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For Valentine’s Day, the Norovirus. How Sweet.
If you suspect someone has the norovirus, run as far and as fast away from that person as you can! Not to be confused with your basic, everyday flu, the norovirus is an instant, violent, ravaging, wicked virus that will take you down before you even realize what is happening.
Right on Valentine’s Day, I suddenly became so sick with this yuck that I lost eight pounds in twelve hours. I had to miss Eva’s kindergarten Valentine’s party, missed Vincent’s preschool Valentine’s festivities, and was only able to give the dozen roses George bought for me barely a glance before they wilted and died.
With my body still weakened by nine months of pregnancy and childbirth less than three weeks before, I guess I was not strong enough to give this hostile virus much of a fight, and it ransacked me. I tell you—I would not wish it upon my worst enemy. After the initial onslought, you still aren’t done. You go on to spend the next few days in bed, unable to stand, while your stomach cramps up and burns like fire.
Wow. Except for last month in the birth center, when the IV fell out of my arm (taking all pain medication with it) and then a fumbling anesthesiologist could not figure out how to insert an epidural just as Valerie shocked us all by suddenly appearing out of nowhere, the virus is the worst pain I have ever experienced. Ever.
The upside is that G was able to hand the boat off to Bryan to take out and run through the Dungeness crab gear for a couple of days (thank you, Bryan!!), and then a storm blew in on the coast so G got to come back home and help deal with the aftermath. I guess I can also be grateful that as a result of all this sickness, I’ve been able to start phasing out my maternity clothes more quickly.
The most amazing thing is that, while Eva and Vincent did get mild cases of the virus, Valerie and George emerged unscathed. I was so worried about Valerie; I don’t know how a three-week old infant could have withstood this. Praise God.
So, that was my Valentine’s Day. Never a dull moment around here! I hope that at least you all enjoyed a pleasant and healthy Valentine’s Day! :) There’s always next year.
Sweet Valerie, dressed in yellow and scrubbed in sunshine. Happy one-month birthday!
Hello, Extreme Exhaustion. I’d Forgotten All About You.
The baby is in her bassinet for a few minutes and the older children have been taken out to dinner by our friends, so I’m taking this moment to let you know that no, I have not abandoned my blog. I’ve simply been taken over by unbelievable exhaustion. Valerie is three weeks old now and I am STILL dashing to my bed or to the couch every possible second that I can.
When I was a younger gal working as a deckhand on my dad’s seine crew, I thought I was deprived of sleep when we’d go to bed at 11 p.m. after reaching the fishing grounds and then wake up at 3 a.m. to get ready and set the net. And then, once Eva was born, I thought I was sleep deprived when I was up every two hours with a fussy newborn. But wow—nothing compares to this!
Being awake all night with a newborn and then getting up to meet the needs of two young children is definitely not easy. Thank goodness for my parents, who are still coming by to take Eva and Vincent to kindergarten and preschool each day. I don’t know what I’d do if I had to have everyone up, ready, and out the door in the freezing cold at 8 a.m. each day after being up all night. I have worked up to doing one afternoon pick-up each day, which makes me feel pretty good.
I’m eager to rejoin the real world again but wow, this no-energy thing is killing me. I also don’t want to consume too much caffeine or other energy-inducing methods since I’m nursing and don’t want to inadvertantly keep Valerie awake any more than she already is.
Valerie is now three weeks old, and George was recently able to make it home for one 24-hour period to visit with the kids and me. I was grateful that he found it worth arriving home at midnight and leaving the next day just to see us, and it was good to see him while he was here.
While not a huge disappointment, the 2012 Washington Dungeness crab season has been nothing compared to last year, which is not entirely unexpected. You can’t expect to have a stellar season every year! Fortunately, George will turn the boat around and head up to Alaska to catch the blackcod and halibut quota as soon as he ends the crab season. Unfortunately, he’ll be heading up to Alaska sooner than we expected. Darn!
If you are one of the people who has written to me via my blog with questions and comments that I have not been able to get to yet, please know that I have received your inquiries and comments and I look forward to replying as soon as I can! Thank you for taking the time to write, and know that your feedback and questions are valuable to me. As soon as I get another moment when I’m thinking clearly, I will respond, maybe even in a blog post.
