Visiting Seattle

I'm in Seattle for my 2nd visit this year with my daughter Rachel and her husband, Howard, and daughter, Ashlynn. I've been here 4 days and it's gone so fast it's hard to believe that I've been here that long. It's been full of me and Ashlynn time and some time with Howard. Last night Rachel, Ashlynn and I went for a ride to Black Diamond. Beautiful! Up in the mountains and it was cold and Autumny and golden and red and orange and foresty green. It reminded me of our trip to Norway 2 winters ago except without the snow. The trees here in Seattle and surrounding towns are so massive and numerous. I love the blue spruce and the tall pine trees with the branches which turn up in a smile with super-long needles. It's really beautiful because everywhere you look there are differences and great variety in scenery.

I am enjoying the humidity. For the first time since moving west from Florida I can sleep all the way through the night without drinking three glasses of water - in fact I don't need any fluids here during my sleep hours. Nice!

Last Rachel and Ashlynn and I were driving through Black Diamond and I said to Rachel, "Look that over there looks like a scene out of the Twilight movie! - - It looks just like Forks! I guess I'll go home and finish the movie now." I hadn't finished the movie when I started to watch it two weeks ago because I became bored with it so turned it off. Anyway, Rachel then explained that Forks which is just a little ways from here looks nothing like this and that the movie was not actually filmed in Forks WA where the novel is set. Interesting!

Ashlynn loves to run from me. I think she knows I'm a grandma and can't keep up with her. She has the fastest little legs (definitely an athlete). She loves to spend time in her room alone and we shut the door and give her some space when she needs it. She has a crib and a big girl bed and loves to sleep in her crib but watches her barbie TVDVD play which teaches her how to sign and to sing and which is mounted on the ceiling from her big girl bed.

Today Ash went down for a nap on the big-girl bed which is unusual and we shut the door for quiet. I was downstairs and her mom was napping in her room. After about an hour I heard sobbing and coughing and then some choking and so I jumped up and ran as fast as this grandma with a sore knee can run up the stairs. I looked into her room and she was not in her bed but I could still hear her sobs. I opened the door wider and looked in and found her in her closet on the floor on her face with her still tiny diapered bottom up in the air crying like a 9 month old - broken hearted. When she wakes up in her bed and not her crib it scares her and she cries like the world has left her behind. I walked over and picked her up and she wrapped her arms around my neck very tight and cried even harder. I carried her into her moms room, pulled the covers back and she crawled over to Rachel and buried herself next to her mom and stopped crying immediately. I have not ever seen anything as tender as this little girl's feelings for her mom and her dad.

Tomorrow Ashlynn goes to Children's Hospital in Seattle at 11:30 a.m. for Surgery at 12:45. She has a slight runny nose and we're hoping this doesn't stop the surgery which she needs so very much. I'll be praying all through the day and night tomorrow if the surgery happens for both she and Rachel who will be in Intensive Care until Tuesday morning. Then if all is well they'll come home, Rachel will go to bed and I'll take my first shift with Ashlynn. Tonight when Ashlynn was standing in front of the sliding doors to the outside looking out into the darkness and dancing with her reflection, I told her parents that I don't know how they got her because I'm not sure that any of us are worthy of her. They agreed and said, "because without her we would not make it to the Celestial Kingdom!" I don't think that is true but one thing is for sure, with her in our lives we are learning how to live a little higher, be a little happier and at times a little sadder. She very definitely is showing us how to be a little more grateful for who we are and for who she is that we don't know about yet. She is something. She is exhausting. She is happier than anyone I know. She gets more frustrated than anyone I know when she can't communicate her feelings and needs to us. She understands everything we say so maybe the problem is on our part! We're learning from her every day. I wish everyone in my family and among my friends could have an Ashlynn in their lives. Thanks for coming to us Ashlynn.