Gage is 2!

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Lila is 2!

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Shared photo book from Brenda

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Cathy Returns

A couple of years ago, I blogged about my little doll, Cathy. The following is that blog.

"One Christmas when I was around four or five, Santa Claus brought me a little baby doll that drank and wet. She was really cute and had lots of blonde hair. I would feed her, diaper and redress her hourly it seemed.

After a short while, her little leg came off at the hip. Mother tried to fix it. With no success, she enlisted Daddy’s help. Although he could put the little leg back on, it wouldn’t stay. I began to cry and I was so sad because my little baby doll that Santa brought was broken.

Mother felt terrible about the damaged baby doll so she went to Miller-Gunn in town and bought me another baby as a replacement. (Later in my life, Mother told me that she’d paid $12.00 for her which was an enormous amount in those days.)

She was a much larger, more pliable baby. She had molded hair instead of the blonde mop of the first one. She smelled new. She drank and wet, too, but I was wiser with her. I fed her water no more than once a day so that I didn’t have to change her diapers so often.

Momo Johnnie had Mildred Thompson, a neighboring seamstress, to painstakingly make an entire wardrobe for her. I loved my new little baby doll so I wanted to give her a special name. From then on, I called her Cathy.

Cathy was my constant companion. Whether I went to Sunday School and church or over to any of my grandmother’s houses, I carted Cathy along with all of her baby gear.

I stored her wardrobe in a little trunk. The little dresses, pantaloons, and bonnets were hung nicely on small hangers. The outfit that I remember most clearly was a red corduroy cloak with a matching hat. Even in the heat of summer, Cathy looked radiant in it.

Cathy entertained me and accompanied me constantly for the next several years. After a while, I put Cathy up. That, in Southern/Texan terms means, I placed her in a safe place as a keepsake.

Barbie came along and rousted Cathy from the top spot for my affections. Momo Johnnie, Mother, and Mildred made Barbie clothes and they bought a few little outfits. Pretty soon, Barbie was as well dressed as Cathy had been.

I won’t go into detail here, but Cathy fell victim to our coon hound, Sandy. Although I had outgrown Cathy, I was still distraught. I think of Cathy every now and then. In fact, I’ve been searching the internet for another Cathy. I look at garage sales and shows, but I haven’t found one yet. But I’ll keep looking because anyone so dear to me should be found."

To complete this story, I must tell you that on Saturday, I found Cathy. I had been out shopping and decided to visit a sweet friend. She wanted me to see her doll and antique toy collection. Almost as soon as I entered the doorway, I saw her. . . Cathy. My eyes sweated. I just couldn't believe it. Needless to say, Bobbie wanted me to have Cathy. I took Cathy home, bathed her, washed her little dress and pressed it. I spent most of the rest of the evening playing with her. Sweet memories came rushing back. I found a sense of peace. Since Sunday was Mother's Day, I felt like all my little chicks were home once again. Pure bliss!

It's been a long time. . .

Actually it’s been since October 5^th that I last made an entry in my blog. It was a photobook at that time and the time before. All this new technology has really cut into my blogging time. I have an IPhone which amuses me most of the time. I joined Facebook and that keeps me busy checking the status of folks, etc. I even have a Twitter account. Although it is lacking, I do get daily updates from Pete Delkus on my IPhone. That’s fun. Gmail is now my e-mail of choice and it is a very powerful tool. I can make documents and share them with others for revisions, etc. Add the new technologies with keeping up with the twins’ daily progress and then figure in that I’ve been really sick for over a year and my blogging has gone kaput!

So, I plan to remedy that. Right now, I'll share my Crohn's issues. In a later post, I'll tell about the little twins.

Last February (2009), I had a terrible pain in my left side. It felt like a Charlie horse that wouldn’t go away. My innards cramped like crazy. Anything I ate made me sick. So, I existed on flour tortillas and water for the month of March. I began a weight loss that would eventually be over 100 pounds. My gastroenterologist tried several medications to help alleviate the pain, but it wouldn’t go away.

The pain continued to come and go until July when I finally got to where I couldn’t eat nor drink for four days. That ended with a 6-day hospital stay to try to re-hydrate me and get me over the hump. I was looking forward to being well. Among other things, my doctor put me on steroids which made me feel better for a few weeks. Prednisone (the steroid) usually makes the patient feel super as if she can jump over the Empire State Building and makes the patient so hungry she could eat the bark off of trees. That’s exactly what it did while I took it.

By October, I began to experience more pain in my left side, but this time, it was a different kind of pain even though it was still on my left side. The pain began in my back and radiated around my waist, down my left side, and into my groin area. Thinking that it was my Crohn’s still bothering me, my doctor changed up my medications. I was lethargic and had no energy no matter how much I rested.