My goal for this week is to rally long enough to make popcorn for Eva’s Valentine’s Day party at school, prepare a snack for Vincent’s Valentine’s Day party at preschool, and make sure the kids have made enough Valentines for all of their friends. I wonder if George will remember to send roses to me this year? I never hold my breath but I do always hope.
Sweet Vincent hosted a tea party for Eva, Mommy, and Frog.
Eva and Vincent making Valentines.
Dad swaddling the baby on a quick visit home.
Eva's Valentines for the crew.
And Sweet Baby Valerie Makes Five.
Valerie Joy
You may have guessed, based on the amount of time that has gone by since my last post, that our precious baby Valerie Joy has indeed been born. She decided to make a very rapid appearance on January 19, 2012 and was born in literally a matter of minutes! Valerie is a tiny little thing who weighed just 6 pounds, 5.8 ounces at birth and measured 19 inches long.
While at the hospital, she dropped down to 5 pounds 8 ounces, but within just a couple of days was right back up to her birth weight. So far, she is a very mild baby who sleeps quite a bit; and thank goodness for that, because each time she sleeps, I race to my bed and sleep as well.
George was home for the birth (although ironically, he almost missed it; he was eating lunch in the cafeteria with my dad, Eva, and Vincent when Valerie suddenly decided to burst forth. Boy, was he shocked when he ambled back into our room and realized what was transpiring!). George even got to stay for two extra days with me at the hospital thanks to a storm and its accompanying twenty-foot seas that kept the crab boats in the harbor on the official start of the Dungeness crab season.
Sadly, George did leave over a week ago and the kids and I have been holding down the fort. We have had lots of amazing help from my family and friends; everything from school pick-ups and drop-offs, to meals, the sharing of baby supplies, the folding of laundry, and even a slumber party for the kids at the home of our friends.
All of this help has been a surprise and a blessing. I don’t know what I would have done here with a newborn, two other little ones adjusting to not only the arrival of a baby sister but also the departure of their dad, and a household of chores that need to be kept on top of without such help offered to me.
We are off to a good start thanks to so many. George and I also enjoyed some pleasant and uninterrupted time together at the hospital before he left which allowed us to reconnect with each other, enjoy the blessing of Valerie, and get our new family of five off to a positive and peaceful start. I will never forget how sweet it was to spend that time with him in total relief that Valerie had finally arrived safely and soundly, and be able to let go of the worry and anxiety that defined the pregnancy.
I feel such physical and mental relief, such gratitude, the likes of which I’ve rarely felt on this level. My heart sings and leaps for joy each time I look around me and see these three amazing little blessings that God somehow saw fit to allow me to love, cherish, and raise. Astonishing.
Eva holding Valerie at the hospital; her dream come true at last.
Vincent and Valerie. My sweet buddy is slowly adjusting.
Eva swaddled her pink bear.
May the Dungeness Crab and Baby Party Begin Already!
The boat left with a load of Dungeness crab pots last weekend. Although it is always sad to hug G goodbye and wave the crew off, it’s also kind of a relief. Especially this year. There has been so much waiting, wondering, and anticipation as to when the gear work will end, when the boat will leave for Westport, when the season will start, and if the weather will cooperate.
And of course, this year we have the added anticipation of a baby due on the exact day George and the fellas will dump five-hundred crab pots to the bottom of the ocean, hoping the season will be profitable and safe for the five families—including at least a dozen children combined—who are relying on it.
No pressure!
Ah, what can you do? That’s life, moving forward the way life tends to do.
Here are a few pictures of this year’s Dungeness Crab Season 2012 Departure Day:
What an awesome, sweet, and tough crew we have in Bryan, Johnny, Brett, Oscar, and George.
Precious and resilient commercial fishing kids watching Dad pull away from the dock.
Johnny on top of the pots.
George will have a few days at home in between getting the boat to Westport and when the season officially begins, so here’s still hoping the baby decides to arrive during the window in which he is home.
I’m ready.
