One Month

So much has happened in the past month.

Zane is gorgeous and beautiful and handsome and ... did I say beautiful?

The new family is doing so well too.
Ben was able to stay home for 2 weeks with Zane and Meredith.
They have had so much fun.
Shopping with Thomas and Cate.

A street concert in Graham with Grammy, Mom and Dad.

More shopping with Grammy along with his first visit to Grammy's house.
Paw Paw and Zane were even caught sleeping in the rocker together!

 

 

 

 

And Carly is making a special visit.

AND the dogs love Zane. Peanut can't stop licking and even Shelby has given few kisses.
When Zane was visiting us, Chico saw him and immediately fell in love. He barked from the deck and jumped on the door to greet him. He also received several kisses from Sam.

Zane is better at sleeping at night. He can smile, giggle and even bat at nearby objects.
He likes his pacifier and cries if it is not in him mouth.
He has even been seen scooping the paci with his arms back into his mouth.

AND he is sleeping most of the night - 6 hours.

He is such a blessing.

I am In Love with Another Man

Friday evening Meredith told us that she was being admitted for an induction - as I like to say "jump start".

But she went into labor on her own Saturday morning and while she did go to appointment on Saturday 9.14, her labor was well-established.

The nurse started the "jump start" and then about 6 hours later a little epidural to help mom with the intense contractions. About 5 hours later the water needed to be broken as baby loved the Miami Beach womb - 98 degrees with a little wave. Only then did baby decide to show interest in arriving - finally started to thin and dilate.

At 3:45 p.m. on September 15, 2013, Zane Benjamin Edwards was born to Meredith Miller Edwards and Benjamin Edwards.

Grampa and I arrived later and we are so proud of Meredith and Ben!! There was also Maw Maw Debbie and some of the Edwards family. Little did we know that Aunt Carly made it all the way to the hospital from Wilmington.

And then the moment arrived. I fell in love with  another man - Zane is the most handsome baby I have ever met. All 8 lbs 4 oz and 21.25 of him. What a fantastic experience to hold you!!

When you came home on Tuesday, you were already holding your head up and rolling on your side. Well, you were already grown -- 2 weeks old by that time.

Zane -- we are all so in love with you.!!!

The Days after the Dr. Appt

The days after the Dr. appt were quiet. Just waiting for the baby. Nothing earth shattering occurred at the Dr. appt. The Dr. just recommended an appt to deliver the baby if nothing happened naturally.

That was  Tuesday.

Today is Friday and Meredith calls me after I am home from work.

She received a letter from the Dr. to report to the hospital at 7:30 pm Sept 14. They will give her some meds to induce labor. If she is not far enough after 24 hours, then they will consider a cesarean section.

Either way, the baby will be here. The momma and baby will be healthy and happy.

We will all be happy.

Twas the Night before the Dr. Appt

T'was the night before the 41st week Dr. appt. and no baby is to be found.

Yes, little one, you have missed your due date by a week.

Your due date was Sept 3 2013 and no one thought you would make it this long. We really expected an August birthday. And as I have shared, no one wanted an August birthday for you.

During the pregnancy, your mom was told that her belly was measuring early or big several times. They actually measured you at 6.2 lbs at 36 weeks - given an approximate .5 lbs each week during the last month - you should weigh around 8.5 lbs now.

So your momma is huge. But she has a great attitude and does not seem to be miserable at all.

She is very healthy (except a little cold that has resulted in a torn muscle in her ribs) and hungry and still enjoys a good walk or swim. And of course, your momma is beautiful. You will see the pics, she is gorgeous.

Tomorrow is the 41st week Dr. appt. Your mom and dad will listen very carefully to the Dr. and midwife before a decision is made if we continue to let you grow inside the warm cozy belly or outside in your mom and dad's loving arms. God has a special plan for you. We are excited to see that plan unfold this week.

So we have been waiting ... all of us. Your mom, dad, grammy, grampa, and maw maw as well as your puppies Shelby, Sherlock and Peanut. Aunt Carly has visited your mom and dad regularly driving up to Burlington from Wilmington. We all love you and hope to see you soon.

My Walks with our Dogs

Our family dogs have always walked with me.

We live on long dirt road, much like others around Orange County, with a few other homes which all have 10+ acres. The surrounding trees and streams are lovely so the walk is cathartic.

