We've been home now since December 4th. It's now January 23ed and leaving is such sweet sorrow. Since we arrived at our son and daughters home in PA, we planned, prepared for and surprised our then pregnant daughter Jesse with a baby shower. It was much fun with family and friends old and new. The second big event was to recover from a bad cold before the Christmas festivities began. My cold was unfortunately passed around to just about everybody in the family. Daughter Courtney and grands Moyra and Joselin visited for a few days and then they went home to begin their own family Christmas traditions. The tree was erected and decorated. The first Christmas in 35 Christmas's that we didn't have a real tree. That was OK though, because the family gathered at daughter Missy's home and they did have a real tree. Besides, Christmas is all about family anyway not the tree. Cookies were baked and the stockings were hung from the mantle with care, the turkey's were fried, the ham was baked, the sweet potatoes were AMAZING as always. The meal was prepared by loving hands as another year came to an end.
Jesse made it through Christmas, Eve and Christmas Day but by Leftover Day it was obvious that we were soon going to welcome a brand new little one into the family. We did just that on December 27th Sarai Violeta Dascalescu made her debut with mommy, daddy, nonna and midwife present. Exactly the kind of home birth experience I prayed for. Thankful all went well with mother and daughter.
Out with the old and in with the new, the old year passed and the New Year was celebrated with Johnny and Faith and as many family members that could fit in their family space of their home. Kahlua and Egg Nog was plentiful among other spirited beverages. I think we've begun a family New Year tradition.
Now the fun began. I spent the next two weeks helping Jesse with the baby, cleaning, doing wash, organizing and helping where ever I could. Late night chick flicks and sore boobs seemed to go hand in hand. My cold returned with a vengance and I had to go home to recover in the cool of our basement room in the little house in the woods. Barry followed with a terrible bout with bronchitis that needed a course of antibiotics to assure it didn't turn to pneumonia. Finally we were preparing to head south when my mother was taken to the hospital for a few days so we postponed our departure for a week which brings us to today, January 24, 2011.
We said our goodbyes, packed the car, baked some cookies and first thing in the morning we're off. Jackson Springs, our first stop. The blog will continue from there.