The kids’ bedroom switch and redesign is complete; Vincent has cool new bunk beds, Eva has her rainbow/butterfly/flower room. Holidays are over, children are back in school, preschool, and activities. House is clean, Christmas presents are put away, writing invoices have been sent off.
I’m tired of waiting; I’m looking ahead already to springtime, capris, sandals, renewed energy, evenings of sunshine and bayside cocktails, and a body I can actually move with ease and feel comfortable within.
Time to get this party started! :)
I love this picture of Vincent; he looks like he just climbed off a Dutch Harbor fishing vessel.
Goodbye, 2011. Great to Finally Meet You, 2012.
I just hung up my new 2012 kitchen wall calendar and deposited the 2011 edition into the recycling bin. I have to say—I am not sorry to see 2011 go.
It’s not that it has been a bad year; for the most part, it moved along just fine. When I look back, I’m incredibly grateful for the health of my kids and family and a good year of fishing and safety for George and the crew. We had a couple of fun trips; Las Vegas in March and Kauai in April, and plans to start making vacations a more regular part of our routine after not taking any for years.
But then I remember the way our beloved pitbull, Toby, died suddenly last April (the day before we left on our first family vacation in five years) after successfully and healthily beating a cancer diagnosis for three years. George left for Alaska and the halibut/blackcod longlining season soon after, and then shortly after that, I discovered we were unexpectedly expecting again.
Pregnancy sickness lasted throughout the summer, fall, and now into winter, making the challenge of being a seasonally single commercial fishing mom much more difficult than it really needs to be.
I have to say that after dealing with a variety of doctors, various medical offices and front desk staff, nurses, opinions, test results, and appointments for the past nine months, I would be happy to never, ever have to step foot in an office or deal with anyone in the medical profession ever again. I plan to write a much longer essay on the topic later, after I’ve had some distance and can gain perspective on this experience, but for now, all I can think is that I want this to be over.
The good news is that in eighteen days (if not sooner), it will be. Assuming all goes well with delivery and the first few months with baby at home, I will so grateful to have my life, my body, and my peace of mind back.
On the other hand, I now have a better appreciation and empathy for patients who struggle with chronic illness, who are told they have medical issues, troubles that can’t be diagnosed or treated effectively, who are not listened to or treated well by the medical profession, and who must attend appointment after appointment and try to stay pleasant all the while.
I’ve written before that after struggling with the physical, mental, and emotional effects of infertility before we were blessed with our Eva and Vincent, I never dreamed I would have a third baby years later. I also never imagined that after such a wonderful experience with the one doctor who saw me through those first two amazing pregnancies, this final surprise would be so different.
I’m going to spend these last two weeks trying to stay calm, looking forward to delivery, and then getting on with caring for a newborn and my two other children and letting the experience of the past nine months fade away in time.
Moving forward and beyond is something I love to do, and I’m excited and eager to make 2012 a great year.
So, we’ll have this baby girl in January, and then in the spring I will be launching my first e-book right here on this blog and via Kindle and other e-reader formats. Details on the e-book will come in the following months, but I am extremely excited about this new project. The book is currently in design and editing stages and I know it will be something I’m proud of and that many of my readers will find useful.
Speaking of blog readers; thank you to all for making 2011 a record year on Highliners and Homecomings. It’s been fun reviewing blog statistics, reading your comments, keeping an eye on subscriptions, seeing which posts get the most “hits” and which pictures get clicked on the most, reviewing where traffic is coming from and watching numbers rise.
As we head into the fifth year, I want to sincerely thank you so much for the support and the time you take to come over and see or read what’s new.
The best to you as we start this new year—health and happiness to all.
Someone posted this on Facebook. It's not the most eloquent wording, but I think it's a sentiment worth keeping in mind.
The Launching of Dungeness Crab Pots AND a New Baby. All at the Same Time. Literally.
George told me today that the Washington Dungeness Crab Fishermen’s Association has a new Facebook page, so I immediately went over and “liked” it. I did some looking around while I was there and could see right away what a great page it is. Updates on the season and the fleet are regular, and Washington Dungeness crab fishermen are also encouraged to post boat and crew pictures.
