Chicago Fun

Drinks at the Signature Club Bar - View from our table

Carol Lee and Judy enjoying a sample at Girardelli chocolates

  The "Sisters"

Dawn enjoying beef broccoli at the Big Bowl Restaurant

June 1-3 my sister-in-law, Carol Lee, her sister Dawn, and her sorority sister, Judy, and I spent several days downtown Chicago enjoying the museums, the theater, and of course a bit of shopping.  We had just a GREAT time.  We stayed at the Ambassador Hotel just north of the Magnificent Mile.  I had never stayed that far north before, so was a bit anxious about transportation down to the Art Mueseum, Field Museum, and Millenium Park; everything worked out just perfect tho.  As there were four of us we took the taxi and didn't spend but about $10-12.00 each over the 3 days.  Did plenty of walking and of course, lots of delightful dining!  It was a lovely time with the "ladies"; am already planning when we might do it again.  Two experiences were stand outs for me:  drinks at the Signature Club Bar at the top of the Hancock Bldg., and the musical, Billy Elliott.  The young person playing Billy Elliott was absolutely outstanding.....I was amazed at the ability of this 11 year old.  So, if you get the chance to see this production, it's certainly worth it.
These 3 days were full of "Kodak Moments"......wonderful memory.

Baby Brian's First Night at Home

We received news at about 6:30 p.m. that Baby Brian was released from the hospital along with his mother, Danielle......good news as Danielle tends to get a bit "fussy" cooped up in the hospital!  So, all of us are enscounced in the Yilmaz residence.  Brian is doing great.....he's pooped, Danielle is still working on it!  (Hanner's experience difficulty conversing if they don't get to talk some about POOP!)  Danielle is following along in my footsteps it would seem; things are always happening to her.  We all left the hospital together, but in separate vehicles.  David and I went to get Chinese carry-out, Danielle, Ozzie, Sophie, and Brian all rode home together.  Upon entering the house Sophie became frustrated with her mother and told her (Danielle) she was hateful, or something like that, upon which she was quite forcefully reprimanded.  While this was going on between Danielle and Sophie (who by then was crying loudly of course) Ozzie let the dog out to go to the potty; she immediately has a full blown seizure in the front yard!  Meanwhile Baby Brian is crying because he has pooped his pants, the neighbors are wondering what is going on with the dog, Sophie is of course screeching.  When we get home Danielle is trying to change Brian, Sophie is in her room contemplating life with a baby brother, and Ozzie is trying to help Danielle get everything together to clean up Brian, and the dog is limp in the floor.....we walk in with the Chinese take out and wonder what in the "hell" is going on!  Ha.  What an inauspacious beginning to the evening.  However, that was the only upheaval, the remainder of the evening went relatively smooth, although Sophie is still experiencing some difficulty with not being the total center of Mama's world.  She loves Brian, but just doesn't feel as secure as she would like with her new big sister "position" in the family.....she's a mess.  But life is great and we cherish these moments. 
Audra and Kyle (the dogs) are in Siesta Key enjoying the sunshine on the beach!  Brian and Pam are watching Kylee and Michael, Christopher is in summer school, and Kirsten is at basketball camp (where she won the free throw competition among the campers).  So, we are all spread out, but keeping up with Baby Brian's progress through cell phones and ipods....pictures have been flying through the "waves". 

Yilmaz Family prior to leaving hospital

Baby Brian asleep in his portacrib, first evening at home

Sophie with a picnic for Grandpa

Hope all is well with those of you following the blog....have a great end of week and weekend.

BABY BRIAN ARRIVES

Well, the long awaited birth of "baby Brian" has finally reached fruition! He was born this morning at about 9:00 a.m., weighed in at 7lbs. 15oz., and has blond hair and blue eyes.....he has HANNER GENES!!!! Scary.  Mama Danielle, Daddy Ozzie, and sister Sophie are extremely excited and very smitten with their little bundle. Grandpa maintains he already follows his (Grandpa's) hand with his (Brian's) eyes. He will probably be at Bass Pro purchasing him a fishing pole by the weekend!!! We are all already competing to be the "baby hog". Actually, we are all just delighted that Danielle has completed the pregnancy and that all went well. God's blessings continue to astound us.

