Two weeks ago, Mama Bex & I met up downtown to see our brother Jake and his band, Dead Guys, play at Homegrown. Homegrown is a week-long music fest that happens every spring at bars and restaurants all across Duluth and Superior with about 150 local musical acts.
This was actually the first time I’ve seen Jake’s band play live. (Jake’s the lead vocalist.) I LOVED it. They are definitely a group that was made to be seen live.
Zac, Josiah, Jake
No, it’s not typical to sit on the floor of a bar at a show like this, but this mama’s back needed the break. Not a whole lot of dancing going on for me.
Thankfully, Mama Bex joined me, so I wasn’t sitting all alone. What a good sis.
Here’s a recording of Damn & Blast that Jake wrote. (Damn & Blast is a quote from C.S. Lewis)
To check out a couple Dead Guy recordings, click here.
AVA UPDATE: I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who sent a birthday card for Ava last week. Her parents had hoped to come back home to Duluth on her birthday where a few of us had planned a quiet birthday party with her friends. Unfortunately, she was rushed back to the hospital that morning for an emergency surgery to remove fluid that had built up on her brain. She remained in the hospital over the weekend and had a surgery yesterday to place a shunt to handle the fluid that continues to put pressure on her brain. Later in the week, she may have surgery to get a feeding tube placed in her tummy as well as a trach. Jeff & Janell are really asking for healing of her throat so she regain her ability to swallow and not need the trach. And of course, we’re always, always praying for a miracle.
Today was my first day of non-schoolness. And since I’m not in classes anymore, I can use words like non-schoolness. I slept in (thanks to a little help from Sesame Street on my iPhone), spent a lot of time outside with Ella, visited a dear friend who had a baby yesterday, and made cupcakes. I’m going to work on filling my days with nothingness, but for my first day off, I did pretty well. I have to admit that I did sign on to my class website this morning, forgetting that I didn’t need to today. It’s still sinking in. I’m just relieved to have the first three (of five) chapters of my thesis complete and turned in four days before the due date. Yay! Can you tell I was very ready to put it all behind me and move on to other things?
After Ella was tucked in for the night, Pete helped me get a few things down from the attic for the baby. We now have access to the car seat, bassinet, and glider. Those were the big things I wanted to put in the nursery. He took a few things out of the room, so now I’m ready to get to work on the details. I love the details.
a peek at the closet, painted light yellow & doesn’t have a door
I just had a friend ask what my color scheme is for the nursery, which made me realize I have no idea how to explain it. I kept things very simple with Ella’s room, which wasn’t too hard since we had to move when she was 6 days old and again when she was 11 months. I did dark brown and green before we knew boy/girl, and then just added pink to the mix. This time, I’m going with lots of colors. Here are a few Pinterest inspirations to give you an idea.
I should be able to make steady progress till the baby’s arrival. Just 3 1/2 weeks until our due date of June 2! I’m praying to go a few days early for a higher possibility of having a successful VBAC. Ella turned and got a bit stuck during labor, so I had a c-section. This time, I would love to avoid that, though I really just want a healthy baby, of course. It’ll be fun to see what happens!
I added a little survey on the side of the blog to get your opinion of the gender of our little one. I honestly have no idea this time. That might be okay, though, since I was quite sure I was having a boy with Ella. When Pete announced, “It’s a girl!” I silently thought, “Really?? Are you sure?” I’ve had no dreams or feelings. It really will be a surprise!
This week is Miss Ava’s third birthday. We want to make the occasion very special for her, wherever she ends up celebrating. She may still be in the hospital, though everyone is hoping she’ll be home. For something special and memorable, we’re asking as many people as possible to send a birthday card for her. We know Ava would love it. If you have my address, you can send it right to my house. Otherwise, cards can be dropped off at the Duluth Vineyard Church on by Wednesday at 5 or sent there at any time:
Ava Hirschoff
c/o Duluth Vineyard Church
1533 W Arrowhead Road
Duluth, MN 55811
Yesterday, Miss Ella & I had the opportunity to visit Ava in the hospital while we were in Minneapolis. We had contemplated if it would be the right thing for the girls at this point. Maybe it would scare Ella or perhaps Ava wouldn’t be up for it. In the end, we decided it was worth a try. I’m so glad we did. And I’m thankful that Ella’s daddy works in a hospital, so she’s very comfortable in the environment.
