December 18, 2007 - I have a picture…

Of the little Analyzer taken at the beach just prior to his first birthday. He is squatting down, looking at the sand as it runs slowly through his tiny fingers and he closely examines his new-found toy. I love this picture of him.
It shows his true personality from the very beginning of his early years. As I’ve said before, he is a child who carefully examines everything, and thinks it through carefully. He is such a smart little boy, or now I must say young boy because he celebrates his eighth birthday today.

It’s so hard to believe he has grown so much in such a short time. It seems just yesterday his Daddy was attending his Aunt’s graduation from college. Since her due date was so close, his Mother was home with her mother and sister just counting what was hopefully, the hours when he would come.

After the graduation exercise, his Daddy came back by the house to drop us off on his way home and just as he was pulling out of the driveway, our telephone rang and it was his Grammy wanting to know if his Daddy was still there. He needed to come to the hospital because they had already taken Mommy in and the new baby boy should be here before long. They had found out months earlier that he was going to be a little boy.

So his Daddy left our house for the hospital with instructions from us to call us as soon as there was news. We decided it would be better for us to stay home and wait for the news, to keep down a little bit of confusion.

Sometime after 5:00 a.m. Saturday morning his Daddy called and told us we had our first grandson. A handsome, huge baby boy. Granddaddy and I went down later in the morning to meet our little prize for the first time.

There’s nothing quite like seeing your first grandchild for the very first time, unless it’s seeing your second, third and fourth grandchild for the first time. Miracles never cease. And babies are just that. Miracles. The joy doesn’t lessen one bit no matter how many you’ve welcomed into the world. They are each precious and loved one as much as the other.

It was such an awesome experience looking into the nursery and seeing that handsome little blonde-headed miracle as he appeared to be trying so hard to escape from that bassinet. As I said earlier, he was a big boy. Not fat, but he was a long and big healthy looking little boy. We knew that baby in that nursery was ours. He was the most wonderful little baby in that whole hospital that day. That long leg was extended, trying hard to get out of that bassinet, and he was really crying. He looked exactly like he was trying to escape. He had life to explore, and he didn’t want it passing him by.

All those other little babies in the nursery looked so tiny. Ours was filled-out and just perfect, active in every way. I smile now when I think about seeing him for the first time. I hope I never forget our grandbabies making their entrance into this world.

My message to you my sweet grandson: You’ve been so much fun watching as you’ve grown into a more mature young boy. I can’t wait to see how much more you grow over the years. You’ve made us proud to have you for a grandson. May you have many, many wonderful, successful years ahead of you. I’m sure you will. Happy Birthday, sweetie. Granddaddy and I both love you, Little Analyzer.

What is all that racket?...

Thursday,December 6, 2007

On a recent visit to the northern part of the country my son and his family call home, we spent the day with Beautiful Blue Eyes while his mom went to work and then finished up some other chores she was committed to before we had made plans to visit.
His usual routine was to take a nap shortly after lunch. This particular day his Granddaddy and I decided we would tour the local town and surrounding area to get an idea of where they lived, then get a meal out and return in time for his scheduled nap.

A quick glance to the back seat of the car caused me to warn his Granddaddy that Beautiful Blue Eyes might fall asleep if we rode around too long. Very short trip, didn’t even make it out of town, then it was back home to resume play where he wouldn’t be as inclined to want to fall asleep. But not before Beautiful Blue Eyes fell asleep. He couldn’t have been asleep more than a minute or two before we got back to his house. Of course, he didn’t stay asleep. He was up and around, playing as though he had slept all day.

Time for his scheduled nap…Up to his bed he goes and since he was still sleeping in his crib, I didn’t worry he would get out and into something when I wasn’t looking. Back downstairs I could hear a consistent little thump, thump, thump. On and on the sound came from up the stairs. It was something I hadn’t heard other days when his mom was home.

