Finally getting to drink from a bottle. A few tablespoons at a time!
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6 years ago
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Leaving NICU Behind--
With each improvement, comes a change to a new floor of the hospital.
Now Mommy gets to actually hold the Camster!!
Cinco de Mayo--The Camster's 2nd Birthday!
Two years ago today, I was in the middle of preparing some
killer enchiladas to take to a Cinco de Mayo party with my
Sunday school class.
But, the Camster decided it was his day to enter this world a little
ahead of schedule. Not too big a deal—but the plan was that his
mother be induced on a certain day, to ensure she’d be in B’ham,
1-1/2 hours (100 miles) north of us, when she gave birth.
See, Cam was born with gastroschisis, meaning that, while
developing, there was a hole in his abdomen, and his intestines
were growing outside of his body. He would need immediate,
specialized attention in order to survive. So, being born in B’ham would
allow him to be whisked immediately over to Children’s Hospital for
care.
The local ER doctor felt safe in saying that we could make it to
B’ham before Cam’s mom was ready to deliver. We would
just have to head immediately to B’ham with no stops along the way.
Well—we fudged on that just a bit. We went home, threw some stuff in bags,
I gathered up my half finished enchiladas, dropped them off at my mom’s house (can’t
waste food!), and then headed on up the interstate.
We had some dramatic moments along the way, like when my
daughter was yelling that the baby was coming. “Ok---Is the
baby in fact literally coming out of you at this particular moment?!! Or are
you being a bit dramatic? We still have about 35 miles to go. I need to
know if I need to pull over and call 911 and prepare to deliver a baby!”
Turns out she was just kind of panicky. Yeah! The driver was too! But, thank the Lord that the traffic was light, there was no construction, and no accidents. We made it
to the hospital and were greeted by a whole team of doctors, who were
needed to assist in the delivery. Cam didn’t make things too difficult on his mom, and it wasn't too long, before he made his debut.
He was able to see his mommy for just a moment, and then, with tubes
and wires attached all over him, wrapped in a special bag up to
his chin, to protect
his intestines, he was wheeled out to a waiting ambulance and whisked
off to children’s hospital.
There were no major problems with the intestines, which is always
a concern with gastroschisis. That was a great blessing!
And, about a week after he was born, he was able to have surgery to
have the intestines put back in his abdomen.
While his intestines were healing and starting to function properly, he had to be
tube fed . At almost two months, he
was finally having little sips from a bottle, but still being tube
fed until he could work up to having 3 ounces at one time, and
keep it all down. Once he got a taste of the bottle, he didn’t like
It when he couldn’t have more. He literally started out with a couple of
teaspoons at a time! That was just enough to make him mad!
All this time, his mommy stayed at the Ronald McDonald
House, nearby, so that she could see him every day. I know it was a very tiring and
emotional time for her. She was very much anticipating the day she
would be able to take him home!
He got to come in time to celebrate the 4th of July. Despite having
to be hospitalized two more times after coming home, he has done
quite well. Looking at him now, you would never know he had any
complications when he was born. It is amazing to think that for almost the first two
months of his life, he didn’t even know what a bottle was. That all his nutrition was from
from a tube. Because if you saw him eating now-------with his seemingly bottomless
pit of a stomach, you would never know he ever had any kind of intestinal problems!
Thank you God for all your blessings! Thank you Children’s Hospital,
and Ronald McDonald House! And thank you to Cam’s mom.
Of course, I never made it to the Cinco de Mayo party. And I think
it would have been the first time I ever celebrated that holiday. But,
now every year, Cinco de Mayo will be special to me!
Happy Birthday Camster! (aka stink bug) Grandmama loves you!
killer enchiladas to take to a Cinco de Mayo party with my
Sunday school class.
But, the Camster decided it was his day to enter this world a little
ahead of schedule. Not too big a deal—but the plan was that his
mother be induced on a certain day, to ensure she’d be in B’ham,
1-1/2 hours (100 miles) north of us, when she gave birth.
See, Cam was born with gastroschisis, meaning that, while
developing, there was a hole in his abdomen, and his intestines
were growing outside of his body. He would need immediate,
specialized attention in order to survive. So, being born in B’ham would
allow him to be whisked immediately over to Children’s Hospital for
care.
The local ER doctor felt safe in saying that we could make it to
B’ham before Cam’s mom was ready to deliver. We would
just have to head immediately to B’ham with no stops along the way.
Well—we fudged on that just a bit. We went home, threw some stuff in bags,
I gathered up my half finished enchiladas, dropped them off at my mom’s house (can’t
waste food!), and then headed on up the interstate.
We had some dramatic moments along the way, like when my
daughter was yelling that the baby was coming. “Ok---Is the
baby in fact literally coming out of you at this particular moment?!! Or are
you being a bit dramatic? We still have about 35 miles to go. I need to
know if I need to pull over and call 911 and prepare to deliver a baby!”
