Prayers for Baby Bates

I got the troubling news on Saturday evening that my dear friend Shaya had been admitted to the hospital because her baby girl Josslyn is measuring small and she has low amniotic fluid levels. If you're like me and not medically-inclined you'll think, "what does that mean?!" Let me tell you what I've learned thus far: 

• During pregnancy, amniotic fluid provides a cushion that protects the baby from injury and allows room for growth, movement and development. Amniotic fluid also keeps the umbilical cord from being compressed between the baby and the uterine wall. In addition, the amount of amniotic fluid reflects the baby's urine output — which is an important measure of a baby's well-being. Low fluids can be of concern because there will be a higher likelihood of cord compression during labor.

That is all I know. Shaya is about 33 weeks along and would like to "keep cooking" her little lady for as long as she can. She will be in the hospital so that she can be closely monitored up until she delivers which could be this week and could be in 6 weeks. 

Jackson and I stopped by the visit her for a couple of hours this evening and brought along some fresh baked chocolate chip cookies (don't they make every situation better?!), some candy and some magazines to keep Shaya entertained. Matt will be at the hospital as often as possible, but he still has to work until Josslyn is born.

Jackson wheeling Shaya back to her room for the evening

Shaya is understandably a little bored. She is keeping a good attitude, though. Her nurses seemed to get a kick out of her and even let her go for a little wheelchair ride out to the lobby to visit with some more friends that stopped by. She had a strict 30 minute "pass" to be out of her room and Nurse Jackson made sure that she didn't violate that order. It was nice to see the Bates family and catch up, but we wish it were under better circumstances.

I'm asking everyone I know to please, please pray for baby Josslyn Bates to stay in the womb for as long as she can. There is really no better place for her to be right now. I'm also asking for prayers for a safe delivery for both baby and mommy. I know that God is the best physician so I'm asking for his help with this case. Please join me in this. 

Hoops and Pups

Jackson had to work in Hartford City on Friday so he took me to work and then dropped MacKenzie off in Upland to spend the day with the puppies there. His day ended at 1 and I was tied up until about 6 so he spent the afternoon hanging out at my folks' place with all of the dogs. Life is so unfair. 

MacKenzie looking down on Addie... :)

Jackson left MacKenzie in Upland for the evening because we had tickets to the Marion vs. Muncie Central high school basketball game. Don't judge. We love James Blackmon, Jr. and he's going to be an excellent addition to the HOOSIERS next year. We enjoyed a nice dinner at Muncie's finest restaurant, La Hacienda Mexican Cantina, before hitting the game. We had to stop at a CVS for cash and when I was in the bathroom Jackson made himself at home helping the cashiers stock the shelves with Kleenex boxes. It was the weirdest thing. Something about being in Hartford City with all of the friendly people makes him a different person for a few hours. We sat with a co-worker of mine and her husband at the game and enjoyed a good Marion win.

MacKenzie didn't realize that her evening in Upland would be interrupted by two little ones that my folks babysit pretty often. I found this photo of MacKenzie and Sam to be hilarious.

"HELP! This baby is in my space!"

My Mom claims that MacKenzie liked him and ended up following him all around. I said she probably thought he might drop food. I think she made herself pretty clear about not wanting any kids at her home!

Mom and all the little pups

Saturday evening we went back to Upland to get MacKenzie. We were supposed to go to another Marion game but the time for the game got changed to the afternoon and we missed it. Darn. ;) We got to eat at Ivanhoe's and watch the IU game at my folks' house instead. I think that's a win!

All of my puppy loves in one photo!

Sometimes just hanging out on the couch with all of the puppies is my favorite way to spend an evening. Thanks for letting MacKenzie stay, Mom!

"MY TURN!!!!"

Tuesday evening we got to go have dinner with one of our favorite families (I know. I know. You cannot tell how much I love these people by how often they appear on my blog. Oh wait...). Jackson picked up pizza and we cashed in a Groupon for ice cream from Handel's to have a regular old party! I came straight from work and met Jackson there. When I took off my heels to sit down for dinner a little someone found them very interesting. 

"Are these going to fit?"

"How do I walk in these?!"

And with that small move Ms. Jocelin stole my heart all over again. Honestly. Does it get any cuter than that?!

