Getting Close...

Sarah called today and she is TWO centimeters! She's due in two weeks, so I knew it could be any time, but I am still surprised. I was only two centimeters when I went into labor, maybe less. (By the time you have three babies, you forget every detail and years later can't remember which story goes with which kid. Or, maybe that's just me. None of you other moms out there get your kids' milestones mixed up, right?) I do know she can still go till her due date and then some, but have I mentioned she is working two jobs right now? Being on her feet sometimes 16 hours a day is probably not helping her reach her due date.

Anyway, I'm getting excited and a little stressed out. My child is THREE hours away and going to go into labor at any time. We're also still getting things gathered up for this child. He needs to wait at least till his due date to make his grand appearance. But if he's anything like his momma, I don't expect him to cooperate! lol

I just hope that the few of you that are reading this are praying people. (I think all of you are, unless someone I don't know about stumbled upon me.) Please pray for Sarah to have a safe and quick delivery and that my "Leo" is healthy. Reading all these blogs recently about complications with full term babies is disconcerting. That's not even counting the ones that were early, because we're past preemie now. Phew...

Thank you from the bottom of my heart. :)

This was taken at Christmas. She was 7.5 months.

Little People-- Big Personalities

I'm sure as soon as the new baby gets here, mine and my blog's attention will be focusing on him for a little while. So, I decided to introduce the first five today.

My Aunt Willie Belle said, "The first is always special." They all are equally special, but if you have more than one you know what she means. There's just naturally more excitement with the first grandbaby. When Debbie, Larry's oldest daughter, called to tell us she was pregnant I was thrilled for her. As Debbie's stepmother, however, I wasn't exactly sure where and how I would fit in. Would I feel like a grandmother? Would the baby somehow "sense" that I wasn't his or her "real" grandmother? I was quick to tell Debbie that I wanted to be called "Mimi" and I wanted to make sure that this child would never feel like a grandchild second class. My step-grandparents had taken my sisters and me into their family immediately and I knew I wanted ALL of mine to feel... well, like they belonged to me. But would they? All of those fears were completely and forever calmed the day Rebecca was born. After a long labor, with Debbie still in recovery and the baby safe in the nursery, Debbie's mom stepped outside for a moment. A minute later a nurse came in and asked if we wanted to go back and see Debbie. My husband and I followed her to Debbie's recovery room where she was resting. We and her husband were the only ones in the room when the nurse walked in with the baby. Debbie and Brian held her for a minute and we took the first pictures of the new family. Then Debbie looked up at me and said, "Do you want to hold her?" WHAT? I got to be first?! She slowly handed her over and Rebecca looked up at me and that was the moment. I became a real grandmother once and for always. Now almost 8 years later, I will soon be one for the sixth time. Wow!

Rebecca has always had her very own distinct personality. She is beautiful, bright, and funny. Her humor is about the quirkiest kind you can imagine and her giggle is infectious. She reminds me SO much of Larry's Great-Aunt Willie. Aunt Willie had her own "Willieisms" and Rebecca has her "Beccaisms." One of my favorites was when she was hanging off the couch by her feet and said, "Hey, everybody. Look, I'm up-down-side." So naturally funny. :)

She called today to announce that she got her ears pierced. She couldn't wait to tell Shelbi (who at 16 still doesn't have hers pierced) that she is braver than her.

I took this at her 7th birthday party.

Noah is next. He is seven, being born just a few hours shy of Becca turning nine months old. Yes, we got two in 9 months! He is Stephanie's first and the first boy for all of us! This was quite a shock for us after only raising girls. Noah has been a lot of fun from day one! With Stephanie living so close to us, we've been able to spend a lot of time with him. He is charming, when he wants to be, and a quick learner.

He's a man's man, or boy's boy, in this case. His biggest loves are video games, action movies, four wheelers, mud riding, baseball, and he LOVES spending time hunting and fishing with his daddy. He's also a big ole' Poppa's boy. :)
I took this gap-toothed picture this morning before he went to church with Poppa and me.