Turns out she was just kind of panicky. Yeah! The driver was too! But, thank the Lord that the traffic was light, there was no construction, and no accidents. We made it
to the hospital and were greeted by a whole team of doctors, who were
needed to assist in the delivery. Cam didn’t make things too difficult on his mom, and it wasn't too long, before he made his debut.
He was able to see his mommy for just a moment, and then, with tubes
and wires attached all over him, wrapped in a special bag up to
his chin, to protect
his intestines, he was wheeled out to a waiting ambulance and whisked
off to children’s hospital.
There were no major problems with the intestines, which is always
a concern with gastroschisis. That was a great blessing!
And, about a week after he was born, he was able to have surgery to
have the intestines put back in his abdomen.
While his intestines were healing and starting to function properly, he had to be
tube fed . At almost two months, he
was finally having little sips from a bottle, but still being tube
fed until he could work up to having 3 ounces at one time, and
keep it all down. Once he got a taste of the bottle, he didn’t like
It when he couldn’t have more. He literally started out with a couple of
teaspoons at a time! That was just enough to make him mad!
All this time, his mommy stayed at the Ronald McDonald
House, nearby, so that she could see him every day. I know it was a very tiring and
emotional time for her. She was very much anticipating the day she
would be able to take him home!
He got to come in time to celebrate the 4th of July. Despite having
to be hospitalized two more times after coming home, he has done
quite well. Looking at him now, you would never know he had any
complications when he was born. It is amazing to think that for almost the first two
months of his life, he didn’t even know what a bottle was. That all his nutrition was from
from a tube. Because if you saw him eating now-------with his seemingly bottomless
pit of a stomach, you would never know he ever had any kind of intestinal problems!
Thank you God for all your blessings! Thank you Children’s Hospital,
and Ronald McDonald House! And thank you to Cam’s mom.
Of course, I never made it to the Cinco de Mayo party. And I think
it would have been the first time I ever celebrated that holiday. But,
now every year, Cinco de Mayo will be special to me!
Happy Birthday Camster! (aka stink bug) Grandmama loves you!
Friday, May 1, 2009
A Tip About Potatoes And a Lesson in Tips
And now for my next installments of our adventures in Aruba
A tip about Potatoes and a lesson in tips.
When we last heard from the Thursday people, (aka me and my crew) they were just finding out
That they were, in fact, Thursday people. Fresh off the plane and not yet in the midst
of any island adventures.
So—we set off to remedy that and have our first adventure----to find something to eat for supper. J, who had been to Aruba once before, led us to a restaurant, La Petit cafe that had been calling Her name ever since she last visited the Island. Unfortunately, it was closed, so we
Headed down the road that ran parallel to the beach, letting the thought that we were actually in Aruba sink in, as we looked for an eye-catching restaurant with some local personality.
We found a place called Tulips, with outdoor seating, which promised a mixture of Dutch, Caribbean and International cuisine. Sounded perfect! Dutch cuisine & outdoor seating right across from Eagle beach. AHH! We might have still been in our jeans, while everyone else was in shorts or beachy vacation attire, but we were settling into our vacation.
With our entrees, we were offered a choice of French fries, fried potatoes or sautéed potatoes.
I ordered French fries, D ordered sautéed potatoes, and J decided she’d try the fried potatoes.
She asked if they were fried with onions to see if they were made like we make at home in the south, with chopped up onions. “Oh, yes” said the waiter with a confident nod, and off he went to turn our orders in to the chef.
Ok—--quick lesson in potatoes, as we expected to see them:
French fries------well—everyone pretty much knows what French fries look like, and they are usually made with the potatoes being cut lengthwise into strips and deep-fried in oil.
Fried potatoes -- usually cut in a circular shape, then, while still completely raw, put in a fry pan with onions and cooked in oil. They are soft on the inside and will have touches of brown on the outside from the fry pan.
Sautéed potatoes- potatoes are cut into cubes, boiled, and then put into a pan with a little oil or butter and sautéed.
Well—when we got our food, and received our potatoes, they all looked the same. Like French fries! Only, J’s was served with what looked like a pile of shredded raw onion shoestrings. She made a comment about the raw onions heaped on her fried potatoes (disguised as FRENCH FRIES), thinking that the waiter, who was from the Netherlands, might not have understood what she wanted. He was very eager to help her out and took the plate, only to return a few minutes later with the same fried potatoes (again looking very much like my French fries, which also looked like D’s sautéed potatoes). Only, this time, the pile of shredded raw onions where no longer on top of the french fries (I mean fried potatoes), they had their own special plate.
We laughed about this, which made the waiter realize it still wasn’t what we were expecting.
He asked us about this, but we told him everything was fine. Well- except that we’d like some water. All of our glasses were empty and had been that way for a while. He said he’d go get us water, but still, later, we were waiting for our water.
In fact, that waiter never returned to our table to wait on us. Another waiter Feddy (pronounced Freddy, without the "r") came to check on us and bring us our tickets.
When we looked at our tickets we found out that the restaurant had added a 10 to 15% “service charge” to each ticket. This was not the gratuity---it was a service charge.
