed me that the baby was breach (butt first) and the heartbeat started to drop, so they did an emergency c-section and Sam was born and Kim was in surgery and would be brought to recovery.  It happened that fast.

Sam:  The first day.

Dad meeting son for first time.

Looking into the camera.

Kim meeting Sam for the first time since c-section.

Mom and son.

Sleepy kid.

Picture mid-yawn.  Silly eyes.

Napping in mom's arms.

Sleeping with dad's hand.  Stay warm kiddo.

Second day snuggles.

Resting up to come home!

The nurses were terrific and brought Sam by in an oxygen box so the girls could meet their baby brother.  Audrey brought one of the nurses to tears when she introduced herself and said hello to Sam.  Violet stood by me and took it all in.  I can't imagine things from her perspective of a tired 5-year-old.  They then whisked Sam up to NICU and the girls and I waited for Kim to get out of surgery.

Our family friends picked-up the girls and took them for the day until Kim's mom, Dixie, could get up from Indiana.  We are so lucky to have the Bui family in our lives!  They are just the best!  No questions asked, they just came and got the girls.  So then I waited for Kim and sat with her in recovery as she woke up and got all the medical attention she needed.  She was then moved up to the recovery ward next to the NICU.

Sam in his "tub"

Snoozing Sam.

He sleeps with his mouth open, like his old man!

Learning to bottle feed the next day.

Looking up at mom.

Snuggle time!

He just adores his mom.

Bottle time with dad!

We spent the next three nights there, recovering, sleeping, eating, and talking.  We visited Sam often and learned about his recovery process, as well.  He needed to consistently eat from the bottle for two days before being considered for release.  This had taken up to two weeks, the doctors told us of other similar premature babies.  The nurses and doctors and technicians at Edward Hospital were just amazing, and they showed nothing but care, compassion, and dedication to helping our family heal and get home.  The doctors gave sound advice and observations and information.  The nurses we gentle and treated Kim with dignity and respect and went above and beyond to make her comfortable and ensure she was safe throughout her stay.  The NICU doctors and nurses were always smiling and giving Sam hugs and always keeping us informed on his progress and his health as time moved forward.

Kim decided to come home on Friday, and it was nice for her to get some sleep and rest in the familiarity of the living room.  We were surprised when the NICU called the next morning and told us to come out and have Sam try the car seat test and then get discharged!  We came out and he was placed in the car seat for 1.5 hours to ensure his breathing was OK and all vitals were strong.  We then cleaned him up and changed him into his clothes and got to take him home!

The staff made ornaments and a sign for his room.  They were great.

Sam ornament.

Tub from above.

Notice all of the tubes are gone.  Just learning how to eat regularly now!

Sam taking the car seat test.  Once he could sit for an hour and a half with no problems, he was free to go home!  Passed on his first round!

We had lunch at the Ronald McDonald room in the hospital.  It is a great place for families with children in the hospital, free of charge.  I will consider running for a charity bib in its name during a future run.  

So our first night together in our house with Sam was the first night of Hanukkah and Christmas Eve.  It was special to light the electric menorah that his great grandfather had made.

Now we are taking things a few hours at a time.  Sam has been a little fussy and we are keeping the feeding schedule through the night.  Now the coffee is kicking in and it is time for lunch on this Christmas day.  The girls are in Indiana, so it is a strange thing to not be together today, but we are together in the sense that our family is safe and at home and everyone knows they are loved.  That, to me, is just about perfect.

So welcome, Sam Edward Orelove.  You have a wonderful family, with two big sisters who will show you everything and keep you safe as you get older.  You have a mom who will go to the end of the world and back for you at any time.  You have family all over the country who have unlimited love for you.  All we ask is that you find your way and live your life and be you.  Welcome to the world.  We love you.

Cold, quiet, silent night

Hot cocoa with my ladies in our jams.

It is so cold out.  It is beautiful, but cold.  -15 tonight as the moon passes over this silent night, and we take refuge under layers of blankets and pajamas.  Deep breaths.  Slow, deep breaths.  

-a

Audrey adding to the Tzedakah box.  The lights are set for Shabbas and Hanukkah, also!

I enjoy eggnog in my moose mug, as made famous in the movie National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.  

Ahhhh, the family around the tree.

Ahhh, our REAL family around the tree.

Piecing it together

The lights of the Christmas tree glow and create a warm corner in the dim light as the sun rises outside.  The fireplace also compliments the room with the golden flames.  The rest of the house is quiet on this Sunday morning.  It is quiet outside, everything muffled by the new snow that fell while we slept.  Today is a day of possibilities, although not much promises to get done when more snow is predicted.  There are the normal chores to move through today:  laundry, dishes, work stuff...but nothing major.

Today will be a day to work on getting the new nursery ready for our baby, who will be here in about a month, give or take a few days.  The girls will most likely spend their day in pajamas, unless they try to venture outside to play in the snow while I shovel the walk and driveway.  Even the dog and cat only got up when I ventured downstairs this morning to make coffee and refill the food dishes.  They are now back either in their basket or in front of the fire, content to let the snow keep falling.

