Memories (Installment #30)

A LOT of time has passed since I last wrote up my memories posts, so I thought I needed to add some more.  I really am glad I am doing this...especially before I start losing the memories.  It really amazes me that my children actually enjoy reading what I have written up so far!

My last post in the series covered Katherine's birth...she is now a brilliant, cute 7-year-old, getting ready to go into 2nd grade.  We've covered a lot of ground, emotionally, relationally, and geographically, in the intervening years.  Time for me to do some catching-up!!

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A few days after getting home from the hospital we went back into town for Katherine's first doctor's visit, and a subsequent visit to the labs at the hospital where it was determined that she was jaundiced, and were supplied with a "billi-blanket" - a handy wrap for the baby to get much-needed UV rays to assist in the breakdown of dead blood cells.  We had dealt with jaundice with previous children, but never to this extent.  After a few days of this, and her levels not going down as fast as needed, it was determined that it would be best for her to be in the hospital under super-duper lights, and she and I packed up and went back to the hospital, where we stayed for another four or five days.  FINALLY, we were able to go home!

Soon after Katherine was born, our landlady decided to up our rent from the already-steep (for that area)  $900/month, and there was no way we were going to be able to pay that, since our housing allowance for the area had only just been raised to a lofty $780/month. 

An evening sunset view from our new front porch.

SNOW! From our porch.

We started looking around for another place, or rather - Jason started looking.  I was a bit busy with homeschooling, packing, and a newborn baby.  He was able to find a place that was going to be "cozy", but closer in price to our housing allowance, and he arranged for some guys from work to help us move...the first of February we moved into our "house" ...which was actually a mobile home placed on a foundation with a skirt under it.  The landlord was the head veterinarian for the state of Montana, and it really seemed like an ideal situation.  We were on 2 acres of land, in the middle of a field a few miles outside of Helena, but still in the valley.  We had well water, and gas heat - which was HUGE, because it was MUCH cheaper to heat the place than was the last place with its electric baseboard heaters! 

This was February, 2004.  By August it was determined that there was no way we were going to stay afloat, even with the reduced electricity and rent, without more income.  *sigh*  I had to go back to work.  Katherine was 8 months old when I started working full-time as an overnight cashier at Wal-mart.  I was also still homeschooling.  Yeah, I don't know how I managed to stay sane doing that, even for a short period, but the following year Frances, Jon, Heather, and Justin started school with everyone else, Frances going into 6th grade, Jon into 3rd, Heather into 2nd, and Justin into kindergarten.

*edited to reflect the correct years they were in school.  You'd think I'd remember....