Changes

Wow, it has been so long since I’ve updated the blog. We’ve had so many things happen so I will try to catch up in a few separate entries.

We had what was to be our 12 week appointment on March 8. We arrived at the OB office and met with Dr. Kinghorn, who examined me and quickly came to the conclusion that “I think you’re a little further along that 12 weeks.” I wasn’t surprised about this and had sort of suspected that might be the case. She ordered us to have an ultrasound two days later to get a better idea of what the due date would be –and to see whether or not we might have been having twins.

The best part of the appointment was when Dr.Kinghorn used the handheld doppler sonogram that allowed us to hear the baby’s heartbeat for the first time (another reason why she was sure we were further along … hearing a heartbeat as strong as it was is unusual for as early as I was supposed to be). It was so cool to hear the baby’s little hear t beating so strongly at about 160. Joe was a little concerned about whether it should be so fast, but she assured us the baby was in normal range.

After we left the doctor’s office, I called my dad to let him know the good news ---and the at the time crazy possiblity that there could have been two babies! Our good news was met with some sad news, when he told me that my grandma, Elnor Johnson, had passed away just a short while earlier.

There was something oddly comforting to me to know that my grandma left the earth just as our baby was getting ready to enter it, letting us hear its heartbeat for the first time. While I’m sad grandma won’t get to meet the baby, I’m more grateful to have had nearly 30 years with such a special lady in my life.

I’ve been thinking about all the great things grandma taught me over the years and her personal attributes that I could attempt to bring into my own role as a mother. My memories of her and my grandpa are immeasurable, even though my grandpa has been gone since I was 16. But I loved going to their house in Hawley when I was younger; it was such a neat place to escape to and I could count on being thoroughly spoiled during every visit.

My grandma was a wonderful cook, the best I’ve ever known besides my own mom, of couse. Holidays there were full of good food and good conversation. She made the best homemade bread –when I would go to her house, I would simply ask to have a slice of bread. No butter, no jam, no anything. My grandpa always thought that was kind of weird and tried to get me to at least put a little peanut butter on it. But to me, her fresh sliced bread was better than any cookie or cupcake she would offer. She made it from scratch, from a recipe engrained in her head that she did not have written down (I wrote it down myself one time, and still have the recipe tucked away in what looks to be about my 5th-grade handwriting).

There were always homemade baked goods (I can’t ever remember visiting Hawley without seeing my grandpa at the kitchen table dunking one of my grandma’s sugar cookies into a cup of tea). And I used to love to wander through her enormous garden, particularly her raspberry bushes, which were giant in the summertime and always had plenty of berries to pick off the branches.

Each summer, I got to stay with my grandpa and grandma for a few days and they hosted a special “Melinda Day.” It usually started out with my grandma making pancakes, then we’d take a trip to K-Mart where they’d let me pick out a new Barbie, we’d go back to their place and I’d play UNO with my grandpa and then I’d help my grandma bake or cook dinner. It was so much fun and something I looked forward to every year. Their neighbors, who are still my good friends today, Tabitha and Tiffany, would also come over to play and we would put on plays for my grandparents. They were always good sports and got into the spirit of things; we have photos of grandma dressed up with us and grandpa letting us use a curling iron on his hair!

Grandma’s personality changed as her Alzheimer’s progressed following a move to Moorhead and my grandfather’s death. But she always remained gracious and happy to see me and all of her family, even if it meant asking us the same question more than a few times. ;-) It was hard to gradually say goodbye, as she lost her ability to remember her grandchildren and old friends in recent years, although she still knew her own children going into her final year. During some of these visits, particularly in the two years when I moved back to Fargo-Moorhead after college and met Joe, it gave me a chance to listen to her speak about her life as if I didn’t know anything about it. This was always interesting. She would tell me stories about how she met her husband Ray, how she used to live on the farm in Jackson, and stories from when her children were little. She lived a life that was hard at times, but happy overall, and it was nice to hear her recount her journey during some of the visits in the past few years when –depending on the day -- I had become a stranger. She would always ask me, “Now what do you do?” And I would tell her over and over, seeing how she genuinely seemed so happy to be getting to know me as a new friend –even though she had just forgotten that day that I was the grandaughter she knew so well.