Mason is Noah's younger brother. He turns five in March and just started pre-school last fall. Mason is the most attached to me. He was born during a really dark time in my life and brought light and life back to me. He was the best medicine to my heart, ministering to me as I nurtured him. He still lights up when he sees me and I'm always the first one he looks for when he visits. He is active, curious, and very smart. I call him my Curious George, because it's one adventure after another with this one.... and usually a little mischief involved along the way. ;) He reminds me most of my Nan when he gets that twinkle in his eye.


Lauren is Rebecca's little sister. She's four and I'm not sure I can adequately describe her personality. This one definitely has a mind of her own. She has the most determined little temperament, sometimes driving her mom crazy. Just wait till the teen years, Deb. :)

She used to walk around her house in Arkansas with a phone on her ear all the time. She always told her mom, "I'm talking to Mimi." Now, it's depends on her mood if she'll even take the phone when I call. Most of the time I hear her in the background saying, "No, I don't feel like talking." I think she's the most unpredictable of all five of them. She loves Dora the Explorer one day and Hot Wheels the next. She definitely keeps everyone on their toes. What a mess! :)

Last, but not least, here's Harlee. In spite of having two big brothers, Noah and Mason, this is one girly little girl. She just turned two in Dec. and it shows! As the baby granddaughter, she has her Poppa wrapped around her finger. You'd think he'd be immune by now to the wiles of women, but I think he's a slow learner. lol She loves books, Barney, her "thilky", and her Aunt Shelbi is her favorite person.

She is such a smart little cookie. She started speaking in sentences before her first birthday, mostly when admiring someones jewelry. "Ooh, what's that?" was her first whole sentence. A little on the nosy side. We thought she'd never learn to walk, though. I think she just enjoyed being carried for 15 months. (Just like her Mimi. lol) She still wants to "hold you." She is a trip and everybody is enjoying the ride! :)

Now that you've met these five, you who don't already have your own grandkids are going to be begging those grown children to hurry up and give you some!!!!

Love, Penny

Of Mimis and Nannies

I guess my baby having a baby might have something to do with it. Even though, this new baby won't be my first rodeo. I've been doing this "grandmother thing" for almost eight years. No, he won't be the first baby, but he will be the first born after they died. "They" being my two grandmothers (aka Mimi and Nannie).
I seem to be missing those two "old girls" more intensely as of late. Nannie's been gone almost two years and Mimi passed away just three months after her. These ladies were two of the closest, dearest people in my life. Not to mention, they were the most influential. There's so much of them I want to make sure I carry on, so much of them that I want to be for my own grandchildren.
For Nannie, I was the fifth grandchild out of 15. For Mimi, I was the first grandchild of 10. While they did have some things in common, besides five grandchildren (double-first cousins) and living on the same hill, they were also very different. Mimi let me believe the world revolved around me and Nannie, a pure realist, made sure I kept both feet on the ground. As a fellow realist, I'm closer to Nannie on that one. They both took me to church as a child and were there when I walked the aisle at ten. They instilled their faith and values in me. Both of these girls were loyal to family and friends and that was ingrained in me. Mimi was quiet, but Nannie never met a stranger. All of you that know me can figure out which one I take after. Both of them had a sense of humor. Mimi's nursing home nurses even said she always made them laugh. Hers was a quiet humor. The kind that just slipped out unconsciously, but with perfect timing. My Nan had a drier, wicked sense of humor and a twinkle in her eye when she was "being bad." The day after her husband's funeral, my Poppa, we took her out to check on his grave. She looked down at the strip of grass between "her side" of the grave and the headstone next to it, shook her head in disgust, looked up at me with a big grin, and said, "I'm gonna have to lose weight to fit in there." I shot right back, "That's okay, we'll just drop you in sideways." I thought she was going to drop and roll laughing right there in the cemetery. My momma says I have NO sense of humor, but I think the gene skipped HER and she just doesn't "get it." lol She'll kill me for this when she gets a computer, Internet, and learns to navigate. Hmmm.... might be a while. :) Back to Mimi and Nannie: Mimi would drop everything to spend time with me. I remember taking her off into her guest room so I could have a captive audience to read my first "Sally, Dick and Jane" to. She acted as if she'd never heard it before, even though my Uncle Sammy is only seven years older than I am. My favorite times with my grandchildren are story times. When grandkids got to cutting up at her house Mimi would wave a fly swatter in our direction, but I don't remember her actually using it. My Nannie was the strict one with plenty of spanking spoons handy and a switch tree in her yard. (I made many trips to that tree, having been told to "go pick me a switch.") Noah testifies better than I can as to which one I take after. He once told his mom he needed to stay with Mimi (this Mimi is me) while she made a cake. "Because," he says, "we'll be wild with you and we won't be wild with Mimi." He's got that right! This Mimi doesn't just threaten, she follows through. lol
After writing all of this, I see a lot more of my Nannie in me than I see Mimi. Maybe having my grandchildren call me "Mimi" is my way of evening things out. They were such wonderful role models and are responsible for most of the good in my life. I was so blessed to have them for 42 years, incredibly blessed. The torch has been passed. In a few weeks I'll have a brand new baby... and a million new memories to create. I hope I get it half as right as they did.