I love a positive and informative commercial fishing-themed Facebook page (if you do too, check out Commercial Fishing Families & Friends, the Facebook group I started with a couple other commercial fishing wives), so it’s great that the WDCFA has joined the fun.
Speaking of Washington Dungeness crab fishing, George went to a meeting this morning for an update on the season’s start date. We’ve known for a while that the season is going to begin either (roughly) January 15 or January 25. I eagerly awaited word all day as to the firm date, but the only new thing I learned was that we’d all know in 48 hours what the final and official start date will be.
Now, I normally do not get too hung up on the start date of crab season. I know it’s always sometime between December and January, and I just hope each year that G will be around for Christmas. I was a little nervous six years ago when I was expecting Eva, but George was able to be here for her birth on December 12 before leaving shortly after.
A crab season start date of either January 15 or January 25 does not do me any personal good, as that is the exact date range that our third baby is due. Seriously—I’m not kidding. Her due date is January 25 and she will likely be encouraged out slightly before then, hence, the January 15-25 range.
So, I will be waiting impatiently for the next two days until we found out exactly what we’re looking at. I do have plans in case there is no way G can be here; my parents are on board to help with my two children and dog, and I have three friends lined up to keep me company at the hospital and some more who have offered to help following the birth, but it’s still a messed-up situation.
If a five-to-seven-day coastal storm blows through around the due date, making it impossible to crab, that would help. If not, I’ll cross my fingers for a different kind of miracle. Hey, my dad rushed in from salmon fishing in Puget Sound just in time to make it for my birth, and I know someone else who managed to take a sea plane off of his boat in Alaska, fly to shore, get to the airport, fly two hours to his home state, rent a car, drive two more hours home, and made it in time for the delivery of his daughter.
I overheard George talking with Brett today about all of this.
“I’m in a bit of a pickle,” George said.
Um, yes. That’s one way of putting it.
Fingers crossed!
Just a few short weeks left to go! I also received a 3D video today of the baby moving around and looking cute.
Operation Christmas Child–A Gift For Everyone.
It comes as no surprise to anyone who knows me, or who has ever read this blog, that I am in love with and so proud of my children. That’s not to say we are always well-behaved or that we don’t test boundaries, ignore rules, or make unwise choices. Of course we do! But I am always proud of their sweetness, their caring hearts, and their desire to do nice things and to love people.
This year at a church event, we learned about Operation Christmas Child, a program in which you obtain an empty shoe box and fill it with gifts to send to a boy or girl somewhere around the world for Christmas. Boxes were provided at the event, so we grabbed two of them. Vincent was responsible for choosing gifts for a boy between the ages of two and four, and Eva became responsible for selecting gifts for a girl between the ages of five and nine.
We went shopping this weekend and each of my children chose gifts they thought a boy and girl would love. They selected hair barrettes, hot wheels, chapstick, toothpaste, toothbrushes, stuffed animals, blankets, colorful socks, and rubber lizards for their boxes. At home, we packed the boxes, printed out labels, and waited for this morning when we took them to church and the kids carried them in to place on a table growing with similar boxes.
I was nearly brought to tears several times this weekend as I watched how excited Eva and Vincent were to choose things for someone across the world, close to their ages, who did not have “as much” in the way of toys and the like as they did. Surprisingly, my children never asked for anything for themselves as we chose gifts for their boxes, and they couldn’t wait to proudly, and with huge smiles, carry their boxes into church.
I tallied up the cost and discovered that each box held $35 worth of product. Of course, that amount could have varied in either direction, depending on where one chose to shop. Now, I’m no math whiz (I was an English major!) but a total of $70 seemed pretty darn reasonable, and worth every penny. When I fill up my vehicle with gas, it costs $70. I took the kids to lunch after we did our box shopping, and that cost $20. We went to the mall, where I dropped way too much money on face and hair products.
Keeping the gift box tally in mind compared to what we spend in an average day was a real eye opener for me.
We aren’t strangers to local and global giving around here, but most of our giving is done anonymously or to places we don’t see the impact first hand or know exactly where the money is going. We sponsor a low-income family in town, contribute to young single mothers, volunteer with a no-kill animal shelter, and George gives to Boy Scouts and the Smile Train. But these are things—except for the animal shelter—for which we simply write checks and never actually see impact.