In November, I had to take off work because I could not teach with the pain I was experiencing on my left side. From July to January, I had five CAT Scans, a sigmoidoscopy, and various other tests to pinpoint my problem. My doctor continued to believe that it was my colon which was inflamed from a Crohn’s flare up.

Finally, I decided to see my family physician since I wasn’t getting any better. After all, he’d been my doctor for over 30 years. I figured he knew my body better than anyone else. He wanted to do still another CAT scan because he thought my pain might be from a kidney stone. When he saw me in agony as he walked past the waiting room, he immediately ordered pain shots and said I would be going straight to Providence. Sure enough, the scan showed a stone. He called Dr. Elwell, his doctor friend, who had also seen me in the clinic there at Clifton and asked him to be my admitting doctor. He agreed to do it.

By the time I got there and checked in, Dr. Elwell came by to see me and had lined up a whole slew of specialists which included a urologist. Over the next thirteen days, I underwent tests and more tests and procedures (MRI, CAT scan, colonoscopy, sonogram, 5 units of blood, NG tubes, etc.). The results indicated that I needed a stent in my kidney so that I could pass the kidney stone plus have colon surgery to remove the inflamed portion. So, all of those procedures were done.

I can tell you looking back now, that I am finally beginning to feel normal again. I have no pain; I don’t get tired as easily; I can recover from fatigue quicker; I have a little energy; I have a brighter outlook; I can eat foods that I haven’t eaten in years; and I even smile and crack jokes which I hadn’t done in months. I think I’m finally “fixed”.

Fall Pictures 2009

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The Aaron Family, Spring and Summer, 2009

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Babies Progress

For the past few weeks, I've thought that Lila's large motor skills were probably better than Gage's. Lila began holding her head up and turning over before Gage. She also began sitting alone ahead of him. That may have been due to the fact that he was a large boy. She also seemed to have better fine motor skills, too. She uses just one little finger to explore her treasures.

However, Gage has come on and now he is sitting up, moving effortlessly from the sitting to crawling position and back. He pulls up and even contemplates taking steps. He carefully uses several fingers to inspect whatever he is fixated on at the time. He feeds himself with his hands (not a spoon yet) and the badabing of all is that . . . he has sprouted a tooth! Yes, it's the first of many more to come. Then, he can really chomp his food.

That is not to say that Lila is lacking in any of her motor skills, because she's not. I'm simply pointing out that she is not ahead of him any longer. He has rapidly caught up and he scored a bonus--the first tooth.

Lila and Gage's First Dove Festival Parade

Hey, hey, Gage, turn around. Look at Gigi. She is taking our picture.

They call me Lila Curious. "What is that anyway?"

I am not so sure about this parade idea. I'm sleepy.

I just love my Gigi's neckis!

C'mon Gage, watch the parade.

When this is over, it's nap time for me.

This parade business just wore us out.

Long time

Well, it's been a long time since I posted anything. I thought I should at least tell you that I'm still kicking. I will have a much longer post ready in a day or two.

On the one hand, a lot has happened since my last post in June; yet on the other hand, not many remarkable events have taken place.

I've mainly just been "healing" both body, mind, and spirit this summer. I've spent a lot of time with my family and that has been such a blessing. When circumstances occur that allow for shared memories, we ought to taken advantage of them. I have and I've been so rewarded as a result.

Stay tuned.

Blue Eyes

Before Lila and Gage were born, I used to tease Brit and J. P. that their little babies could be blue-eyed blondes. I was blonde as a small child. I have hazel eyes that go from blue to green. My daddy had clear blue eyes. Kenneth's daddy had blue eyes, too. Their Paw on J. P.'s side (Ricky) also was a blonde with hazel eyes. Even with three of their four great grandfathers being blue-eyed, I still really could not fathom that there was a chance at all that those little babies would look like anything other than like their gorgeous parents, I'd still have to pick at them.

When they were first born, the pediatrician commented on their beautiful complexion and brown eyes. Of course, both parents have great skin and beautiful dark hair along with dark eyes (although J. P.'s are really more golden than brown). Lila looked just like Brit's baby pictures and Gage was a mini clone of J. P.

Here it is six months later and what do you know? Those little darlings have lost all that dark hair. New hair is coming in blonde to light brown. Both have bright blue eyes. Lila's eyes are crystal blue while Gage's are grayish blue. Nevertheless, they are right now blue-eyed blondes.

The pediatrician at the check-up on Friday said that if they are blue now, they'll stay that way. He weighed the little bundles. Lila weighed 15 pounds 2 ounces. I don't remember how long Lila was, but she's shorter than Gage. She is in the 30th%-ile for height and 20%-ile for weight. Gage weighed in at 18 pounds 15 ounces. He is 25 1/2 inches long. He is in the 75%-ile in both length and weight.

