A big day for Drew's mom

Megan was officially released from the hospital on the start of her 21st day in there! It was a bittersweet parting I think. On the one hand, it was so comforting to know that her daughter was only a one floor elevator ride away from her anytime she wanted to go see her. But, it was nice for her and especially Drew to have her dress him for bedtime and kiss him goodnight in their own home.

A huge step was taken when Megan got to hold Kayley for over an hour Tuesday afternoon! Drew and I drove to the hospital to take her home around 3:30 and when I walked in the NICU and saw Mommy snuggling with her daughter for the very first time it was a teary moment. Kayley looked sooo comfy and peaceful on her mommy's tummy and Megan looked to be in heaven! Yup, a moment to remember forever. We left around 5:00 just in time for rush hour on the freeway. I have always tried to avoid that since living out here but since Kayley's arrival I have been in it a time or two. But having Drew in the car qualifies us for the HOV lane and that helps tremendously. I am sure the people I pass cannot see Drew in the car and are wondering about the ditzy snowbird with Iowa plates that is too stupid to know there should be two occupants in the car. :-) That's okay cuz I make it home a lot sooner than they do!! Now I know why Megan started taking the metro bus instead of driving downtown to work each day!

It has finally turned hot here. We knew it would come. 114 yesterday and warm again today then cooling off "a little". I get in their pool for some exercise and cooling off so that helps a lot. It is nice in the evenings and we are usually playing in the yard then.

Photos are nurses getting Kayley ready for the big "first holding" session and Megan and Kayley truly together for the first time.

For Drew's mommy

Megan is still in the hospital (Starting Day 20) so I decided to get some pictures up of her Drew as I know she misses him so much. I take him to see her every afternoon so that helps ease the separation a little. She is fighting an infection and they want to get it under control before releasing her. Good idea!

Kayley is progressing well. Andy's blog journal does a wonderful job of telling her story and her day to day ups or downs. Fortunately the ups have been more pronounced than the downs so far and we pray that trend continues.

So far, all is going well

Day 4 and all is going well for little Kayley and parents. She is a tiny but strong little gal. What time she spent in the womb was very quality time it appears and although there will be ups and downs over the next few weeks she is doing extremely well according to her doctors and nurses. One doctor called her a star. :-) An overachiever like her mommy it would seem. That is good. I have attached a few pics of Kayley. Lots of wires and tubes of course. She has jaundice now so the picture where she looks like a hollywood starlet getting her beauty rest is protection from the bright lights to combat her jaundice. The picture with Andy's hand gives some perspective of her size and also a pic of daddy changing her tiny diaper for the very first time. He was quite proud of himself, as well he should be! For more pictures and updates, Andy has started Kayley's own blog journal of her time in the NICU if you care to see updated pics, etc. Go to:
http://kayleysstory.blogspot.com/

In the mean time, Drew and I are playing house with a big dog. That reminds me, I am running low on bribery doggie biscuits and must make a Pet Smart run.............. Keep us in your prayers everyone! Love, Grandma, Drew and Sox

Absolutely gorgeous!!

Drew and I saw his sister and my granddaughter this afternoon for the very first time. What an experience that was! I had steeled myself for the meeting but was so overcome by how beautiful she was and how much bigger she was than I had in my head. She was 15 1/2 inches long and had the cutest nose I have ever seen. Am I prejudice? No doubt about that, but when I can finally take some pictures of Kayley you will agree with me. :-) I am sure there will be ups and downs as the weeks go by but right now we are in awe of a little girl named Kayley Renee Thiel.........

Kayley Renee

Our granddaughter decided to make a very early appearance into this world. We were not expecting to meet her until around August 27th. Megan's water broke on the Wednesday after Memorial Day. She has been in the hospital ever since and was able to keep from going into labor until early this morning. Kayley was only 27 weeks and 3 days at the time of birth and weighed in at three pounds. Considering she was supposed to have three more months of growing time the doctors were pleased with her weight. Right now all is going well for baby girl and mom and we pray that continues to be the case. Naturally Kayley is in the NICU for probably most of the summer but I really don't know that for certain. I "think" they usually keep them there until their original due date even if things go as we hope. Please keep Kayley in your thoughts and prayers for all of us! Thanks! Drew and I get to meet her in just about one hour and I cannot begin to tell you how that feels......Love, Grandma and Drew

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Drew and Sox

Tuesday lunch

Drew and I were invited to the Marriott Canyon Villas for lunch yesterday. Arne's two cousins, Marge and Eileen, a.k.a. Thelma and Louise were in town for a week's stay at a time share and invited us, Sharon and Arne and Lisa over for lunch. It was just a gorgeous place and they are enjoying their week there. Drew was absolutely perfect the entire three hours we were there. If Megan and Andy can have another like him, it will be a pleasure watching two. But, can that happen twice?!?!? :-) Here's hoping anyway!

