First, the great good news is that Stoli is well, she and Nels are in Anchorage and the doctors have stopped the labor, and hope to keep it stopped for at least 2 more weeks (Stoli is 34 weeks today, term is 40, but their 17 month old Lani was 2 weeks early…).Stoli is also very healthy, and the baby in her womb is healthy too– she just wants to meet us soon, is all. You may have gathered that it has not been a quiet week in this Lake Woebegone at all. Thursday my daughter and her husband and toddler left for six weeks in Sitka to wait for baby number two (due Sept. 12 or so) close to the hospital, as the clinic here had a hunch something may be happening and figured better safe than sorry, which was a great move since about three hours after they arrived Stoli went into early labor and was medevaced to Anchorage, where there is a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. “The Fam,” as Stoli calls our extended Lende/Lynch A-team, took over, and Great Auntie Tanya and cousins Thor and Luck cared for little Lani until I arrived in Sitka to pick her up and bring her back to Haines. (Joyfully I might add, as Tanya appears to do everything that way– .) We had perfect flying weather to Sitka and back- I flew in a four seater no less– more on that later– Lani napped in my arms the whole way back to Juneau, where we spent the night at Aunt Eliza and Uncle Justin’s, then came home the next afternoon, to aunts JJ, Sarah, Teo and Summer, Uncles Keanu, Zach, and Brian, cousins Lila, Caroline and Ivy, and Grandpa “Poppy” (Chip), Mimi (me!) and Grandma Holly. (I hope I got everyone here, there’s a few more out of town right now.) Lani is doing great, and we are all having fun with her– Grandma Holly and Auntie Teo had a weekend sleepover and now it’s our turn. As to that deadline? I’m writing a book about finding the good– and what’s important in life– and what is more important than this? Everything will be just fine. I’ll write around the edges like I did for years (and like every other working grandmother and mother does.) Right now the main thing is keeping Lani happy so Stoli and Nels don’t have to worry. “The Fam” is so on it that she’s going to need a social secretary.