Ella & Ava (taken in Oct 2011)
It was really good to see the girls together again. Last week, Ava had her second brain surgery and has been on a slow process of recovery. She is being fed through a feeding tube in her nose and is having a hard time swallowing and talking. I tried to prepare Ella for these changes in her friend before we saw her, but the moment Ella was in the room with Ava, it didn’t seem to matter. I think Ella was intrigued by all of those things, but it didn’t change how she interacted with her. It’s so different for little ones, isn’t it? I think they see beyond the differences far easier than we do as adults. They don’t think about the complications and what all of those differences may mean. Ella was gentle and quiet, but still wanted to play. And that’s exactly what we did.
After Ava was unhooked from all of her tubes and such, the girls got to go on a couple of long wagon rides through the unit halls. Ella blew bubbles and giggled when they popped on Ava’s cheeks. Ava gave a sweet little smile each time. Then Ella held up the bubble wand so Ava could blow a few bubbles. I could tell it was hard for Ava to blow hard enough to create more than one bubble, but it was also clear that it made her happy to try. After a few laps in the wagon, we returned to Ava’s room for games with the physical therapist. Ella got to participate, which I think was a fun change for Ava. Then Ava cuddled up on her mama’s lap to rest. What a sweet, sweet girl Miss Ava is. Jesus made her incredibly special. I’m so glad that Ella has such a friend.
Honestly, it’s not at all easy to write this. All of the changes that have come to Ava and her family in the last 4-5 weeks are heartbreaking. I hate thinking of the many questions they have while still needing to make countless decisions. Big decisions. I usually hold the tears for Ella’s sake or when I’m playing with the girls. I want them to enjoy their time together and not be worried about sadness or hurt. But each time we leave Ava, I can’t help but cry. No one, especially a little girl who is about to turn three, should be put through such things. I hate seeing the hurt and sadness in Ava’s mama’s eyes. I want to sit and weep alongside her. I so dearly want God to come in and do a miracle in completely healing Ava of this tumor. That’s what I pray for. I also pray for peace and comfort for Ava’s family, but always for a miracle, too.
Please keep praying for Ava and her family. A few big decisions have to be made in the next few days. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
The artist in residence created a splash of color across the living room wall this afternoon while the owner the abode stepped into the kitchen for a very short moment. This is exactly why washable paints and markers are all this house will ever see. I’m awarding one enormous gold star to the inventor of such easily cleaned art supplies. Two baby wipes and cleaning instructions to the artist and the wall was as good as new.
It rained in the wee hours of the morning today, and the amazing scent of it still lingered in the air at 8:30 when Miss Ella & I took Daddy to the clinic. That is one of my favorite things to smell in the morning. It always reminds me of summer camp. We often started the day in shorts and big fleece shirts or sweatshirts but had them off by 10am when the sun came out and the day began to get hot. That’s exactly what happened today. A perfect camp morning. Too bad we weren’t actually at camp.
Ella & I had a few errands to run, beginning at Target. The parking lot was fill of splash-perfect puddles, and Ella just happened to be wearing her rain boots, so we sought out every single one we could see for a good splash. It was hard to get the girlie in the store after that, but we managed.
Good thing we took to the puddles before doing our shopping. They were nearly gone by the time we came out an hour later. The sun was shining!
The first thing we did when we got home was eat Popsicles. I have a nice stash on hand at all times now. It is the one thing I crave multiple times a day. They melted quickly in the sunshine, but we did our best not to drip.
After our Popsicles, Ella ran countless laps up and down the front sidewalk before we pulled out the paints. We sat in the warm sunshine and painted a little gift for Grandma Olsen. After it dried, I wrapped it in tissue paper, and Ella chose the ribbon to complete the package. Then she held it for nearly two hours until Grandma, Grandpa, and Kristin arrived. The three of them have come for two days to spend time with Ella while I work on my research proposal for my grad thesis. Bless them. I don’t know what I would have done without their help!
We were so happy to have temps that I think crept up over 70 today. It’s not supposed to last, so it’s a good thing we were outside for so long. I’m looking forward to more of this summery weather. It just takes a little while for it to settle over Duluth.
And now I sit on the 4th floor of the UMD library. (This blog post is my study break.) I used to study here a lot as an undergrad. I plan to be here most of the day tomorrow, too. Hopefully I can wrap this thing up before the weekend. Then I’ll be free! (well, until September, at least)
