My young husband and I stood beside our broken down station wagon, each holding an infant up for passers-by to see. We had four-month-old twins. Along with our infant twins, we were traveling with our three little girls, ages five, three, and two, as well. They have to see how desperately we need help. Surely... Continue Reading →
Madeline Louise
"Mama, there's puppies next door! Daddy, come see!" Maggie and Serrah, heralded their news in stereo. Great. OK, let's go have a look." We were in Bismarck celebrating my younger sister, Carmen, graduating high school, with my family. The neighbor handed puppies over the fence to Maggie, Serrah, Lyle, and I, "They're eight weeks, yellow... Continue Reading →
How You Yike It? Huh!
I turned around, completely taken by surprise. How in the heck? My nine-month-old baby boy was standing directly behind me, a hesitant smile on his lips, and eyes that were pleading with me. I groaned, "How did you get out of your crib?" He had practically beat me out to the kitchen. "That was really... Continue Reading →
Re-Adjusting the Viewfinder
“Beeeeeep…beep..be..beep,” At first, the sound of the infant heart monitor had woken us with a sense of heightened alarm, but soon it became a sort of reminder, and we woke with a heightened awareness. We went to check on our infant son, knowing that it would probably be a lead that came loose. Thankfully, for... Continue Reading →
The Cop With the Cookies
During the two years since my husband Lyle and I had moved our family to Fargo from Bismarck, we had found the most curious guardian angel in a female police officer. I had known Officer Cora Duin since I was a little girl. She is a remarkable woman, a dynamo, the very first uniformed female police officer... Continue Reading →
Tis’ the Season…
“Abracadabra! Make Grandma and Grandpa disappear!” was the final desperate attempt of two persistent little girls in the back seat to get their way. At ages four and three, Maggie and Serrah had given it their all. They had come up with reason after reason why Grandpa should turn the car toward our home in... Continue Reading →
No, I Can Not Be A Halloween Cat!
“O.K., now, arch that back like a Halloween cat,” he repeated as if I hadn’t heard him the first time. “I AM,” this seemed hopeless. I tucked my chin to my chest, and willed my spine to pop out for the anesthesiologist attempting to insert a spinal block. “My belly is huge. There really isn’t... Continue Reading →
It Was a Really Scrawny Tree!
What could possibly be so hideously wrong with the image on the screen as to make the ultrasound tech purposely turn the screen away from our view? He looked so serious. What the heck could be wrong with our baby? Oh, jeez. Our baby is hideously deformed! Why is he so nervous? “Why did you... Continue Reading →
Did You Ever Have a Time, When You Couldn’t Make a Rhyme?
“Down by the bay Where the watermelons grow Back to my home I dare not go For if I do My mother will say ‘Did you ever see a moose Kissing a goose?’ Down by the bay” We were reveling in days of Raffi and grilled cheese. Who doesn’t love a good grilled cheese and... Continue Reading →
Defeated
The pharmacist rang up the medicine for treating the thrush in my infant daughter's mouth. I stood nervously holding her. I hated this part, but I swallowed my pride and said, "I need to put it on a charge." He looked at me awkwardly, "We don't use charge accounts here. You have to pay with... Continue Reading →
Love My Messy Life 