I have been back on Delphi for a couple of days... some things have changed and some other things have stayed the same. The one thing I hate when I have had an absence and I come back is finding out that I have lost ( literally) some friends and others are ill and it comes with the knowing that there is nothing whatsoever that I could have done to prevent, but it's still a shock to the system nonetheless.

So where have I been?

I have been busy.. that's the simple and short answer. I reached a time in my life where I had to take the bull by the horns so to speak and try to help people in my life get their proverbial ducks in a row. The biggest major happening in my time away has been the birth of my Granddaughter Emily. She is the light in my days and the reason that I am sane most of the time. There is never a truly bad day with her around. She shines, I adore her and until she arrived I never really knew what I was missing. I love her dearly. She is a little girl in a house of testosterone and she had every single member of the male species ( including the dogs) wrapped around her teeny tiny finger.

She's a Leo.. and she is true to the sign... she knows what she wants when she wants it. She knows how she wants it and anything less than your undivided attention will not do when she wants to be paid attention to.

There is some contention with her other grandmother. It's a jealousy thing on her part. I personally could not give a rats ass what she thinks or why, but it is still something that I have had to learn to deal with in the past almost 6 months since Emily's birth.

Her mother has Nephrotic Syndrome of the kidneys, so making sure that Emily arrived healthy was paramount for me. I am happy to report that we accomplished just that and Emily is a healthy, happy and well adjusted little tot. I am also happy to report that her mother is healthier than she ever has been and there are no signs of illness, All of her levels are near normal. Her Nephrologist told her that if he had known that pregnancy was going to help her this much he would have recommended it earlier... to which I say NOT... but I did get his point.

There was a bit of tension in the weeks before Emily arrived... she was measuring very small on ultrasound with an estimated birth weight of only 4.5lbs... she fooled everyone and was born weighing 6lbs 2oz.

Because of steroid use to combat the nephrotic syndrome the umbilical cord was very short and very thick and the placenta looked like grey sand, but the pathology was fine, as was the mom and baby and that in the end is all that matters.

In the months since her birth I have been helping her VERY unprepared parents learn the skills needed to parent her.

She's my angel.. and I ADORE her!