You've heard of a "compliment sandwich" where you start with a positive, sandwich in a piece of "constructive criticism" and then end with another positive... and this day deserves that kind of treatment, only its going to be a multi layered positive sandwich.
Positive: Today Anna Claire is 8 months old!! She is such a big girl.... so smart, fun and stunningly beautiful! We are so proud of every milestone she has hit, everything she has learned, and love her silly sense of humor. I can't believe how fast time flies so I'm trying my best to savor every little moment in her life.
Negative: Unfortunately we had to start her day out with 2 vaccines - the HiB and DTaP. This is her last in the series (still have 1 polio to make up from a previous visit). She did really well - weighed in at 17lbs 3oz which kinda surprised me considering she was 16lbs 12oz at her 6 month appt! She eats like a CHAMP - but apparently at 6 months the child's height and weight pattern will start following what their genetics have in store for them. Maybe that means she will be thin like Chris!! yay!
Positive: She did great! She cried a bit longer (maybe a whole minute this time) than usual, but I guess that's expected as she gets older. After it was over and I picked her up she was fine again. So far today she's been great. Hasn't complained once and has 2 cute little bandaids (I like cute bandaids - see pics) one on each leg.
Negative: News that I was expecting every time I've heard the phone ring the past week.... my Grandmother passed away. This was my Dad's mother and although she has been in a nursing home for the past 5+ years, she has actually been doing really well! We had her in this WONDERFUL place called the Resting Nest. One of the very few places that actually cares about the residents and their families. Grandmother actually thrived while at the Resting Nest and the caregivers just loved Grandmother. A few weeks back she started battling an infection and it seemed to knock her down a bit. We had a few moments of her rallying, but last night we were informed they were calling in hospice and today we got "the" phone call. The funeral will be on Saturday and will be a very small intimate ceremony and service in Fairburn, GA.
Positive: I have so many fabulous memories of my Grandmother. I remember spending so many Easter's there hunting Easter eggs in the back yard with my cousins, playing in the playhouse she built for us in the back yard, searching for 4 leaf clovers (as mentioned before her yard was chock full), going down on Sunday afternoons and having her cook for us, seeing her work non stop from the time we got there until the time we left cooking, cleaning, finding stuff for us to do... drinking out of her huge 74oz cup with a straw.
I remember all the little page clippings she had laying around that had cute cats and dogs on them (she LOVED animals) and how she would always say "I saved this for you - look how cute it is", looking through the JCPenny catalog with my sister and circling stuff we wanted, eating "pink ham" and sweet potato casserole at holidays (with peeps on Easter, marshmallows on other holidays), using the phrase "Grandmother, is something burning?" just about every time we went there (usually it was the dinner rolls), seeing a little bumble bee thing that I made at Vacation Bible School for her when I was about 5... and I think it was there until the day she moved out.
Going upstairs to look at her necklace collection and playing with my favorite necklace which had a little clown on it that when you pulled the chain his tongue would pop out, spending the night with her and having her read Dick and Jane books to us, how she always spelled my name Pamelia - I dont know where the "i" came from, but I loved it :) I loved how she would send us birthday cards and they would always be of dogs or cats or just cute animals and have stickers all over the inside and outside on the envelope... some were of animals, some were just cute stickers and some were little Bible verses. I remember her coming to feed us a sample of turkey or ham when she was cooking it and she would want to feed it to us instead of just handing us a piece, the chickens she used to have - and her collection of other cats and dogs like.... well I'll just leave their names out for certain reasons, I remember her making apple butter for us - and fresh honey from her bee hive she had in the very back of her yard, swinging on the swing set and swinging bench with her, walking through her yard and looking at all her pretty flowers... and even finding one that Caron and I thought looked suspicious which she quickly said "I know what that looks like!".
Listening to her walk around whistling in a soft whistle, whispering "Say Lord" (which always sounded like "Say Law" to me) after something someone said that shocked her... I think it was a shortened version of "Lordy Mercy" or something... And when she would whisper "Thank you Jesus. Yes Jesus" when Dad would pray over dinner. Constantly saying "Grandmother SIT DOWN" because she was ALWAYS running around trying to make sure everyone had everything they needed.
Taking naps on her sofa (those were the BEST naps) and fighting over the sofa in the living room, seeing her "Grandmother style" Christmas Decorations which consisted of a fiber optics tree, crazy little felt elfs on ladders, candles in the windows with the old 70's style bulbs in green, orange, red and blue. Seeing her stockings hanging over the shower curtain bar in the bathroom after she washed them, asking us "honey, have to go shoo-shoo?" when we were little kids, using her powdered tooth paste.
... having her give us money that she had hidden in her bra - which when she handed to us was nice and moist... ok, so they arent all fond memories hahahaha.... but that was Grandmother... and believe me, she had plenty of room to hide stuff in that bra ;)
She was a great lady - I had 2 fantastic grandmothers and miss them both dearly. I am so fortunate to have grown up with such wonderful grandmothers and know that Anna will have wonderful memories with her grandparents. I loved my very last memory with Grandmother when I took Anna to meet her. She was so alert and just loved looking at Anna. She would talk to her, cover her feet and say "good boy" hahahaha. I couldn't have asked for a better last memory with her and I'm so glad I have pictures and video of that very special day.
Grandmother covering Anna's feet - it seems Grandmothers are always concerned with baby's feet being covered!
I miss you Grandmother but I know without a shadow of a doubt that you are in Heaven hanging out with Granny. Yall behave yourselves. I love you both!
A couple of pics I found at the house. I think most of them are at dad and mom's house.
Grandmother holding me when I was a newborn.
A few more pics of Anna with her Great Grandmother that I didn't post in the earlier post.
