Goodbye and Hello

Our 3 day trip to Madison last week turned into week long visit making Chris and I feel like we were on a rollercoaster ride. After arriving in Madison we went over to my grandpa's house to be with all of my family (mom, grandpa, aunts/uncles, cousins). My mom and her brothers/sisters put together 4 poster boards filled with photos of my grandma from a young girl to now. There we many photos that I remember and some that I have never seen before. I enjoyed looking at all of them. My grandpa told us stories about my grandma. Some of the photos of my grandma in her late 20s and early 30s looked so much like my youngest sister Carie. It was difficult to say goodbye to my grandma at the funeral service. My grandma was a great lady and we all miss her very much.

During all of this my middle sister Carli had started pre-labor contractions. They were all over the place, 10 mins, 5 minutes, 8 minutes apart...We all wondered when her baby was going to come. At the funeral service Carli's contractions picked up and were 3-4 minutes apart consistently. Carli was a brave soul and wanted to make it through the funeral service before rushing off to the hospital. It was a mixed day of emotions saying goodbye to a loved one and soon to meet a new member of the family.

Our plans were to return to Detroit the next day but with my sister in labor we quickly adjusted our schedule. Chris made some calls to his boss and he was able to take 4 more days off from work. It was difficult to him to be away from work that long (especially when he didn't plan on that). But I have a wonderful husband and he made it work, thanks you sweetz.

Carli asked if I'd could be with her at the hospital during her labor (along with my brother in law Mike, my mom, and Carli's' two best friends). It was a long, long, long labor. It took 21 hours for Carli and Mike's new baby boy Riley Russell to make his appearance. But he was worth the wait. He's a cutie pie. I stayed with Carli and Mike at their house the first 3 nights after they brought Riley home from the hospital. I cleaned, cooked, organized, did laundry, etc.. anything I could so that Carli could get her rest and for them to bond with Riley in those first few days. I did not want to go when it was time for us to return to Michigan. It was an amazing experience to see my nephew born and watch Carli become a MOM and Mike become a DAD. They are doing great and love their little boy very much. I also think those first 3 days with Riley gave me a special bond with him too. I'm very thankful to Chris for supporting me and letting me give my time with them while he watched Jake and Casey at my mom's house.