After dinner we got the kids all wound up by throwing them in the air and such. Kids love that kind of thing. We tried to play hide-and-seek but Jackson was too good and Jax, Jocelin and I just wandered around looking for him forever. It really sucked all of the fun out of things. Way to go, Jackson. Anyway, once we found him hiding in a closet (isn't that cheating?!) the kids were ready to be thrown around again.

If this doesn't make your ovaries hurt, I don't know what will

"WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE"

"WEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!"

"My turn! My turn! My turn!"

Jocelin loved being swung around by her arms. People spend all of this money on toys and kids seem to like the things that are free much better. I decided to shoot some videos so that you all could get a glimpse into what an evening is like when we play with the Porterfield kids. I think they are some of the happiest evenings we'll ever have and we're so thankful to be their honorary aunt and uncle! :)

 In honor of the winter Olympics, "Uncle" Jackson helped the Porterfield kids practice for their medals...
 
I LOVE when Jax just jumps on Jackson. It is Jackson's fault because he always tells Jax that he is too little to ever actually cause any pain. I think Jax enjoys that challenge... :)

Jocelin was loving being thrown no matter how high...she just wanted her turn darnit! You have to admire that kind of attitude, right? I mean I know I do. ;)

Sweetest Valentine

You know when you have "one of those days" and you think nothing is going to go your way? I was having one of those days on Thursday and then I got home to Jackson, MacKenzie and the sweetest little valentines from Sir Jax Porterfield. His mommy even left me a super sweet card. It was like getting a hug right when you need one. I call that God's timing and  I loved it.

"You are the missing piece to my puzzle" valentines from Jax

MacKenzie also got a sweet little valentine in the form of a treat from Three Dog Bakery.

Valentine's treats...

are yummy!

She left her "boyfriend" Boomer some treats on his doorstep to celebrate V-day, too! 

A heart cake always tastes good!

We celebrated Valentine's Day at home this year. Jackson made me the dinner he made on our first Valentine's Day together and it was just as good as I remembered it. He even made a cake in the heart pan I bought that first year. It was super sweet! We bought each other fancy sunglasses a few weeks before the big day so we just exchanged cards on Friday morning. That evening I came home to a card in the mail from my Mom and Guy with a gift card to our favorite Italian restaurant, Mama Carolla's. I cannot wait to go on a night that isn't Valentine's so that we can hear each other speak! Thanks to everyone who made the day special!

Back home again...

As I mentioned before, Jackson made it to his meeting that he was so concerned about and it went well- hooray! He was even home early this afternoon and was able to clear off all of the snow from our driveway and front walkways. 

Laying out is just different here...

Since he was home early and I still had to work until 5 he headed to Upland to get MacKenzie. She pretty excited to see him and ready to be home and play ball again!

MacKenzie is home and ready to play!!!

She is still not super fond of the massive amounts of snow surrounding our house and has a hard time finding a place to potty. Jackson shoveled her out a huge area but she doesn't use it- much to his chagrin! 

Can you spot the puppy?

Snow queen MacKenzie!!

I cannot believe how high the piles of snow at the end of our driveway are now. MacKenzie had to really climb to get up there! And then she looked a little unsure about her choice. Whoops! :)

While it is good to be home and with our little puppy again we already miss the beach! WAAAH!

Final day in Naples

We love Southwest Airlines (and Susie!) for giving us an extra day in sunny Florida! Susie and I went to a citrus store this morning to stock up on oranges and grapefruits. (Citrus transportation isn't something to be taken lightly, folks. These oranges are phenomenal. I brought an extra bag with me so that we could bring home plenty of fruit! Amateurs we are not!)

Since we had not initially planned to be gone today, Jackson took a call for work. I heard him saying, "Oh, you've got snow where you are? They had snow where I was headed so I didn't go!" At least he cracks himself up. ;)

Once boring old work was finished for the day we headed for lunch and the beach. Shockingly, we went to Tropical Smoothie for lunch again. I don't stray from excellence. ;) We opted to go to a less populated part of the beach today just to switch things up a bit. I wasn't paying attention and accidentally stepped on a plant with burs on it. Suddenly my foot exploded with pain and I had to perform surgery (some may call the pulling out of a bur something less than "emergency surgery." Those people aren't welcome in my world!) on myself to get rid of this nasty, painful beast of a bur. (Jackson insists I explain that the bur was the size of a marble. I say it appeared to be more of a volleyball- like size. We've agreed to disagree on this story as he claims I'm really turning on the drama here. Whatever. He wasn't the one with the injury.)