They both are thriving and are really fun now. They are learning so fast. I love watching them interact with each other. They hold hands a lot. They know what kisses are all about. Not only do they happily accept kisses and getting neck sugar, they are very willing to share their slobbery kisses with others.

It won't be long before they will be crawling everywhere. They can already get to wherever they want now, but only after a lot of frustration on their part.

Among their favorite activities are going jogging with Mom in the early, cool morning. They ride shotgun in the stroller watching for anything that might amuse them right up until they nod off. Another favorite activity is going with Daddy out to the garden in the evenings. They don't really care much about all the vegetables, they just like to be with Daddy outside. Usually while they are outside with Dad, they get to swing on the swingset. They love that. No matter what's going on in their world, swinging outside makes it all better.

I think that they have little internal clocks. Every evening about the same time, they get ready for their baths, their night time feeding, and off to bed. They seem like they actually look forward to it. It amazes me. They go down for naps with little or no fussing either. Hmmm... why didn't their mother do that for me?

Anyway, the two little blue-eyed bundles of joy have captured our hearts. They respond with big wide grins whenever any one of us speaks to them. Ahhh...Grandbabies are the best!

Old men

When I was a little girl of five or six growing up near Lamkin, I spent a lot of time at my grandmother ‘s house. She lived on the main street in Lamkin proper right next to the postoffice/grocery store. Whenever I would walk with my grandmother to the post office/grocery store, we’d be greeted by three or four very elderly gentlemen well past their productive years who were sitting on an old wooden bench on the porch outside the store. Their skin was leathery and they had old, crooked smiles. One wore overalls and the others wore khakis. All of them donned worn, stained hats. These same old men played dominoes every day in a little room attached to the back of my grandmother’s garage. It was known to the locals as the Domino Hall. Because they knew my grandmother well and had known my mother all her life, they felt at ease picking at me. At that age, I wasn’t very shy. I had not yet learned that there were mean people out there. I thought that the whole world was safe and comfortable just like Lamkin.

The old gentlemen had kind eyes and soft, gravelly voices and would engage me in some interesting conversations. Typically, we spoke about my cute little rompers or my newest jumping tricks. I would bask in all of their compliments on my hair and my eyes. They’d chuckle at some of my answers to their off-the-cuff questions. That made me happy because I knew that I had entertained them a little. Before my grandmother and I would go inside the post office/grocery store, the old gentlemen would reach their wrinkly brown hands into their pockets and retrieve whatever change they had. Generally, each one would give me a nickel. Having acquired three or more nickels, I would rush inside to spend them. I’ve never been one to let money rest. It has always seemed to burn a hole in my pocket.

Once inside, I’d rush to the coke box to make my pick. I’d peer through the glass into the candy counter to marvel at the numerous selections. I don’t know why I would agonize over my selections. I always ended up with the same thing. I’d buy a soda, a candy bar, and an ice cream sandwich. Every now and then, I’d opt for gum or wax soda bottles or pixie sticks instead, but not often. Sometimes, there would be more old men on the bench outside and I’d have even more nickels to spend. That’s when I had a field day in the little old store. Always going against my grandmother’s suggestions, I’d spend all of the nickels. She would try to coerce me into saving some of it. What she couldn’t discern was that I didn’t know where I could possibly hide it so that my brothers wouldn’t find it. I would have just died if I’d put my money away where I thought it was safe and those two boys found it and took it. Brothers are like that, yeah they are. So, it’s their fault that I became a spendthrift at an early age. At least, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

The Andersons

During a person's lifetime, there are a few friendships that stand out. Usually we don't know exactly why we are drawn to those people, but we become fast friends and the relationships endure time and distance.

Such is our friendship with the Andersons. In the late 1950's, Johnny, Betty, Bobby, and Peggy lived just north of Lamkin on the Barefoot Ranch. Mom and Dad quickly became best friends with them. Their family and my family bonded. We children were much like siblings. We had lots of fun together. We ate together often and visited almost daily. (Please refer to an earlier posting on 04/08/08 about Peggy. Just look on the right side and click on 2008 and follow from there.)

On Wednesday, Rick called and said that he had an opportunity to visit with our very dear, longtime friends, the Andersons in San Angelo. During their visit, Bobby asked for copies of some old pictures that we might have of the two families together. I have posted a few below.

In this first picture, we apparently are at my Stephens' grandparents house for dinner. From the far left and going clockwise are Momo Lila, Papa Johnie (partially hidden), Rick, Peggy, Johnny, Bobby, Gayland, Momo Johnnie, Daddy, me, and Mother. I'm supposing that Betty was taking the picture. I recognize the big white bowl in the center of the table as being the milk glass bowl that always held fruit salad.