Sophie had to have some "special" bedtime with her Mama, as you can see in the picture.  My pictures of Brian were taken with my phone so aren't the best in the world, but tomorrow we are going to do better. 

Thanks to all of you who have been thinking of Danielle and Ozzie and saying prayers for them; it has truely been a joy and comfort to us.  Our little Sophie is whining a bit for Grandma to read her Jake at the Ballet, so I will say goodnight and go do that. 

BABY BRIAN ARRIVES

Counting down the days

Hello, Friends and Family,

Well, I'm just going to stop apoligizing for my lack of continuity on this blog....obviously I am not a routine person.
Latest update: I am still in Chicago, of course, awaiting "baby Brian's" birth. His scheduling arrival is Tuesday, 6/08, at 8:30 a.m. Today Ozzie and Danielle are going to the hospital to check on Baby Brian's; estimated weight, heart rate, length, strength, etc. So, unless they decide he is under stress she will come home until Tuesday morning, "B" Day!

I had a lovely three days with the my "sister" Carol Lee, her sister, Dawn, and her sorority sister, Judy, in downtown Chicago. We stayed at the Ambassador Inn just north of the Magnificent Mile; it was very nice. I had never stayed that far north, and was pleasantly surprised at how quiet and close to good restaurants it was. Food of course is always a high priority when in Chicago! We ate Vietnamese, Italian, and had drinks at the Signature Club at the Hancock Bldg (96th Floor) which was really kinda a high light. We certainly enjoyed being in the clouds. Visited the Art Museum, Field Museum, and saw Billy Elliot at the Ford Theater. All in all, did quite a lot in essentially 2 1/2 days! What can I say, we're in pretty good shape for the shape we're in!

Bunny and Mary Francis, if you read this blog, please accept my apologizes for not returning calls....it seems every minute here I have something I need to do, so I am lousy at the phone calls....
David is here with me now, so Sophie is his "sidekick" while I try to keep things operational around the house. Boy, I had forgotten how much laundry two adults and one small child can accumulate! Seems like I can't keep up. Not to mention, cleaning the bathrooms and keeping the DOG HAIR at bay, yuk! Ha. At any rate, time is quickly passing and we are looking forward with great anticipation to Baby Brian's birth.

Audra and Kyle, Brian and Pam, and Uncle Dan and Aunt Ginny are so helpful to us by keeping everything "up and running" at home when we are both gone and by keeping David company the weeks I have been gone. So, we continue to be very blessed and LIFE IS GREAT!

Preparing for Baby Brian

Well, obviously I have not been terribly successful at the blog "business"! However, I will attempt to be more puntual with my posting! A little updating. Last Thursday, 5/20/10, we received a call from our son-in-law, Ozzie, telling us Danielle's blood pressure had risen into the 150's/90's for 3 days. Consequently he wanted to alert us that she may either a)end up in the hospital or b)be put on bed rest at home. Consequently, David and I left for Chicago on Friday morning where I have been residing since! Danielle is doing well again, the blood pressure is down although the protein in her urine is still an issue that they are watching closely. She sees the doctor every Tuesday and Thursday and occasionally has special appointments in between. Since Saturday, when the REAL bedrest began (following her students revue "Life is a Caberet" on Friday), she has slept alot and taken it easy. Tonight she had some concern because she felt funny; was afraid she was having contractions. However, it turned out to be gas!!!! Typical Danielle, huh? She of course has never had contractions, except with this pregnancy last week, so she doesn't really know what TRUE contractions are like. Hopefully she never will, as that is a big no-no due to her previous C-section being a "T". Whatever that means. At any rate, we are doing just fine, watching TV, playing games, and being entertained by Sophie. She put on a performance for us all Sunday morning and she and Uncle Brian did a dance together; now that was entertaining in the extreme.

I do miss my "munchies" at home. I typically see Michael and Kylee every week and haven't seen them now for a couple of weeks almost. Kylee played soccer on Saturday and Sunday in the 90 degree temp with 69% humidity; that really takes a toll on those little 9 year olds. The played for 1st place at 3:30 Sunday; haven't gotten the results from Audra yet. Miss fixing snacks for Michael (Kylee too) when he comes in with his Mama. Audra always tells him not to tell me he's hungary, but he and I have a pact that snacks are ALWAYS available at Grandma's!