In the 21 years here, each dog has walked with me down this gravel road.

Initially it was Emmett, and then Spike. I walked and the dogs followed. Spike was always behind me - no leashes necessary. Never did I have to worry about him chasing any deer, squirrels or get lost from sniffing the surrounding trees. When Emmett passed away from old age, Spike continued to walk with me, just the two of us walking about a mile.

 

Thomas and Emmett 1988

 

Emmett and Spike 1992

 

Dexter and Spike 2007

When Carly picked out Dexter from the pound, and he was no longer a small puppy, both dogs followed me without incident. Arthritis slowly consumed  Spike's body but he persisted. Although each walk became more difficult, Spike followed until he couldn't walk the distance any longer. He stopped at strategic spots to rest, knowing that I would be back on the return home. It was our special time together.

Dexter continued this tradition after Spike passed from old age. The routine never changed. However, Dexter in his old age, became so arthritic that I sometimes had to pen him to prevent him from following me up the hills, for his own good. On one day, I thought that I should just let him follow me. I assumed that he knew what he is capable of and what his body can endure.

I walked up the long hill, to the top of the road, off the gravel and proceeded down the asphalt road for a longer walk.  I turned my back, did not see Dexter and thought he would go no further than the mailboxes. I had no idea that on my return down the gravel road he had walked further than I could have imagined.

As I passed Dexter and heard the rustling leaves, I saw him struggle to get up to greet me. Dexter was waiting for me under the trees at the corner of the asphalt and gravel road. He had walked to the top of the long hill, past the mailboxes to the drive of a nearby neighbor and waited. His loyalty to our walk brought tears to my eyes. It was our last walk together. He passed about a month later.

 

Dexter 2010

During Dexter's older years, I did not let the  newer, younger dogs walk with us. Sam, and then Chico, did not practice following me during our walks. I did not feel comfortable that they would stay in line so to speak, like our other dogs. And since Dexter's passing, I just didn't want to try - until this morning.

 

Sam and Chico 2013

Their reactions were reminiscent of Emmett, Spike and Dexter. Once Sam and Chico realized that we were going out of our boundaries, off our property, they were so excited. Their tails wagged and they barked excitedly. Sam kept nibbling my hand as if to hold it.

We walked the same path I walked with their predecessors. Down the drive, to the left, past the stream, up the hill, down a hill, up a hill to the end of our road and back home. Amazingly all went well. They kept up with me and did not stray off.  Until the return home.

At the top of the final hill they both disappeared. I whistled for them both but neither Chico nor Sam came. Surely they both knew these woods and would get home - probably before I did. No sooner had I turned around, here came Chico running at full speed as if to say, "Wait for me. You aren't going anywhere without me!! Here I am." But Sam did not come as quickly.

Trying not to worry, I headed home with Chico only to find Sam meeting us at our driveway and wet. I am sure he strayed to find his beloved stream of water for a quick dip as Goldens do love water.

 

Sam and Chico 2013

In all, I am pleased. With more walks and practice, Sam and Chico will eventually follow tradition. Our family dogs have always walked with me.

Definitely a SEPTEMBER gbaby!

Our family has 4 August birthdays - Thomas, Tommy, mine and Ben's. We also have 2 wedding anniversaries - mine and Tommy's as well as Thomas and Cate's.  Then my neice Lakey also has an August birthday as well as my sister in law Barbara, two brother in laws - Greg and Dewey -  and our 2nd grandma, on the Tuck side, Millie Leisey -- who just turned 100 this week!! That is a lot of celebrating in one month.

In 2012, we had a birthday celebration/staycation at our home in Hillsborough. We went fishing, grilled and just enjoyed each other's company in early August.

This year we celebrated at our home again - all of us. We had a baby shower and a great evening of family  time.

Needless to say Meredith and Ben want a SEPTEMBER birthday for their baby. We are about 6 hours away from September 1. Will we or won't we? That is the question. In 6 hours we will all know.

 

But I am going on record, out on a limb, making a bet -- definitely a SEPTEMBER gbaby!

If I am wrong we now only have 1 hour 45 minutes. But this has been posted and I will eat those words!!

Routine Saturdays

Every Saturday Tommy cleans out all the trash cans and we head to the dump.