When Feddy came back to collect our payments, he asked about our service and we mentioned that we never got our water and our waiter disappeared. We asked if we had offended him, by sending the potatoes back. We also asked him to explain the service charge on the tickets. Feddy said that the service charge is added to the tickets and helps pay the wages of all the restaurant employees. The server does not personally get this money. The server will only get what is left separately as a gratuity, if you feel he or she deserves one. And—about the water—He said that in Aruba, drink glasses are not automatically refilled. If you want more to drink, you must ask for it. HUH? Really? Well when he walked off, I said, “Well, in America we tip appx 15% above the ticket amount. If you want more, you have to ask for it.
But, of course I DID leave a tip—in addition to the service charge. But, what is up with that? We have to pay for the food, pay their salaries and leave a tip? Is that done in other countries too?
A tip about Potatoes and a lesson in tips.
When we last heard from the Thursday people, (aka me and my crew) they were just finding out
That they were, in fact, Thursday people. Fresh off the plane and not yet in the midst
of any island adventures.
So—we set off to remedy that and have our first adventure----to find something to eat for supper. J, who had been to Aruba once before, led us to a restaurant, La Petit cafe that had been calling Her name ever since she last visited the Island. Unfortunately, it was closed, so we
Headed down the road that ran parallel to the beach, letting the thought that we were actually in Aruba sink in, as we looked for an eye-catching restaurant with some local personality.
We found a place called Tulips, with outdoor seating, which promised a mixture of Dutch, Caribbean and International cuisine. Sounded perfect! Dutch cuisine & outdoor seating right across from Eagle beach. AHH! We might have still been in our jeans, while everyone else was in shorts or beachy vacation attire, but we were settling into our vacation.
With our entrees, we were offered a choice of French fries, fried potatoes or sautéed potatoes.
I ordered French fries, D ordered sautéed potatoes, and J decided she’d try the fried potatoes.
She asked if they were fried with onions to see if they were made like we make at home in the south, with chopped up onions. “Oh, yes” said the waiter with a confident nod, and off he went to turn our orders in to the chef.
Ok—--quick lesson in potatoes, as we expected to see them:
French fries------well—everyone pretty much knows what French fries look like, and they are usually made with the potatoes being cut lengthwise into strips and deep-fried in oil.
Fried potatoes -- usually cut in a circular shape, then, while still completely raw, put in a fry pan with onions and cooked in oil. They are soft on the inside and will have touches of brown on the outside from the fry pan.
Sautéed potatoes- potatoes are cut into cubes, boiled, and then put into a pan with a little oil or butter and sautéed.
Well—when we got our food, and received our potatoes, they all looked the same. Like French fries! Only, J’s was served with what looked like a pile of shredded raw onion shoestrings. She made a comment about the raw onions heaped on her fried potatoes (disguised as FRENCH FRIES), thinking that the waiter, who was from the Netherlands, might not have understood what she wanted. He was very eager to help her out and took the plate, only to return a few minutes later with the same fried potatoes (again looking very much like my French fries, which also looked like D’s sautéed potatoes). Only, this time, the pile of shredded raw onions where no longer on top of the french fries (I mean fried potatoes), they had their own special plate.
We laughed about this, which made the waiter realize it still wasn’t what we were expecting.
He asked us about this, but we told him everything was fine. Well- except that we’d like some water. All of our glasses were empty and had been that way for a while. He said he’d go get us water, but still, later, we were waiting for our water.
In fact, that waiter never returned to our table to wait on us. Another waiter Feddy (pronounced Freddy, without the "r") came to check on us and bring us our tickets.
When we looked at our tickets we found out that the restaurant had added a 10 to 15% “service charge” to each ticket. This was not the gratuity---it was a service charge.
When Feddy came back to collect our payments, he asked about our service and we mentioned that we never got our water and our waiter disappeared. We asked if we had offended him, by sending the potatoes back. We also asked him to explain the service charge on the tickets. Feddy said that the service charge is added to the tickets and helps pay the wages of all the restaurant employees. The server does not personally get this money. The server will only get what is left separately as a gratuity, if you feel he or she deserves one. And—about the water—He said that in Aruba, drink glasses are not automatically refilled. If you want more to drink, you must ask for it. HUH? Really? Well when he walked off, I said, “Well, in America we tip appx 15% above the ticket amount. If you want more, you have to ask for it.
But, of course I DID leave a tip—in addition to the service charge. But, what is up with that? We have to pay for the food, pay their salaries and leave a tip? Is that done in other countries too?
What makes this story even more fun, was that I looked up Tulips restaurant today to see if they had the potatoes listed on their menu. I found a website where people gave recommendations and comments on this restaurant. The comments were as varied, I guess as people are. Some loved the food, some hated it. Some said it was a good value, money wise, some people thought it was expensive. Some had excellent service, some had horrible service. But my favorite comment was this:
The food is tasty and nicely presented. (If you like potatoes ask for the many ways they prepare them).
Yes--please do this---ask away----just be prepared. No matter what way you choose your potatoes to be prepared, they are going to come out looking like french fries!
Stay tuned for our next island adventure, where we learn a lesson about gas………..
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