This went on for maybe an hour until I heard him call for me. I knew he hadn’t been asleep, but I didn’t know what all the thumping was about until I went into his room. There strewn all about his room were several blankets, his favorite stuffed dragon he likes to wear around his little neck like a fur coat, and all his pillows and other toys that had joined him in bed. The only things I didn’t find were his two beloved pacifiers that he had to have to go to sleep. Somewhere lurking beneath the bed or who knows where, were those silly pacis. After considerable looking I resigned myself to the fact he had just eaten them, or maybe the dragon did. Just by luck, I knew where to find an extra one, and after warning him this was his last paci, and he simply had to go to sleep, I had to leave the room. I didn’t dare let him hear the giggles I was hiding over his silly antics. He would have known who had won this game, and it wouldn’t have been Grandmomma. And besides, I needed the rest.

What was that horrible thumping noise? He had managed to bounce his bed down the floor of his room until it nested against his dresser and would move no further.
But he did finally take his nap before mommy came home. Grandmomma offered up a prayer of thanks for silent houses and precious little sleeping boys.
I love you Beautiful Blue Eyes!

“What does it mean, Grandmomma….

when someone says you’re hyper-active?” Out of the blue, this was the question posed to me by my then just turned five-year old grandson, Little Free Spirit. I stumbled through the words in my vocabulary trying to find just the perfect word a little boy his age could comprehend. I offered this word. I threw out that word. I suggested still another, and yet nothing erased that confused and total lack of understanding look from that sweet little face.

I was ready to run for the dictionary….or to the car, and leave those little smarty pants to babysit themselves… Then from over in the corner of the room, all curled up in a chair, focused on pushing buttons on one of those little hand-held-game-machine-thingies-that-I-don’t- know-the-name-of-nor how-they-work-nor-do-I-care-to-know, came the voice of Big Brother, The Analyzer. “Little Free Spirit” he says in his wise little way, “It just means you’re WILD!”

“Ohhh! , said Little Free Spirit,nodding with complete understanding and relieved that the heavens had opened and wisdom had at last poured forth. Finally he could settle down again and go about his play. It was a simple question, after all. All it had required was a simple answer!

Now why couldn’t I have come up with those simple words?!!

I‘m not sure who was more relieved to hear the answer to his question: Little Free Spirit or me.

Well, at least he didn’t ask me any more big questions that day. I probably couldn’t have answered them anyway.

I suspect he was saving them up for The Analyzer.

Let me introduce you to...

Number 1 Grandson = The Analyst – He earned this name early on in life. Never have I seen a child who would so carefully check each and every detail on everything his little life came in contact with. Before he reached the ripe old age of one, his Mother took what has become one of my favorite pictures of him when they were at the beach. He has a handful of sand running through his tiny little hands, and he appears to be carefully checking out each and every grain as it passes through. I am still trying to hang a title to a scrapbook page for this picture, but because it is so serious, I haven’t captured the perfect title yet.

The Analyst is the type of child who closely examines each and every picture on birthday, Christmas, whatever gift he receives, boxes and could probably tell you exactly how it is made just from the pictures alone. He doesn’t necessarily have to hold the toy in his hand; the box will be just fine.

He’s the dreamer of what his next Lego creation will become with a bit of twisting and twixing. He’s the child who loves the printed word. He’s the one who brings fantasy into the real world for his little brothers by reading to them. No, he’s not a geek, but he definitely shows signs of higher intelligence.

Grandson #2= Little Free Spirit – He has a caring, trusting, loving spirit that runs deep and free without a care in the world as long as he has his big brother by his side. No sweeter child walked this earth than Little Free Spirit. Little Brother, Beautiful Blue Eyes, can be a bit of a nuisance, but Little Free Spirit tries to make the best of it. He is every bit as smart and intelligent as his older brother. He just has less time in his life to spend caring about the life of perfection. Life is for living and it's way too short for frivilous things for Little Free Spirit.

