My Grandma...

passed away Monday morning. We knew that it was coming, that it was only a matter of time. She hadn't been doing well for the past few months and had been steadily declining during the past couple of weeks. My uncle and aunt (who were staying with her and taking care of her) and my mom made the decision to call in hospice. On Saturday, she was coherent for part of the day, but by Sunday morning, she had slipped into a coma-like state. She hadn't been eating or drinking much since before Easter.

You know, even when you expect it, it's hard to let go. I didn't see her during the past month or so, so I never saw how bad she had gotten. Keira and I stopped by on Friday afternoon to say hi, because my mom was there visiting. Grandma was in her room in bed, but I didn't even go in to see her. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I guess I feel a bit guilty. I could've been a better granddaughter. I remember lots of good things about her when I was younger. She could be really funny. I keep thinking that I should've called more or stopped by to visit more often. Now that I'm a mom, and my mom is a Grandma, it hits me harder than I think it would have before. I want Keira to be a better granddaughter to my mom and to Roxana than I was to my grandma. Of course, it's easy when you're a kid. You sort of have to do what your parents want you to do. It's when you get older that it becomes a bit tougher, with school, work, family, friends, etc.

Ahhh, life. What a strange thing.

EASTER Pictures

Our Day at the Zoo

We decided to go to the zoo for a couple of hours after our doctor's appointment yesterday. It was SOOO hot, but we had fun. Shawn wanted to take some pictures to try out our new camera. My mom had loaned us a digital to use, but we wanted to get one with a zoom lense for our upcoming vacation. Anyway, here are some of the photos we took. Enjoy!

Our First Prenatal Appointment

We had our first appointment with Dr. McB yesterday. She did an ultrasound and we got to see the baby. I'm 8w4d pregnant today and our EDD is 11/21/06. She said that everything with our little bean looked good. I'm posting a pic of our ultrasound. The baby is at the top of the uterus with its head to the left. You can see the little arm and leg buds at either end of the body (the tiny white spots). We could see the heart beating away. All in all, it was a pretty satisfying experience, and I feel like I can breathe easier now.

Thirteen Months Old (and other random thoughts...)

My friend Amy mentioned to me today that I was slacking on updating my site. So, I thought I'd spend a bit of time this afternoon to do just that. (My students are doing a character map activity and I'm ALL CAUGHT UP on my paper-grading for once!!) I know, I should be more productive at work, but it's almost Spring Break for crying out loud, and I'm exhausted! So, let's see, what's new here?

Well, Keira is exactly 13 months old today. She's mimicing EVERYTHING we say, and yesterday, I swear I taught her to say "GO CARDS!" (We were watching the game on FSN). She's been sleeping a bit better at night, since Shawn and I have been letting her cry it out some more. She's almost cut her 8th tooth, and boy has she been cranky! She still isn't walking independently, but she'll try to stand up on her own a bit more now. She takes a few steps on her own, but sits down once she realizes what she's doing. For some reason, she'll walk to Sara no matter how far away she is. Mom has fun watching the two of them on Fridays.

Shawn and Max are fine. Shawn's been doing some lawn work, and I'm looking forward to getting out and working in the flower beds this week once Spring Break gets here.

Speaking of Spring Break, it's ALMOST HERE!! Can you tell how excited I am? It seems like this semester since coming back from Christmas has crawled by. Tomorrow is our last day of school until next Wednesday. We're out Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. Shawn took one of his weeks of vacation to spend SB with Keira and me, so that'll be nice. We'd contemplated taking a short trip to Chicago over Easter weekend, but decided instead to spend the time here.

This Friday is my first appointment with my doctor. I'll be nine weeks pregnant, and we should hopefully have an ultrasound to make sure all is well with our little peanut. Sara asked me the other day, "Aunt Diana, do you still have a baby in your belly?" She was so excited when I told her yes, I did. She says that we need a "boy this time". She's so darn cute!

Well, the kiddos are almost finished with their work and I should actually teach them something today. Have a great day!