Very mundane and predictable. So predictable that Chico, our granddog, starts whining.
 I know it sounds weird that a dog knows when its Saturday. But surely he did.

The whining started early this morning, before Tommy even started to collect the household trash.
He was whining while we had our morning coffee on the back deck and then he rushed into the house when I opened the door. Chico headed straight to the trash can to get some tissue. Don't ask me why he likes to eat dirty Kleenex but he does. GROSS!

And he continued whining until Tommy started collecting trash. The truck door opened, Sam and Chico jumped in the back of the truck to wait contentedly - no more whining.

All the trash was collected, both dogs were in the back seat and we were on our way to the Orange county landfill - Chico's tail wagging the entire way. Sam does not seem to be as excited as Chico is with this weekly adventure.

There does not seem to be anything really special happening at the dump. Sam seems bored and Chico, well he must be loving those smells because his tail does not stop wagging. As Tommy would say, he is a happy camper.

You gotta love those routine Saturdays.

Days away ...

We are just days away. I say we for a reason.

We are family and there will be a new addition.
That is incredibly exciting. Not only is there a new addition - which is different than a new addition because of marriage - the new addition is a miracle of God.

God has chosen that our family experience the miracle of a baby. The miracle that Meredith and Ben are pregnant and the miracle that he/she will be here soon.

The miracle that this tiny infant will belong to all of us. Although Meredith and Ben assume the primary responsibility of raising the baby ... we are all responsible for this little one.

God has bestowed upon us this blessed miracle and now we all must be extremely responsible to do our part in helping Mere and Ben -- in whatever capacity they need us.

So we must pray for a safe delivery of this precious baby and safety for Meredith during this process. Guidance for Ben to assist Meredith as they begin their family in which we are also responsible.

We are family and we are blessed.

Happy Anniversary

Happy Anniversary Honey!! 34 years today -- so hard to believe that in 1979 we knew each other only a few months and married.

We met in January of 1979 when Tommy came  to A. L. Stanback Middle School in Hillsborough as a 7th grade social studies teacher. At first glance, during a teacher's meeting, I knew I was in trouble and had met Mr. Right.

He literally courted me. Flowers and special notes were sent to me via his students. I was not ready to meet him and really didn't take him too seriously. Even when he asked me to a dinner at his apt. I didn't show up.

One day he ignored me -- then I became interested. And the rest is history.
Three months later we were married.

Thirty four years and three children later -- we love our lives. We are so proud of what we have made in our marriage as well as who we have become individually. We could not be more blessed.

 

 

Our family at Thomas' wedding 2009.

 

 

So today we celebrated our anniversary with brunch at Crook's Corner in Chapel Hill. They have such a unique menu but are well known for their shrimp n grits - my fav. Amazing.

 

 

The bathrooms are limited - a one holer - the restaurant was a former gas station. So there was a line. A lady exited the bathroom and said that she was not done yet because she needed to hand off her baby to the daddy.  I volunteered to hold the baby and she said "This is Chapel Hill so it is ok to let strangers hold your baby." and she did. I held Ariel while the mom finished. What a joy!!! She was so precious. I still can't believe that she trusted me.

 

That's Chapel Hill -- where Tommy and I met and strangers can hold someone's baby.

 



 

 









Two Weeks and Three Days

August 16, 2013

Within two weeks I will be a happy Grammy – well really 2 weeks and 3 days.

Yes, the day every potential Grammy can’t wait for … a little bundle of joy that you can spoil and hand back to the parents. In this case – Meredith and Ben – my oldest and her husband.

 

The arrival is in my thoughts, every day and night – is that overdoing it? I don’t think so. Am I being selfish? I don’t think so. Am I excited? DEFINITELY.

Friends keep asking – boy or girl? It might be clichéd but I really don’t care as long as he/she is healthy. I will be a Grammy no matter what the sex, what the name or who gets to hold it. The baby is my grandchild. My first grandbaby that will always hold a special place in my heart.

We will laugh, giggle, read; garden and cook then laugh and giggle more. Then they will spend the night or weekend while mom and dad have an evening off. In the summers, we will camp, catch fireflies, and jump waves.

Ok – stop. Let’s get that bundle of joy safely into the world first, name the baby, and start enjoying his/her new family -- Mom, Dad, Shelby, Sherlock and Peanut.

Then true joy will abound for The Happy Grammy.