Waiting in Atlanta!

I have been in Atlanta for a week now. We don't really expect Hattie to arrive for a little while yet but I am still watching Peaches like a hawk! Due day is three weeks from yesterday.

Jimmy's family just checked in from home. They made the drive back to El Dorado from Atlanta today. We were really busy for the four days they were here. I was a little afraid that all the activity would be too much for Jenny but she was the tour director-in-chief! We all did CNN, Coca Cola Museum, Georgia Aquarium, a Civil War museum, Fernbank Natural History Museum, Andretti's Indoor Karting, and the Atlanta Zoo. The boys went to an NHL game and the Cyclorama while the girls shopped. Lots of cameras were flashing non-stop but I don't have anything I can post yet.

Grandma staying in Sherwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center

Well, fiddle!!! I took such a pretty picture of Grandma with my phone while we were visitng her yesterday. I was able to save it to my computer by sending it to myself via e:mail but now I cannot upload it to this blog. All I get is a bunch of letters and numbers. Wonder what I am doing wrong.

The decision has been made for Grandma to stay in the facility where she is currently living. Her address is:
Sherwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center
245 Indian Bay Drive
Sherwood, AR 72120

She loves to get mail - HINT, HINT!

Our version of March Madness!

I have a busy week ahead as I prepare to leave for Atlanta early Friday morning. Jimmy's family will make the drive on Saturday to spend their Spring Break in the Peach State with our Peaches - and the rest of her family. Jenny and Eric need to attend a birthing class on Saturday so I am going to travel a day earlier than originally planned. We had always been going to go in two vehicles so that I could stay on and be of some help while the whole extended family waits for Hattie to decide to make her appearance. Papa (Tom) will fly to Georgia after the birth to meet his newest granddaughter! We will drive home together at the end of his week-long vacation.

Can't believe this will be Tom's last vacation before he joins me in retirement, the ultimate vacation! He is surprising me by really looking forward to it; he's counting down the days - and the number of weekends he still has left to carry the clinic cell phone - FOUR!!!! Jimmy says the EHS coaches are all betting that "Doc" will pull a Brett Fauvre when it is actually time to walk out the door of Goodwin Animal Hospital for the last time as a practicing veterinarian. He is going to keep his license current so he can help out should the need arise. A young couple is buying his share of the practice so there will be times when both of them will need to be away from work at the same time. I know Tom; he won't be able to leave Charlie alone to work himself sick. Their practice has grown to the point that one vet cannot handle it solo.

Big decisions are being made about Grandma's care. It looks as if she will be moving to Elm Croft, a beautiful facility in Maumelle, Arkansas, this week. She has done amazingly well since her hip surgery. Everyone who has met her in the hospital, St. Vincent's Rehab, and Sherwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center has told Alton and Tommy how impressed they are with her quick wit and her cooperative spirit during various difficult, painful therapies. We are so proud of her!

Hope Atlanta is ready for the Johnsons! We have lots of things planned: aquarium, zoo, cyclorama (a re-enactment of the Civile War Battle of Atlanta); NHL, Margaret Mitchell House, Coca Cola Museum, Six Flags, Stone Mountain. Not sure what else our tour guide, the eight months pregnant Jenny, has arranged for us. I was worried about her having a herd of company at this time but she is excited about having things to do to keep her mind and body busy while she waits for Hattie to give an indication that she has chosen her birthday!

On a side note, Julie successfully registered Maddy at High Goodwin to begin kindergarten in the fall! I surprised myself by crying when Julie texted me as she was leaving central office. Hugh Goodwin is such a big part of my life and I am so excited that Maddy will be able to be in the History Parade, the Nutcracker, Schoolhouse Rock - just so many neat things!!!! She'll even check out books that I bought!!! Jenny and Hannah are both HG alums so the family tradition continues, after a detour where DanMan, appropriately, went to the Math and Science School.

Busy making things

Well, fiddle!!! I just learned something important! I thought that, inside a blog entry, photos would be entered in descending order - just like lines of copy. I intended for Tommy and DanMan to be above the baby stuff picture not below! Anyway, here are the items I made for an auction at Lucy's school. Jenny ended up being in charge of the class donation and I offered to make some things. Shown above are a blanket, sweater, bib, and wash cloth.

Ever since we moved to the country, Tommy has taken great pleasure in our bird neighbors. We have multiple, multiple bird feeders and he is faithful about keeping them full. Recently, he decided that we needed more birdhouses to attract more birds so he and DanMan got busy making some. Saturday he hung one on a sweetgum tree. He started to walk away, turned to look back at the birdhouse when he was about fifteen yards away - and saw a little chickadee fly into it!

Baby Hattie gave us a scare last week. We were afraid she wanted to share Uncle Stephen's March 1st birthday! Jenny was in the hospital for several hours but the doctors were able to stop her contractions. Due day is not until mid-April so we are all relieved that Hattie agreed to wait. Jenny will be 35 weeks tomorrow.