To see my kids smiling and thoughtfully choosing gifts for other children, to print out labels and watch Eva tape them to the boxes, to look forward to tracking the packages to see where they end up, imagining what joy $35 will bring to each child…incredible.
If you have $15 or $30 lying around, consider grabbing a shoe box and filling it up to send across the world through Operation Christmas Child. Drop off for the boxes runs until November 21!
Eva waiting to pack her box that will be sent to a little girl between the ages of five and nine years old somewhere across the world.
Vincent giving two thumbs up for the box he created that will be delivered to a boy aged 2-4 years in a foreign country.
On the way in to church, a drop-off location for the kids' Operation Christmas Child boxes.
Eva and Vincent were all smiles as they added their boxes to the growing pile on the table. We tracked the gift tags so we'll know to which country their boxes will arrive.
Love Kingergarten, Hate the Kindergarten Rat Race.
This has been the most peaceful day I’ve had since school started…and oddly, it’s been an awesome day in part because there was no school today. I went to bed last night looking so forward to this morning because I knew we wouldn’t have to rush, rush, rush everyone to “get dressed” and “eat breakfast” and “gather backpacks” and “remember lunches” and hustle everyone out the door, down the stairs, and into the car.
Just like the good ole days, the kids and I got up early but we took the morning slow and easy. No rushing, no panic, no last-minute remembering, no racing. We went to Jazzercise all together, saw our friends, went out for breakfast, and then came home. Later this afternoon we made popcorn, put in a movie, and listened to hail pound against the windows and watched the tree limbs going nuts outside during a perfect fall storm.
I tell you, I just can’t stand all-day, every day kindergarten. I really wish that it was a full day but just three days a week, leaving a mother two week days to spend with her little ones exactly as she (and they) wish. I knew that adjusting to a daily 9-5 school grind was going to be a challenge for this commercial fishing mom and family, and it is.
Getting up early is not a problem, but I find hustling and strict schedules really annoying. Be at school by 8:20 each and every morning of the week…or else. Be at the bus stop by this time in the afternoon…or else. Yesterday, I saw that we were going to be late to school and instead of rushing and ordering my kids around, I chose instead to call Eva’s school.
“Eva will be at school at 9 this morning,” I announced. I know that being late is not a good precedent to set for your children, but I weighed the odds and decided to make the call. Hey, these are my kids, not the school’s. They are still little, I’m seven months pregnant, and darn it, I just did not feel like hurrying everyone.
I cannot wait for the holiday season to get into full swing. I am looking forward to a few days off at Thanksgiving and a couple weeks at Christmas with the children so we can have more time to play and relax and not make every day about being on time, dropping off, picking up, eating dinner, and going to bed. They are only four and five years old! And soon, we will have an infant in tow. How did we become part of the workday grind along with working adults?
The school district and most parents absolutely love all-day, every day kindergarten and I’m well aware that my view on the matter is in the minority. I understand the reasoning for the school district implementing all-day, every day kindergarten and I’ve listened to and read all of the arguments on both sides. But this is my blog and I can spout my opinion here…so here it is. I am one mom who does not like it. At all.
I’m glad that today, for one day during the week, we got a break from the elementary school rat race and I had both of my children home to spend time with and enjoy.
Speaking of the holiday season (and moving on from the topic of school—it is Friday, after all!)…it’s not only the holiday season, but it’s pre-Dungeness crab season, too! G and the crew are on the boat working hard each day getting it all ready to go. George has been working on the boat by himself for the last two months, so I love it when the crew rolls into town with their help.
Here are a few pictures of the last couple weeks…
First things first, get the boat back in the water.
Quick time out to celebrate Halloween and go trick or treating…
Back on the boat to keep getting ready for the crab season…
Foster a precious pitbull named Ryder….
Dream of next spring’s Florida or Hawaiian beach vacation, as Eva and her iPhone sketches seem to be doing as well.
