Thursday, July 31, 2008

Grandmom

I don't know where to start in writing a post to thank my mom for everything she did while she was here. She is leaving this morning and she will be greatly missed! I thank dad and Luke for letting her be gone for so long and I know they are ready for her to be back. Before she even got here she helped us so much by taking Wagner and helping get him ready to travel over here. From the minute she walked in she wanted to be put to work helping get our house organized and for the next month felt guilty whenever she sat down for a second to rest. She came with such a servants heart that we had to force her to relax some! Words are not adequate to express how grateful we are for everything but I will try. Maybe pictures will help...


Even before Chase was born she helped get our house clean, weeded and cleaned up our garden and planted flowers and kept me walking (trying to bring on contractions). She was a huge support during labor and sat in the waiting room for the hours I was pushing praying constantly for me.
Making phone calls after the little man finally decided to arrive!
The biggest help was my mom taking over after the early morning feeding. I would hand Chase over and turn off the monitor and go back to sleep. I could sleep so much better not having to listen for him. I also don't think I did a load of laundry while she was here! She even made a clothesline and hung clothes out to dry to save our energy. She watched Chase so we could go out for our anniversary 4 days after his birth and then even made us a nice dinner with candles and flowers from the garden!


Walking is what she did best though! Wagner got out several times a day and my mom made friends with the next door neighbor who also has a golden retreiver and they went walking almost every morning. We think Wagner might miss her the most. She encouraged me to get out and walk too!
She was so helpful but not overwhelming with all the baby advice. She would bathe Chase and took care of his diaper rash. She made Chase do tummy time - not his favorite thing though -and was always interacting with him.

It was so nice to have her help running errands on base and going to the doctors. One funny story - Chase had an appointment a week after he was born to check his weight. I wasn't supposed to drive yet so hubby took her out to give her driving lessons. He must not have trusted either of us because we get a call the morning of the appointment that he is able to make it home to drive us. I guess that meant she failed the driving test!
During my bible study she offered to watch all the kids and when friends would come over she would help out with their kids so we could have some adult conversation. She encouraged me in ways that I could serve my husband during this time and kept my eyes pointed towards Christ.
She got to feed Chase his first bottle! Whenever I would feed him she would take him from me to burp and change him and whenever she fed him she would still burp and change him!
I think this is the first time that I cried more than her when we said our goodbyes. I told her there was no way I could thank her enough for taking a month out of her summer to serve us and she said that she had such joy in doing it. We love you so much and miss you already. Thanks for everything!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wonderful tribute. I will certainly be glad to have her back, but thankful that she was such a help. I'm looking forward to my turn to come over there (though I plan on doing a lot of playing!). Take care of yourself.

Dad

Curt and Moe said...

Your Mom sounds amazing! There is nothing like a Mother's love, it's unconditional. I'm so glad she made this past month so easy for you and your family!

Sara said...

I don't even know your mom, but this totally made me tear up! It's so great that Chase has had a chance already to bond with his grandmom. :) I know it's got to be so hard to be so far away, but I know you have a little guy that will keep you busy! :)

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the surprise blog posting. Here it is at 5:30 AM in Maryland and I miss my early morning Chase watch.
"Mum from the States"

Don and Barb said...

What a special tribute to your mom! I admit, I'm a little jealous, wishing so much that I could come take a turn, but that just doesn't seem to be possible for awhile! Dad & I would love to make a visit and meet Chase in person! We do pray for you all faithfully and hope that you all settle into your own routines, continuing to make special memories in your lives!
Even by picture, Chase is growing and changing his looks!
with our continued love and prayers, Mom and Dad

Texas Bucks said...

I want to reach out and give your mom a great big hug! What an extreme blessing she is!

Chase is getting so big in those pictures. . .it's amazing what a month does, isn't it?! I can't wait to meet him in person someday.

Anonymous said...

Janell, I know how much of a servant your mom is, always thinking of ways to help others! It is a blessing to have godly parents. Janell thanks for honoring your mom, these memories made will last a lifetime! May God continue to heal and strengthen you, and give you fun and rest with Brad and Chase!! Love,

"Aunt" Mary