Back from trip, back to work, and baby update

Driving to Iowa on Sept. 26 and back on Oct. 9 turned out to be no problem for me. Once again I surprised myself with how easily I handled it with few breaks and no naps along the way. My days at Melissa and Mark's were filled with doing things around their house so that they could concentrate on the baby. I had my turns with Will, of course. A few people have asked me how it feels to be a grandmother, and I have honestly answered that it hasn't really sunk in yet. Perhaps because Will is such a good baby and his parents are doing so well with him, I find myself thinking--and worrying--about Melissa's recovery more than about the baby. Her blood sugars have been all over the place, and she has experienced some really high blood sugars that plummet so low so quickly that she breaks out into a sweat and feels ill. That scares her and me.

Because of that and because I kept finding more things I could do around the house, I never did drive over to Des Moines to see friends. I didn't make it to tailgating with friends in Iowa City either before the football game on Sept. 29. That was because I was up until 2 a.m. after Will's birth, so getting up early and driving with the football crowd to Iowa City and finding parking and walking to the tailgate spot just didn't happen. I did, however, take a drive Sunday afternoon by myself to see North Liberty and to find the Pearson building in Coralville, which is where I call into when I have a work question. Melissa has been suggesting that the fast-growing North Liberty would be a good place for me to move to--not so close to her that I'd just drop in but close enough to be there quickly if need be. I also drove around the west side of Cedar Rapids after church on Sunday to see how it's grown since I lived there back in 1976-77. Both places have spread out and are continuing to grow, but neither gave me the feeling that I "belong" there. I have thought that if a full-time job at Pearson were available to me, I'd have a reason to move back to Iowa and locate in the Iowa City-Cedar Rapids area. Everyone who talks to me about moving assumes I will move back to Iowa to be closer to Melissa. She wants me to move somewhere closer, but at this point I don't have the energy to start all over someplace where I don't know anyone, and it really bothers me to depend on Melissa when she has so much to cope with herself. On the drive back, I listened to all the Chicagoland radio stations and thought about how much I liked working at Elgin Community College, singing with the Elgin Choral Union, and taking advantage of all Chicago offers (despite the high cost of living). In short, I'm not ready to make a decision about moving, mainly because even just thinking about it makes me feel like I'm abandoning Ed and our last home. Wow, that's some pretty heavy thinking I just shared!

Planning my travel around Pearson's work requirements worked out fine. I did the new software download and computer check before I left; did my training on Oct. 10, the last available day for it; and started grading SAT essays yesterday. I'll be working every day for 12 or 13 days. I considered going back to Iowa after that and before the next scoring session begins, especially if Melissa could use some help. But for right now I have no concrete plans about when I will next make the trip (except I do know I will fly, not drive).

Will had his first doctor checkup yesterday; he is doing well. He now weighs 9 pounds 14 ounces, is 22 inches long. Before I left, he developed more than the usual "eye gunk" around his left eye that also started to appear around his right eye. The doctor suspects a very minor eye infection, not unusual in newborns, which is being treated with some sort of oil that Melissa puts on his lids and eyelashes 3 times a day, which then works its way to the eye as he opens and closes. Last night she reported his eyes already were looking better. They have the go-ahead to introduce a bottle (she started pumping several days ago). Will seems to want to feed off and on for hours, alternating with a little sleep (called cluster feeding), and letting you know with his wailing that he's ready to eat again (hence, I call him our own William, Prince of Wails). Unfortunately, his favorite time to do that is around 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., not good for Mark getting enough sleep to function well at work. So they will try to get him to move that cluster feeding to earlier in the evening and, at the doctor's suggestion, also use some formula at night so he feels fuller for a longer time.

The other news is that yesterday Melissa and Mark bought a 2008 Toyota RAV 4. A friend who works at the dealership got them a good deal. It's silver with gray interior. What a difference in roominess and ride compared with Melissa's 1999--I just blanked on what car she had, and Ed and I even bought it for her in Elgin, IL.

Ending this blog with a fact I can't bring to mind does not bode well for focusing on essays today. Let's hope some coffee and breakfast gets my mind working better.