Poor Me, Poor Me, Pour Me a Drink…
Friday iPhone Fun almost didn’t happen at the Schile house. Yesterday morning as I was leaving to take Eva to kindergarten, Vincent to preschool, and myself to teach Jazzercise, G announced that he wasn’t going to be able to meet me at the AT&T store that afternoon.
“Wait,” I said. “WHAT?!”
“I can’t get away,” he said. “We’ll have to go tomorrow.”
“No!” I said. “We have to go today! They’ll be gone tomorrow! It’s important!”
“It’s not important,” he said, looking straight at me.
“I’ve been waiting for two years and I’ve done all the research,” I said. “It’s important to me!”
As I left the kitchen, I added one more comment. “You’re mean!”
The conversation, not off to an admirable start (I think I’ve been hanging around too many kindergartners), only went south from there. Now, I normally pride myself on not whining, not begging, and not making people feeling guilty for things they have to do.
Not this time.
I pulled out all the stops. I mentioned the way my back feels like it’s broken every day. That I’m six months pregnant and still throwing up. I’m not sleeping well. I don’t ask for anything. I’ve been miserable for six months. I haven’t had any down time lately…
I know: Poor me, poor me, pour me a drink….(if only!!)
Anyway, as shameless as it all was, I guess G decided that losing two hours of work was not worth sending his pregnant wife over the edge for. In the end, he met me at the phone store and we each came away with the new iPhone 4S. I then spent the rest of the day and night as planned, loading my apps, learning the new features, playing around with the camera, and getting my old iPhone all set up for the kids with more games and learning activities.
Not my proudest day, to be sure. But sometimes a pregnant wife has to do what a pregnant wife has to do, and it isn’t always pretty. ;)
"Okay, you got your new phone, I'm posing for a picture...now will you please go away?"
Vincent couldn't understand why we wouldn't let him climb onto the boat this time.
There's G climbing up the ladder, back to work on refrigeration as soon as his annoying wife leaves the shipyard. :)
Fishing Mommy Down (But Not Out!)
It’s a day on the couch for me. Here’s a bit of advice; if you have a cough that lingers for a week and is not suppressed or helped in any way by cough medicine or Musinex, you might want to go to the doctor. Especially if you are in the middle of a pregnancy.
Don’t give your strange cough seven days, then ten, and then fourteen, thinking it’s got to get better at some point! By the time you enter your third week of gagging, throwing up, and coughing, you might find out what you really had to begin with was viral bronchitis. And when viral bronchitis doesn’t get treated, it becomes bacterial bronchitis. And when that goes untreated, it becomes walking pneumonia….which is what I have now and why I’m on the couch with doctor’s (and husband’s) orders to REST!
I “should have” gone in to the doctor a long time ago, but I’m not an alarmist and I figured it was a simple back-to-school cough that would go away soon. It will go away soon now that I’m on antibiotics and prescription cough syrup.
When you’re a mom of active children, though, what can you do? You keep going. We had school and preschool to get to, open houses, ballet, gymnastics, Jazzercise, and church. We aren’t super busy but we do enjoy these activities and I certainly can’t sit around when we have things to do.
I’m accustomed to keeping going without a lot of help no matter how I’m feeling because that’s what a fishing mom does. Nobody is going to come over to get Eva dressed for ballet, or convince Vincent to eat his breakfast, and there’s no way I’m missing the open house and potluck at school.
G is a huge help when he’s here, but he’s back to work at the harbor and the boat. He had the boat hauled out for bottom painting and is also working on an overhaul of the refrigeration in preparation for the Dungeness crab season.
I did suddenly start to feel bad for the new baby, though, like I wasn’t taking good care of her. My tummy started to pull and hurt when I coughed, and I worried that if it was bacterial, that would definitely not good for a baby. To help ease my guilt I finally went and bought a pink baby book for her and a frame for one of her ultrasound pictures. Then, when G told me to call the doctor, I agreed it was probably time!
Onward and upward. Let the antibiotics and cough medicine do the trick and Mommy will be up and running again in no time.
"Dad, I think the leak is right here. If we could just tighten up this socket a bit..."
"Aw, let's just forget it and go have a popsicle instead."
Adding the first picture of the third child to the family collection.