Once surgery was complete and I was mobile again, we took a short walk. My foot was still a little sore from all of that trauma so we cut the walk short and decided to just catch some rays. It was a solid decision and those three hours of sun felt darned good.*

*One of us does not responsibly use sunscreen and will be bringing more than their fair share of sun home on their face and balding head. One of us is scared to death of wrinkles and slathers on lotion like it is their job. You figure it out.

This part of the beach was really empty and we probably only saw twenty other people all day. Incredible!

I'll miss this. A lot.

Sun, surf and sand. Lovely.

Jackson bidding the water a sad farewell for now. 

Once the sun had burnt one of us to a crisp (any guesses yet?!) we took a drive down Gordon Drive to look at the front of the houses we adore from the beach. Gordon Drive is the premiere address in Naples and the fronts of the homes did not disappoint. I wanted to ring each of the homes' doorbells to ask how they'd accumulated their wealth. I didn't. (One day I really should ring the bells and ask.  Perhaps that's an idea for the novel I keep meaning to write so that I can retire. Don't take my idea!) A little internet searching told me that two of the homes along this road recently sold for $42,000,000 and $47,700,000. One the buyers recently sold his tool making business to a conglomerate for over $250,000,000 and had always wanted to live in that area so he bought his favorite home when it wasn't even on the market. The $42M home sold in 15 days. Both were all cash deals. I also found that many of the folks that live on this road are actually billionaires who use Florida's lack of a state income tax to their advantage. Clearly my tax skills could be used down there. Perhaps all of this information being available on the internet just killed my book idea. Darn! 

We gassed up Susie's SUV and headed back to the condo to get cleaned up, pack, clean and change the sheets. (Quick plug to show that we are excellent house guests should anyone else have extra room in warm locations this winter!) As we pulled out of the complex to head for the airport we got word that our flight was delayed. This just meant that we had time to stop for dinner which was welcome news to two hungry beach bums. We ate at "Rib City" which we'd heard great things about all week. It was pretty good, but we are still Sonny's devotees. 

Ft. Myers has a super nice airport that was all but empty this evening. After an extra security screening for me (I asked if I needed to remove my sweatshirt and was told I didn't need to. Then I got scolded by the very next TSA agent for not removing my sweatshirt. One cannot win with those agents sometimes!) we were at our gate with about ten minutes to spare. Ahhhh- I love cutting it close and spending minimal time in the airport. Success! Jackson was even cool as a cucumber this time. Usually he's a frantic mess. I guess it must be that sunburn slowing him down a bit... ;)

We've had warmer welcomes...

Coming back to a snowy car stuck by snow drifts was an exciting, chilly adventure. We found that the roads were in great shape except for a ramp from I-70 to I-465 where the guy in front of us hit ice, lost control and narrowly avoided being t-boned by three lanes of traffic. I am not sure how we didn't watch that man die to be honest. Instead he put his car and reverse and got on the ramp as he intended to. I hope he said some thankful prayers-I know we did! Our neighborhood isn't in the best shape and Jackson parked his car in a snowbank. I'm still scratching my head on that one. We'll blame the sunburn again. ;) Once we dug his car out and a found a better place for it we were ready to call it a night. I didn't even make us unpack before going to bed. Now that's how you know I'm exhausted. Jackson made it to the meetings he was so worried about missing and I'm working remotely for the day. Once we get little MacKenzie back from Upland all will be well with the world again! :)

We'd like to thank Susie again for her hospitality. We had a great time! 

"MacKenzie's email"

I got home to the following email from Guy last night and laughed my butt off for two reasons: 1. Guy doesn't email so this took a ton of effort and 2. Anything from MacKenzie is funny to me.

"Subject: Orphan child

I thought I should share a conversation I had with MacKenzie today. 