Along with memories of grandma and grandpa, I have a few things already in the baby’s room that they gave me. One is a little ballerina jewelry box that I’m so glad I held on to. Another will be a quilt that my grandma made (she was a skilled seamstress –another thing I used to love to do at her house was to look through her sewing drawers and admire all the scraps of fabric). I also have a few children’s books that they gave to me with inscriptions written in them. It will be nice to share these momentos with the baby, who is blessed with a great grandpa and great grandma who will be watching out from above.



Here is a bit more about my grandma:

Elnor H. Johnson

Elnor Johnson, 91, of Moorhead, MN, died March 8, 2010, at Eventide Lutheran Home in Moorhead.

Elnor Henrietta Becker was born Sept. 12, 1918, in Mahnomen, MN, to Ella and William Becker. She was baptized on Sept. 23, 1918, and confirmed on April 9, 1933, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Mahnomen. She graduated from Mahnomen High School in 1936. Elnor married Raymond Henry Johnson in Mahnomen on June 6, 1937. They lived in Jackson, MN, Estherville, IA, and Mankato, MN, before returning to Mahnomen in 1958.

Elnor raised five children and worked in retail and at Multi-County Nursing Service. Upon her retirement Elnor and Ray moved to Hawley, MN, and eventually settled in Moorhead.

Elnor was kind, gracious, gentle and strong. She loved spending time with her husband, children and grandchildren, as well as many other relatives and friends over the years. She grew beautiful flowers and vegetables in her gardens and preserved the “fruits of her labor”. She was known for her superb cooking and baking skills. Countless guests enjoyed her freshly baked homemade bread and coffee cakes. Elnor was a gifted seamstress who made clothes for her family when they were young and turned into a talented quilter in later years. Elnor was a member of Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Moorhead. She previously attended Hawley Lutheran Church and Bethlehem Lutheran Church.

Elnor was an active participant in church and community activities. She attended Birthday Club, Homemaker’s Group, Book Club, Ladies Aid and various church circles and Bible study groups. She liked being a part of bowling leagues, and after moving to Moorhead, regularly volunteered at the Moorhead Thrift Shop.

Elnor is survived by three daughters, Kathleen (Lamont) Hamre of Clive, IA, Judith (David) Workin of Fargo, ND, and Susan (Jerry) Rogers of Moorhead; and a son, Kent (Cindi) Johnson of Sioux Falls, SD. She leaves 11 grandchildren, William (Gwen) Wellner of Andover, MN, Mark Wellner of Mankato, MN, Jill (Duane) Hanley of Lino Lakes, MN, Jeffrey (Carmella) Hamre of Clarksville, TN, Michael Hamre of West Des Moines, IA, Lisa Workin of Eagan, MN, Michelle Workin (Jon Drucker) of Eagan, Christopher (Nicolle) Rogers of Columbus, OH, Melinda (Joseph) Whetham of Salt Lake City, UT, and Elizabeth (Jason) Stelter and Gretchen Johnson, of Sioux Falls, SD. Elnor is also survived by eleven great-grandchildren and one great-great granddaughter.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; daughter, Sylvia Rae Wellner; son-in-law, William Wellner; brothers, Merlin Becker and Lloyd “Dick” Becker; and sisters, Esther Becker Schauland and Norma Becker Maus.

Elnor’s family wishes to thank Dr. Emil Steinke and everyone involved in her care at the Eventide campus over the years and especially in the past few months. We appreciate the care and kindness you have given to our mother and grandmother.

The Visitation for Elnor will be on Thursday from 6 - 8 PM at Korsmo Funeral Service, Moorhead. The Funeral will be on Friday, March 12, 2010, at 11 AM in Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Moorhead with Burial in Riverside Cemetery, Mahnomen, MN, at 3 PM.