Some pics from the Villas and our afternoon.

Memorial Week-end

I flew to the Iowa farm over the holidays for a quiet week-end with Mark. The weather wasn't the greatest but did shape up enough for me to get on that lawn mower and to dig in the flower beds on Sunday. The place looks really good and very, very green thanks to lots of rain. That same rain is keeping him from getting the soybeans in the dirt, but it will happen eventually.

I spent a day back at Ogden Schools visiting with old friends. It was so great to see them....it had been close to two years since I had been back. Wow. Time really does fly. Sue brought me lunch so I dined at the middle school with her and thoroughly enjoyed it! Had a good visit with Kris and Pat, too. I do miss the people immensely, just not the "other" stuff. :-)

We also spent an afternoon visiting Jan and Clayton. That always brings back good memories and lots of laughs. There new place in town looks fantastic!

Mark and I had a great time, even cool enough to head to the basement and build a fire and catch up with each other! It was finally getting nice but then it was time to head back to Phoenix. Oh well, I didn't come home for great weather. Sorry, not one picture to post from this trip.

Stepping down

Drew has been spending a lot of time practicing stepping down off of the patio unto the grass. He is most pleased with his accomplishment!

Serenading Grandpa

Cannas in the desert

Last fall when I dug up the cannas that Mark had planted on the farm I shoved several in my suitcase to try to plant at the town house in AZ. I put them in a pot in October, they were slow to grow over the winter even surviving a couple of frosty nights. They are finally getting into their full glory now. They aren't as tall as the ones we grow in Iowa, but they are just in pots so that limits their size I think. My geraniums are doing exceptionally well here, too. I love flowers!

A future UNI Panther

Celebrity Golf Tournament

Last week-end Mark and I went with Megan, Andy and Drew to a celebrity tournament here in Phoenix. It was mostly athletes but a few actors were also there. I was a little disappointed when Kevin Costner didn't show, as he was on the list! Anyway, it was a beautiful day on the course watching the rich and famous do their thing!

A fun day in the park

I took Mark and Drew to the McCormick-Stillman RR park today. Drew has been there before but Mark had not. We had a great time!!

It's time.....

for some Drew stills....been too long! :-) Poor little man is under the weather since these pics were snapped. I was not feeling at all well this past week (sore throat, aches, etc.) and I evidently gave it to him. Dr. says he has the croup! I saw him today and he was better than when I left him on Friday. Sorry Drew!!!

Rather depressing

Poor sister Jan! First photo shows her basking in the sun and pool under a waterfall in AZ.....the second photo: Back in Osakis, MN scooping @#$%# snow from her office sidewalk. What a difference a plane ride can make. :-(

Time for a swim

Well, he is not exactly thrilled with the little pool I got him. But, he had some fun with it anyway!
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Simply breath taking......

From Tuesday through Friday I felt like I was in another world. The trip to the falls at Supai Indian reservation was awesome! We saw so much beauty and the pictures don't begin to do it justice. We started down the trailhead around 10 am on Wednesday morning. It is an 8 mile journey to the Supai village where we would reside for two nights. The first 1-2 miles were switchbacks, getting down the mountain. After that we walked the canyon floor for 6 miles. What goes down MUST come up, so we knew in 2 days we would be climbing up those switchbacks! But, we didn't dwell on that fact while we were there. :-) We got to our lodge around 1 pm. After all 16 women were safely at the lodge Sharon, Jan and I and 5 others ventured 2 more miles to view our fist look at Havasu Falls. Words cannot describe our feelings when we saw it.......if you are in the area and feel like walking about 30+ miles in three days, I would recommend this hike. You would NOT regret it. May I suggest you train a bit beforehand, though. :-) I always said that before one leaves this planet they should raft down the Colorado River on the rapids through the Grand Canyon. This ranks right up there, both are a once in a lifetime experience.
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A few shots from the hike enclosed.................