To Be or Not To Be.....

Okay, that title totally reminds me of my two favorite high school English teachers, Mr. Hathaway and Miss Crouch. Which in and of itself is a good thing! (Wish he were still around to read it. Miss Crouch, if you stumble across it, please be kind and overlook any grammatical errors. Remember, this is NOT for a grade. If it were, you know I'd kill myself tweaking it into an A+. Besides, my spellcheck assures me it is fine. lol You know I love ya, Miss Crouch. :)
Anyways, the title poses the question I've been asking myself since I decided to begin this blogging adventure. What kind of blog am I going to do? Reading all the others so much before trying it myself has me a little intimidated. Hey, just being honest. Some of the ones I read are hilarious, sweet, dramatic, touching, etc. You get the picture! Competitor that I am, here I sit giving a lot of consideration to something that shouldn't be that complicated.
Okay, here are my random thoughts.

• Should I be serious? (I am REALLY good at serious.) Sometimes serious can be boring, though.



• Should I be funny? I will try, but honestly my sense of humor can be a little dark or sarcastic. I definitely wouldn't want to end up with comments telling me how I offended someone. (I am totally not offended by what some anonymous blogger writes on THEIR OWN blog, but some people take too much to heart.)



• Should I be dramatic? I think I'll probably pass on this one, at least most of the time. Although, my life can be considered drama.... think "Dallas," I don't think I'll air all of my dirty laundry. ;) Besides, with the economy like it is, the real soaps don't need more competition.

What do you think? One of the above? or do you have a better suggestion? I know, I know... I am crazy posing a question when I only have two followers, but there's always the chance someone might come across it.
BTW Thanks Cristi and Tracey for signing up so quickly and not leaving me looking like a total loser. lol I love y'all! (That is "you guys" if you're from the north.) That's me! all inclusive.

Love,
Penny

Children and Grandchildren Tally

I couldn't think of anything in particular to write about in this first real post, so I'll just give you a brief glimpse of my family. I was going to add a picture of myself but I don't have a recent (or decent) one, so I decided to post a picture of our six girls. Yes, six! When my husband and I married (almost 19 years ago) he had three girls, I had two, and two years later had one together. Five years after we married, my husband officially adopted my first two. The six now range from 16 to 32 years. The baby is the only one left at home. (Empty nest countdown has begun. :( That's a whole other post.) The oldest has two little girls of her own. The second oldest has two boys and a girl. And daughter number five has a boy due around Valentine's Day (a new little "sweetheart"). Rebecca, our oldest grandchild, will turn eight Feb. 5th. She was born on her Poppa's birthday. The others are Noah (7), Mason (4), Lauren (4), and Harlee (2). I'll probably be posting a LOT of pictures of them. Look forward to that. :)

This picture is in birth order. Left to right: Debbie, Stephanie, Leslie, Mallory, Sarah, and Shelbi.

Hello

Well, I finally started my own blog after reading so many others. Most of my posts will probably be about my children and grandchildren, unless something exciting happens in my life that doesn't include them. Doubtful. :) I really do hope that something I have to say might touch someone's life or simply encourage them.

Love,
Penny