blog #281 >> Meeting Little Stella

My trip to go visit my new niece, Little Stella can be summed up with: Lost, Tram, Lost, Nice People, Lost, Baby, Lost, Dinner, Home.

Unfortunately, I have not been blessed with a keen sense of direction. And whenever I cross the river into unfamiliar territory, this becomes very apparent.

Friday, I got off early from work and decided to go visit my sister and her new baby at the Med. School. Since parking there is annoying, and I live just on the other side of the Ross Island Bridge, I decided to take the tram to go visit them. Taking the tram was a good idea in theory, but my plan wasn't flawless. The longer I live in the city, the more I realize... I'm not cut out to live in the city. I have the street sense of a hamster.

I got lost going to the tram, since there is no good way to get under the bridge from going over the bridge. And there is not a single sign saying, "This Way to the Tram." "The Tram is Here." or "Park Here for the Tram." or "You just passed the Tram, it was back there." Signage is very important, and they could have used some. After passing it and coming back at it, which isn't easy as it is a one way street, I finally found the parking underground... underground lot. I should have guessed. So, then I just had to find where to get on the tram. Follow the cables and you'll find where it ends, and where it ends is where you get on. Perfect!

My tram experience improved from this point. It was easy and obvious how to buy a ticket. And I heard someone shout, "Hold on! There's ONE coming!" There's one coming is right, I was the ONLY one coming and the only one on the tram. The diver said he had only taken the tram up empty two times, and until I came he was thinking it'd be three. Well, the doors shut, and off we went. And I must say, riding the tram is pretty fun. It was worth the $4 just for the ride. The view was amazing! It was a beautiful clear evening, and I had a great view of the city and Mount Hood and Mount St. Helens. I didn't take any pictures though, I thought I'd take them on the way down instead.

Anyhow I arrived, and started off, flowers in hand. But why must hospitals be designed like giant mazes? Well, I made it to the 13th floor, and to room 16... but that's not her room. That's strange... I know I'm on the 13th floor. And I know this is room 16... Did I forget and write down the wrong room number? So I found some friendly nurses to help. It seems like usually when I need help, the only person around to ask is some grumpy or snoody or crazy or angry or mean or drunk person who knows absolutely nothing and who is less inclined to help me than a sea-sick shark. That's why it so refreshing to know that there are real people out there, who are happy to point you in the direction you need to go. And the direction I needed to go, was to the other building. Other building? Well... that explains it.

...However finding the other building wasn't as simple as going back to the 9th floor. Turn right, go down the hall, turn right again and you're there. Somehow I ended up outside. Hmmm... I don't remember any outside in those directions. I retraced my steps and found another friendly nurse. This nurse also knew where to go. And not only did she give me directions but took me there herself. She was just starting a shift in the maternity ward. Great! It's so much easier with a guide and I would have never found it alone. The hall between buildings is long and dark, and I just tend to stay out of the dark corners in hospitals. There again, signs would be a help. Anyhow I found room 16 on the 13th floor at last!

And meeting new little baby Stella was well worth the journey! She's adorable! You can already tell, she's going to have blonde hair and bright blue eyes, just like her sister. And when I got there, my sister Carrie and her husband Chris were already there, as well as my brother Frank and his wife Amy and their baby Ada. It was really fun getting to visit Amy, Greg, and Stella together.
(I'm borrowing some photos from my sister Carrie, since I held Stella almost the whole time I was there and didn't get to take any pictures.)



Frank and Amy and Ada meeting Stella.

Ada was happy to not be on the elevator anymore.

Carrie and Stella.

Me and Stella.

Stella with socks on her hands so she wouldn't scratch her face anymore. Stella didn't like the socks.

After visiting Stella, I went with Carrie and Chris out to dinner. Which of course meant finding my car at the tram parking. And after spending about three minutes trying to figure out why I couldn't go down in the "up only" elevators, and finding the right elevators back down to the parking garage. And after trying my darnedest to feed my crinkly dollars to the parking pay machine. We were off to a dinner at Lauro down the street from me. It was really nice to have a dinner with my sister and brother-in-law. The food was good. I got a beet salad, which must have given me a lot of energy because by the time I got home at eleven o'clock I felt like Mrs. Howell after eating the radio-active beets, and cleaned house until midnight... at which time I crashed and went to bed...

And that finishes my adventures of visiting Miss. Stella.

T