And then there were three

When our twin grandsons were born five years ago we rented a condo in Minneapolis so we would have a place to stay when visiting, as well as having somewhere to host family holidays and sleepovers with the boys when they got older. After renting for two years, we decided to make the commitment/investment and bought a unit in a brand new condo development in Downtown East Minneapolis. It was a great experience; we got to choose our unit and pick out all the fixtures, flooring and cabinetry. We loved Minneapolis, which had become our second home since Kate went away to the University of Minnesota in 2000, and the location was wonderful, a 15 minute walk from the light rail station.

Eighteen months later, Kate took a job with White Wave Foods in Denver and moved there with her family. When they finally bought a house last July (the Denver real estate market is brutal!), we decided to sell our place in Minneapolis and buy a place in Denver. Our kids saw their grandparents only a couple times a year, and we want a closer relationship with our grandkids. We were in Denver for a week in July and found a place that met our needs and had an accepted offer on it before we went back to Houston. Our decision was cemented when we found out in August that Kate was pregnant...only one this time, thank goodness! August and September were quite the whirlwind. I went up to Minneapolis to put the condo there on the market. It sold for the asking price in less than a week. We got rid of most everything we had there, only taking what we could pack into our Highlander. We closed on the Minneapolis sale the day after Labor Day, drove to Denver the next day and closed on the Denver purchase the following Saturday. We didn't actually move in until Thankgiving, after paint, new hardwood floors and new furniture.

Harry

Our newest grandchild, Harold Adam Sommers, aka Harry, was born on April 9 at 4:50pm. Kate had a scheduled c-section with the twins because they were both breech. Men never ask for directions! Harry had the good sense to come head first, although he was 9 days late and his labor had to be induced. Once the induction was started, things progressed rapidly and Kate ROCKED IT! At one point she decided to get an epidural, but there was no time. Being a labor and delivery nurse, I have seen hundreds (maybe thousands) of births, but this one was the most memorable. It was hard to see my daughter in so much pain, but I am so proud of her for the way she persevered. She had the unmedicated vaginal birth that she had hoped for. Harry is beautiful and seems to be a pretty laid back baby. I did finish his quilt before he was born.

And here he is with his beautiful mama...