MacKenzie: Grandpa Duck ("GD"), when is my mom coming home? I thought you said she was going to pick me up yesterday?
GD: Well, she was, but something came up. She said she would be here to get you today. 
MacK: Oh, great! I’ll get my things together. 
GD: I hate to tell, but your mother called and again something has come up and she won’t be able to get here today after all.
MacK: So, when is she going to come and get me tomorrow? 
GD: I don’t think she be able to pick you up tomorrow either, something has come up. 
MacK: But I’m running out of food and I miss my Mom. Doesn’t she LOVE me anymore? 
GD: Oh yes, honey, she still loves you. Your mommy is just busy. Grandpa Duck will get you some more food,and you know Grandpa Duck and Grandma Duck will always LOVE you! 
MacK: Maybe Mom will pick me up on Thursday, you think Grandpa? 
GD: No, I’m SORRY, your Mom is busy, MacKenzie. She said she would definitely be here to get you on Friday. 
MacK:**tears!!!** Do you really think she be here on Friday, Grandpa Duck? 
GD: I hope so, MacK. If not you are always welcome to stay with Grandpa & Grandma Duck, because we love you very much! "

HAAA! Way to lay on the guilt, GD! Needless to say we are going to get our girl this evening! 

Beach bums

It didn't take long for us to settle in to the lifestyle here in Naples. We spent Tuesday morning at the Bad Ass Coffee Co. again sipping on our drinks and people watching. Then we headed down to the beach for our daily walk. We put in 7 miles as it was so nice out that we didn't want to stop soaking in the sun.

Morning at the Naples Pier

I call this a "B&B" but it is just someone's home

Our favorite house on the beach

We left the beach to come back to the condo for lunch. We got word that our flight home the next evening was going to be canceled so we changed our flights and headed back to the beach. 

This genius decided to feed the birds...ugh.

Another lovely sunset

Another small home near the beach

We get a real kick out of the "poverty" here in Naples. The homes are all just enormous and impeccably maintained. The nice part is that the city provides parking and beach access almost every block so the rich people don't keep us poor folks off the beach! ;) We cleaned up after watching the sunset at the beach and went to dinner with Susie. We ate at a place called "The Dock" and had some excellent food. They had shrimp nachos that were just silly good. We enjoyed walking around a marina after dinner and checking out all of the fancy boats stored there. Jackson really wants a sailboat. He always has so this is nothing new. :) We went for another stroll around the neighborhood before calling it quits for the night. Being able to go outside comfortably may never get old!

Bad Ass Coffee's customers of the week

Today was more of the same! We went to the coffee shop again this morning, but today Susie came with us as she wanted to walk the beach, too. We intended to do some work at the coffee shop but Jackson forgot his stuff so I agreed that my stuff could wait, too. I'm so easy when I'm in vacation mode.

Enjoying the sun!

Even the birds are relaxed down here

We were so excited when we spotted dolphins right off the shore as we walked. The dolphin was "fishing" right by the beach and we watched it zoom in and catch a bite to eat. It was awesome!

A dolphin out "fishing"

The dolphins like the beach, too!

It was such a gorgeous day!

We saw this nine-armed sea star washed up on the beach and thought it was pretty

 We walked all the way to the end of the beach and found this...

Excuse Susie photobombing nature here...

The water was so clear today!

This house is so large that I had to take a panoramic photo just to capture the whole thing. Insane! 

A lovely view...

Taking a break...again! :)

We covered about 10 miles and saw a few more dolphins playing just off the Naples Pier before heading back to the condo to get showers and go to lunch. We wanted to see Marco Island so we made the quick 30 minute drive over there and went to another seafood restaurant right on the water.

Boaters would stop and grab food before going back out on the water. Lucky ducks!

Someone stole my boat!!! 

We enjoyed getting to watch the boats pass while we ate our "linner" on the patio. Not wanting to miss a sunset if we didn't have to, we decided to head to the beach on the island for the rest of the afternoon so we'd be around for the 6:15 show.

The sun starting to go...

Marco's beach was really pretty, too!

High-rises are all the rage on Marco Island

The beach we went to was VERY shelly!

You can kind of see a plane in there, too!

Our last sunset of the trip...

While we enjoyed our time on Marco Island, we much prefer the serenity of Naples. Ha! How quickly we adapt! For now our flight leaves tomorrow (Wednesday) night at 7:20 and gets us to Indianapolis around 10. Here's hoping that all works out as Jackson has a big meeting on Thursday that he'd rather not miss. (Being a grown up stinks sometimes!)

Some of you may wonder how MacKenzie is doing in Upland. She's fine! I'm sure my folks are kind of ready to be finished dogsitting by now, though. Whoops! 

Snoozing with Madison

Begging with Madison...

Playing in the snow!

She seems to be making the best of the snow and has already been playing in the new white stuff covering the ground in Upland. We're so not looking forward to dealing that that white stuff again...