Christopher performed in the "Life is a Caberet" for Aunt Danielle last weekend, doing an incredible job. He filled in for someone who wasn't able to do the performance and learned his music in about 7 days.....that's saying a lot when you sing numerous songs one of which was from the Phantom of the Opera. Kirsten came up to Chicago early with Grandpa and Christopher (last Wednesday) and was a SUPER HELP to Grandma. She entertained Sophie all weekend while I helped Danielle with the decoration of the theater. Sure was glad she was here with her always cheerful, willing to help, self.

So, life passes along day by day, each filled with optimism for the next. I'm trying to remember to always think positive, as my friend Sara has taught me. She is a beacon of light to me each day because of her strength and positive attitude. (For those of you who don't know, Sara is my high school buddy who has been battling cancer for the past year and a half. We thought she was cancer free at our reunion in October, only to find out she had cells on her liver. To date she is in marvelous spirits and is optimistically secure in her future; she is a blessing.) So, enjoy your day/evening; life is great.

MAC Classes and Bowling on the Wii

This has been a particularly joyful day. My students at Mineral Area College this semester are just delightful. Every once in a while you have a year that is all that an instructor could ask for. This has been one for me. Both semesters this year my students have been a real inspiration to me; they were dedicated, respectful, and willing to share during class time. Great fun.
This afternoon was spent with my brother and sister-in-law Michael and Carol. We are going to my cousin's this weekend for a gathering of the Nichols crew at Kahoka. We are all very much looking forward to getting to see everyone and my Uncle Jr. He is my mother's only living sibling and we feel he's pretty special. Of course Michael and I always have to take part in SOME TYPE of competitive game.....today it was bowling. We played two games on the Wii and actually TIED in score. During the game we had to nibble on a few treats, of course, so we spent the evening reclining and dozing in front of the TV. All in All, quite a lovely day.

Finally, some rain; spring has emerged.

As mentioned in my previous blog, flowers and herbs are more my thing than the vegetable garden. (However, I certainly don't mind helping Audra and David eat the fruits of their labor!) David planted my Azalea's today while I was teaching class; herbs will have to wait until I get their "bed" cleared out. Of course along with spring around here comes KITTENS, much to my consternation. Unfortunately, mother cat met her demise on the road out front, leaving five kittens, a week old, for us (Audra with my occasional help) to try and save. Picture this, me holding an approximately 5 inch kitten, trying to get it to eat from a baby bottle, while rubbing it's anus to try and stimulate pooping! Gives new meaning to ambidextrious....those little suckers are certainly slippery. Now, we are giving them baths each day to help stimulate the pooing and to wash off the pee they seem to always have on their fur. (Lovely smell; yuk!) I think I either need a "star in my bonnet" or an appointment with a psychiatrist for attempting the salvage of these little critters. But, they sure are cute, and, did you know, they purr at 1 1/2 weeks of age; very sweet. Well, between those kittens and teaching my classes at MAC today, I am ready to be recline and read a good book while listening to the ballgame; two of my favorite things to do. To anyone ever reading this thing, HAVE A BLESSED DAY!

                                                          Herbs waiting to be planted.

Scrabbling on a rainy afternoon

Well, Family and Friends, this is my first attempt at a blog.......
This should be interesting given my lack of technological expertise, but, here goes.
During the winter months one of our favorite things to do is play Scrabble....

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Christopher and Kirsten and Grandma playing scrabble on a snow day...I'm sure I won!

Grandpa and Christopher and Kirsten beginning the Scrabble game; he THINKS he won!

Scrabble at Jim Harryman's, "H"'s, in February.

 Now that spring is upon us we will be trying to do more activities outside; like David's gardening.  He has planted lettuce, onions, radishes, corn, beans, okra, peppers, and has tomatoes ready to go in the ground as soon as all chance of frost has passed us.  Of course I can only dwell on who is going to PUT THIS STUFF UP if everything "makes"!  Physical labor does NOT seem to be my calling.  Now flowers and herbs are another matter.  I have purchased azaleas, fresh herbs that didn't make it through the winter, and of course pansies which always remind me of my "sister" Bunny's mother; brings me joy.