We are nearly at a time in the year where things stop and all are given time to just rest and reflect.  There has been so much this year to be thankful for.  I am thankful for the health of my children and my wife.  The older I grow, the more I acknowledge the importance of health.  The shield of seeming invincibility that I once carried is now almost completely gone, and the reality of life being a finite thing is truly sinking in.  It is not that I feel old or that anything is happening with my own health, there are just times when I recognize how fleeting life can be.  Sometimes I lay awake, thinking about all that there is to do and accomplish, and I am overwhelmed.

It isn't 2017 yet, but we are all starting to look ahead to the next year and the possibilities it brings.  What adventures will we have?  What can we do differently to make our lives better?  More complete?  This is the time of year we look around and ask what will help to define our lives.  What can I do?  Who can I interact with?  Where can I go?  There is no one correct answer, which makes this process all the more open-ended and flustering.  Sometimes I know what I need to do, and other times it is like taking a leap of faith.  Has there ever been anyone who took a last breath and felt content...or were they so motivated to seize each moment that even they were not satisfied with the life they had lived?

But I digress.  I am content here on the couch.  The sun has risen, yet again.  My oldest daughter has woken up from a night of not feeling well, and is now asking for pancakes.  She has her health back, and to start the day with such a thing is a blessing.  So now I take a deep breath and give thanks and step into the day that is given, feeling satisfied and not worrying too much about where this time will land in the overall puzzle that is life.

-a

First Flakes

Snow Sisters

And so the first flakes of the year fall.  The weather people said it would...and it did.  So they fell, lightly at first, then heavier and larger and harder, until it became quiet and the world was muffled under the blanket of white that December always brings.  

The girls were out in it after a nice Sunday morning breakfast.  The day has been one of relaxation and some cleaning and work...but mostly one of enjoying the day with my daughters and beautiful wife.  

I want to write more, but my eyes are heavy and my mind is tired at the prospect of Monday already being just a few minutes away.  So here are some pictures from the weekend...which are worth a few words in of themselves.  

And so it snows....and so life goes.

Violet and her friends at the annual winter concert that her daycare puts on every year.

Granny came to visit and see the girls...Phoebe returned home too!  

I love my little reindeer so much.

SILLY FACES!!!

Making holiday cookies.  Life is good.

She said she was too nervous the night before.  I don't buy it for a minute!

Audrey bouncing at a giant warehouse full of trampolines.  Crazy!

Plate face!

Throwing snowballs at dad!

1/3 of a snowman.

1/3 of a snowman.

Thanksgiving 2016

Emma and Violet.

It feels like a dream, now that I am waking up in my own house on an early Sunday morning.  The drive back from Richmond began yesterday morning, and we arrived home a little past midnight...not eight hours ago.

The memories I will take with me from Thanksgiving this year...

• Waking-up in Wilder, Kentucky on Wednesday and enjoying a breakfast in the hotel with the girls before hitting the road to Richmond.  
• Driving over the Appalachian Mountains and feeling the sun on my face.
• Arriving in Richmond and hugging everyone.
• Candles along the table in the evening, casting the dining room and living room in the Thanksgiving glow.
• Watching my cousins play with my children.
• Standing with my aunt and uncle and watching our children play together.  
• Listening to stories from the lives of people I care about.
• Listening to the ideas and observations from the people I care about. 
• Shedding some tears because I was happy.
• Shedding some tears because I was sad.
• The second annual Turkey Trot with Sam and the girls.
• Playing catch in the front yard with Audrey, Sam, Emma, and Uncle Fred while making-up rules such as you must say a palindrome every time you throw.  
• All of the amazing food:  turkey, spicy cranberry sauce, stuffing, brussel sprouts....
• The Schnorer breakfast.
• Seeing my children holding actual conversations with my family.
• Feeling much too full to eat another custard....then eating another custard.
• Shopping in Cary Town with my wife.
• Playing tag with Uncle Fred and Sam and the girls in the ARC Park.  
• Watching a movie with my entire family.
• Seeing leaves fall on a still Saturday morning before packing up to leave.
• Smiling, knowing that we have such a good life and that things will be OK.
• Hugging again, this time to say goodbye.  A few more tears. 
• Hitting the road back, home calling.
• Falling into bed and feeling the warmth build under the blankets as the world faded into sleep.
• Waking up this morning and feeling like it was all a dream....just like I do every year.

Emma and Audrey.  Emma petting Audrey.

Pasta dinner night before Thanksgiving.  

Audrey and Funny Girl.  

Sam and the girls post-Turkey Trot.  On the way to Starbucks.

Rocking our Turkey Trot custom medals!

Post-Trot Starbucks.

Cousins.

Audrey figuring out yet another App while Emma has given-in to the sleep side.

Sam and the girls about to hit Cary Town.

Woodstock flight patterns on a wall.

Space Violet.

Audrey finds the Sorting Hat!

Violet and Fred playing with her Woah-Bots

Emma looking on as Audrey opens a gift.

Schmoo and the Aud.

Schmoo and the Vi.

The girls and the dog we watched, Draco.  He was a big sweetie.  I think he knew we were leaving, and he was sad.

The girls decorating Sam with putty.

Audrey didn't want to leave.  Maybe Camp Sam next year in Florida?