This one can leech his way into your heart with simple little statements such as “How’s your art work going, Grandmomma?” He’s referring, of course, not to some great masterpiece you’ve just created, but to your pitiful little contribution to the art world by stamping images, sometimes crookedly placed on a card, colored with colors that don’t always blend well with other colors on the page. But, nevertheless, to him it’s “your art work”. He’s what keeps you going.


He's the template for the Publix commercial of four -year old soccer players, playing on the field of life. Just melts your heart completely.

Grandson #3 = He is such a combination of so many personalities I haven’t found his “just so” title, yet, but it will be added and you may see him referred to as many different things before I finally capture his true personality. One is influenced by so many things in life by the time he reaches the world as Child #3, that it’s hard to pinpoint a clear title.

Since he drew the #3 spot in life, most likely he will be the most independent one out of the three. A survivor he must become, a tender child he will be, oh at least the majority of the time, and a charmer, most definitely. He he has to learned to use those charms on everyone he comes in contact with. The manipulator he will become because that is another step to becoming a survivor. This one will be carefully watched for many special personality developments.

But for reasons described below, at this time, I will refer to him as Beautiful Baby Blues.

At the time of Grandson #2 and Grandson #3’s birth I would never have dreamed they could possibly resemble Grandson #1 so very much. They all seemed so very different physically until years later looking back on each little baby picture one could see so many resemblances that indeed it is very hard to determine just which child’s pictures you are looking at, unless you had the pictures marked on the backs with the dates and/or ages.

Each of the three was blessed with the most beautiful blue eyes you’ve every seen. And eyelashes any girl would die for! All wasted on three little boys who don’t need to be spreading their charms and flashing those precious eyes to pick up girls. They will have plenty of means to stop the ladies in their tracks without those beautiful eyes. This was an added treasured inheritances passed on to them by their father, and grandfather.

These are the blessings passed on to us by our son and daughter-in-law. We couldn't have asked for more.

But receive, we did. From our daughter and son-in-law came Grandchild #4/Granddaughter #1. And how shall I refer to her? Well, none other than “The Little Princess”, of course. That’s a spot and a name reserved for royalty, and royalty she is. She expects and shall receive only the best life has to offer. A lot of this expectancy comes from the spot in our family she drew. You can’t become #1 child in your particular family and #1 granddaughter in the overall family without having certain expectations. “I expect the rest of the world to know I’m as charming and beautiful and special as my family thinks I am”…type of attitude.

I may have to visit a name change later because at this point in her life The Little Princess is showing sure signs I will have to rename her “ Little Renegade.” I can see her rejecting her royal title because she doesn’t have time for following the rules. She is a climber; she is a runner; she is an examiner; she is an explorer; she thirsts for new adventures outside the Castle and away from the King and the Queen…All at the ripe old age of 12 1/2 months. Her life should prove quite interesting…She may be the reason I have to give up the dreams of lace and add her to the world of denim with her little boy cousins. This may become the site of Denim, Denim, Denim and Denim. Lace may slow her down way too much.

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

Tonight my daughter decided to introduce me to the world of technology through blogging. I learned you can act dumb (normal) and your child will set you up and put you on the road to even more total confusion and all you have to remember are your passwords and how to get into your blog.

We shall see if this works for me.

I had to make choices of a name. Cutesy names, serious names, plain names. What would it be. My original choice was alright, but then I decided I needed something more in line with my life.
I have three grandsons and one granddaughter. My second choice was already taken, so I opted for the one above. The lace represents my sweet granddaughter who recently celebrated her first birthday and the denim represents my handsome grandsons who are now (No. 1 Grandson - soon to be eight; No. 2 Grandson few months short of 6; and No. 3 Grandson who just turned two. Grandsons are all sons of my son and his wife; Granddaughter is daughter of my daughter and her husband.

Maybe there will be plenty of lace in my life to help balance the denim. Not that one is more precious than the other. But then again, who knows, the granddaughter may decide she wants to be a little tomboy and wear denim after all. I'll take them all,just the way they are, and be more than glad I've got them. All of them.