In the picture to the right, the families are swimming at our favorite swimming hole, Fairview, on Resley creek. From front to back, there's me, Bobby, Peggy in Betty's arms, Gayland's feet, and Rick. We'd take snacks and swim all afternoon. Mother wouldn't get in the water, so she was our designated camera person and kid watcher.







To the left is a picture of me in a chair holding Peggy. I believe that it may have been taken at the Hall Ranch in Eden.






To the right is a picture taken in the driveway at our house on Willow Creek near the Leon River. From the left are Brenda, Bobby, our dog Prince, and Rick. It looks like Bobby might be holding a cat. That's curious because Mother wouldn't let us have cats.









Mom and Betty pose for a quick pic while standing at the refrigerator door in our remodeled kitchen at the Big House (the two story house).












Brit pulls Ryan in the wagon in front of Peggy's house on North Van Buren. Ryan is in the picture just below and both Ryan and Britney are in the other picture.




















Finally, here is a picture of Mom with Marion and Betty on their front porch on Milton Street. We love you, Andersons, even though we don't see you nearly often enough.

Command Modules

We have a friend who refers to his recliner as his "command module". For him, it really is. He has his comfy recliner turned toward the TV. To his right, he has a side table where he places the remote control to the TV/satellite, the house phone, his cell phone, his spit cup, and his iced tea glass. Beside the table lamp are his stacks of "man magazines". Over the back of his recliner, he has a "man throw" to cover up with lest he get a chill. So, in essence, he has all that he needs at his fingertips.

My little grandbabies have "command modules" all their own. They have their comfy Boppy pillows on a soft pallet turned toward the TV. To their right, they have their Roo rags (burp cloths), their Bippies (pacifiers), and their blankies to cover up with lest they get a chill. Nearby, there are diapers, wipes, and bottles. In essence, they have all that they need at their Mom and Dad's fingertips.

Ahhh...such is the life!

The Aaron Family Booklet

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King and Queen of Hearts

I just couldn't resist!

Yesterday, Gage and Lila went to the pediatrician's office for immunizations. It didn't go well. Gage just got mad at those old nurses who stuck him. Then, he got over it after a little while. Lila just couldn't believe that they would do her that way. Her little heart was broken. She just cried and cried and would start up again after she thought about it for a minute or two.

Gage weighed in at 11 pounds 13 ounces and was 23 inches long. Lila had gained to 9 pounds 9 ounces and was 21 inches long. They are growing and developing so quickly.

Gage has laughed out loud, turned over by himself, and slept all night long. Lila is catching up, but she's still really small. She doesn't like being a baby. She wants to stand and walk. Once she does take off, Katy bar the door.

Two months today

It's so hard to believe that Lila and Gage were born two months ago today. My, how our world has changed. More accurately, though, Brit and J. P.'s world has been impacted more. Click on the link on the right to visit her blog and read all the things she's learned in the past two months.

I thought I'd post a couple of more pictures. They are just so cute!

Mini Me's

Take a look! Brit and J. P. have mini-me's. They love their car seat/stroller combo. Brit takes them for strolls and they are completely content as evidenced by the pictures above.

Trying to focus

It's hard for some of us to focus on the tasks at hand. I know that I get busy with my job and my health issues and I focus on those details. I forget to take time to step back and look at the big picture. Like Lila's picture I get kind of unfocused at times. Weary from the hectic pace of the manic flurry of spring activities in a 2A Texas high school, I begin to lose sight of myself and the people I love. Instead, I seem focused on the school events. Although they are very important to me, I have to make myself disconnect from school whenever I exit the building.

I do my best to keep my personal life and my school life separate. That way whenever I leave, I can "free-wheel". That's a term I use to describe letting my mind rest and my body unwind. I try to relax like Gage. The weekends help me to rejuvenate and get geared up for the next week.

Staying focused on school at school and focused on my family away from school is not as easy as it might seem, but it's the only way right now to keep me sane.

I'm saying to myself, "Come on June."

Family is great

Brit and J. P. are very fortunate to have his family. Last Friday afternoon, J. P.'s mother went with Brit, Lila and Gage to the pediatrician's appointment. Lila weighed in at 7 pounds 7 ounces and Gage weighed 9 pounds 8 ounces. They really filling out and growing already.

Later, his sister, Marla, came to help Hunny keep the babies. They told Brit and J. P. to have a night out. So they decided to go to the movies.

Hunny and Aunt Marla were happy to bathe the babies and get them ready for bed. They kept them all night so that Brit and J. P. could get a good night's rest. Brit said she slept for nine hours. She felt like a new woman.

Today, Hunny came back to keep the babies while Brit went to her doctor for her six-week checkup. What a comfort it is to know that the babies are loved and cared for by the best.