Uncle Bobby

My dad lost his oldest brother to cancer this week. We were fortunate enough to have been invited up to New Hampshire this month to participate in a celebration of life for Uncle Bobby - he sat in his recliner and we all hugged him and spent a few minutes with him. There was music and laughter throughout the entire party - just the way Uncle Bobby wanted it. I can not imagine losing a sibling - my heart breaks for my dad and his brothers and sisters. My comfort comes from the image in my head that I have thought of each time I think of Uncle Bobby - my grandmother and grandfather with their arms open wide welcoming their son into heaven.

There are lots of pictures of the three oldest boys - Uncle Bobby, Uncle Ig (then referred to as Dicky) and my dad. Not sure of the dates but since my dad looks around two I would put this one at 1949. Uncle Bobby and Uncle Ig all dressed up with my dad in between them!I love this one - notice my grandmother's writing under the picture with each of her boys names!
Uncle Bobby a few months ago - "ROCK ON".

This is the back of the cards given out at Uncle Bobby's memorial service - my dad brought it back for me. The verse is from a song called "One Day At A Time." - I can recall vividely my grandmother singing this song - it is a great message to be reminded of!

GNM - ILY!

My favorite time of day!

One of my favorite times of day is when we go in to get Annie out of her crib when she wakes up after a nap or in the morning. I am rarely alone doing it since the kids always seem to want to be in on it and Annie acts like she is surprised that we are there and gets so excited to see us! Sometimes she sits in there playing and waiting for us and other times she is hanging over the side of the crib waiting for us. Either way it is a treat to pick her up and have her wrap her tiny little arms around our necks for a hug. And that smile melts my heart everytime!

Our binkie baby waiting for Mama to come get her.
This is when she gets really excited and she was also yelling, "mama, mama" when I went in this time! Bliss! What a happy baby!

These pictures also remind me of Peter and Molly when they were this age - I always think it is a good sign when kids wake up happy - and all of my kids seem to wake up this way - not that I'm taking credit! Peter used to scream "Mama, come get him." and Molly girl used to screech at the top of her lungs until we responded. When Peter was about 14 months old he started getting out of his crib and he would come into my room hold his arms out and say,"Mama, here he is." Molly never got out of her crib - she preferred to screech and be lifted out with big hugs until she was about 2 and a half.

Poor Caroline doesn't get many updates because right now I keep a seperate journal for her but here is the preggo update I get each week - we are just about into week 24 - 16 weeks to go - sounds like a long time! These are the updates that amaze me because my godson, TJ, was born between week 24 and 25 weighing 1.4 pounds and 11.5 inches - he is amazing!

Week Twenty-Three
Proportions of the body are now quite similar to a newborn

although thinner since he hasn't begun to form body fat.
Bones located in the middle ear harden.
Your baby is able to hear. (Dads, did you know: low-frequency sounds mimicking a male voice penetrate the abdomen and uterine wall better than the higher frequencies of the female voice?)
The eyes are formed, though the iris still lacks pigmentation.
The pancreas, essential in the production of hormones, is developing steadily. She has begun producing insulin, important for the breakdown of sugars.
If born now, your baby has a 15% chance of survival, his odds going up with each passing day. .
The average baby at this stage weighs 1.1 pound (501gm) and is 11.38 inches (28.9cm) long.

GNM - ILY!

Annie Update

Turns out Annie's burn wasn't that bad because it is gone already - I may have overreacted slightly because of my guilt but, rest assured, lesson learned! I changed the buckle on the car seat to a plastic one just in case and we were on the road again! Annie also learned a new trick today - not only does she wave bye-bye but she says bu bu - translation bye bye. Uh-Oh we may have another talker on our hands!

GNM - ILY!