Hot Diggity Dog!

Saturday night, Savannah and Jason had a Sunday School party, so Gran and Coach got to keep Libby. As always we had a wonderful time entertaining her, or should I say that she entertained us! She is soaking in everything we say or do and responds as closely to what we do as possible.

We started the night off with supper. As soon as Libby turned one, Savannah and Jason stopped the bottles and had her drink from her sippy cup. She hasn't missed the bottles, but the cup is almost as big as she is!



Libby's favorite foods are English peas, carrots, and bread. She usually eats with her fingers unless we feed her. She prefers to do it herself without help from us. This high chair was Savannah and Parker's. (I no longer have their bed which is a long story that makes me mad, so I won't tell it here.)



One of Libby's favorite birthday presents was a purse. It came complete with a mirror, car keys, and lipstick. She loves taking these items out of the purse and putting them back in. Now, any purse or bag that she sees, she tries to carry on her shoulders like Mom and Gran.



Although Gran has no car keys, etc. to put in this bag, Libby always finds something. Perhaps it is a football, rattler, or doll.



The last time Libby visited I moved my fingers around and said BZZZZZZZZZZ. Then my fingers found her tummy and tickled it. (Everyone does this to kids, right?) So, what does Libby do? She puts her fingers up and waves them in the air like Gran. She hasn't quite got the BZZZZZZ down yet, but she is trying!



Libby loves playing on our sofa. She loves running on it and falling on the soft pillows. That means Gran and Coach have to be at their best to make sure she doesn't fall.




Libby has also started learning where her nose, ears, and mouth are. Here she is showing Coach where his nose is.



There is nothing sweeter than a little girl in her monkey pajamas winding down for the night. When Libby gets tired, she just stops and goes to sleep.

Happy Birthday, Savannah!

Almost 27 years ago on March 7, our baby girl, Savannah, was born. Parker was visiing Mamaw and Pop in Aliceville to give me a break. Dennis had gotten up early, around 4:00 a.m., to study for a calculus test. (He had recently sold our clothing stores and was in engineering school at Alabama.) I woke up around 4:30 a.m. not feeling "right". I really wasn't sure if I was in labor or not. With Parker my water broke and back labor kicked in immediately. There was no doubt about him, but this time I wasn't sure. To make a long story short, Dennis and I headed to DCH, and I was admitted. At this point, Dennis was wondering whether to take his calculus test. I encouraged him to take it so that he would not have to start all over studying, and he would be home the next week when the baby came home. He finished his test (made an A) and got back to the hospital around 2:00 p.m. Savannah was born at 2:15 p.m. While he was there, he wasn't. Dennis's stomach is not made for the delivery room. I remember when she was born, and the doctor told me we had a healthy girl. (Remember twenty-seven years ago couples did not know the gender of their child until he/she arrived.) As I had an epidural this go round, I was able to watch her birth. She was such a pretty little thing, and I remember crying over the miracle of it all.
Momma came to visit that night, and I swear I think she bought every pink gown, rosebud dresses, bows, etc. that the stores had in stock!! That first day was great with all the visits, calls, etc. But the next day was different. Because Dennis became sick with fever, he could not come stay with me. And because he was sick, Momma and Daddy had to keep Parker and could not come. I had a little post partem and was truly feeling sorry for myself. Still, I had that precious baby girl and couldn't wait to get her home.
On the day she was to come home, it snowed!! Not long, but enough to guarantee that they would let me leave earlier. We had not, at this point, named Savannah. I wanted to name her JoAnna Shelby after my momma and grandmother. Dennis wanted to name her Savannah Shelby. (The name Savannah was in an old family Bible of my grandmother's. The actual name was "Anna Savannah Victoria Leigh Gray". Now, we used to make fun of this very long name, and in so doing, Dennis heard it, and fell in love with Savannah.) Shelby is my mother's maiden name, and I am all about family names. AND, since I named Parker, I relented and let Dennis name Savannah.
We took Savannah home on a Saturday. Momma, Daddy, and Parker were there to meet us when we arrived. What a wonderful journey this ride has been with our baby girl. We love her so much and are so proud of her!


This is a three month old picture of Savannah. The little booties that she has on were crocheted by my Granny Gilliam. I still have them, and Libby has worn them.


This picture reminds me somewhat of Libby--all that hair and a paci in her mouth!

This was her one year picture.

Happy Birthday, Libby!

Tomorrow is Libby's birthday, and I can't let the day go by without a little reminiscing. It seems like only yesterday that we were all gathered in the waiting area of the Northport DCH waiting on our little one. It was so obvious how much she and her parents were loved by the number of family and friends waiting on her arrival.
Libby's full name is Libby JoAnna Pate. The JoAnna comes from my mother, JoAnn, and my grandmother, Anna. It is actually the name that I wanted to give Savannah, but Dennis got to pick her name since I chose Parker's. (Savannah's name is another blog!) Savannah and Jason chose to honor my mom and grandmother by naming her JoAnna, and it means a lot to me that they did.
Speaking of Jason. What an awesome husband and father! Jason stood with Savannah throughout the delivery and helped her so much after the delivery--not only with Libby's needs but Savannah's physical needs as well. What a man!!
When Libby was born, of course the discussion was all about "Who does she look like?" At first, she favored Savannah's baby pictures with those big blue eyes.



The older she got, though, I knew she was the spitting image of her dad, or more so her Pop Pop, Mike. I've even told Mike that if he ever wanted to know what he would look like as a girl to take a look at Libby. One of the first physical features that everyone pointed out were her lips--Angelina Jolie lips is what everyone said. Now, I'm not an Angelina Jolie fan, but she does have good lips. LOL

This is my favorite picture of the four girls---formerly three girls.


Like my momma, Savannah, and me, Libby has a head full of hair. Keeping it under control has been a major undertaking, and no, it is not under control yet!




In the beginning, Libby had trouble with reflux and changed formulas four maybe five times before the doctor found the right one. Add to that the uncomfortable braces that she wore on those tiny precious feet twenty-three hours a day, and you would think that Libby would be a miserable child. Perhaps she was for a few months, but not any more. She is always happy; always smiling; never meets a stranger; and very curious. As much as she loved the vacuum cleaner to calm her down and put her to sleep when she was just born, she now hates the vacuum cleaner and runs/cries when it turns on. I say she cries, but to be honest, Libby very rarely cries. Now, she can fake a cry to try to get her way, but she does that rarely. She is her own unique little self with a lot of personality. She has brought joy to our lives.







I've added this one last picture to remind me of her days with the braces and how easy it was to get her to go to sleep. Just cover her face with your hand, blanket, or burp pad and off she goes!




Happy birthday, little one! You are greatly loved!

Libby at 3 months:



Libby at 6 months:


Libby at 9 months:

First Date

Although I am not the type to remember exact dates and half anniversaries, I do remember that Dennis and I had our first date sometime in February. I was living at home with Momma and Daddy having graduated from Livingston the December before. Mrs. Potts had resigned as Librarian/English teacher at P.A., and I was hired in her place. (To sidetrack a little, I remember two things about that first job. First, I was twenty-one years old, and the students in my study hall were seventeen or eighteen. Second, my English class was made up of some of the cutest kids--seventh graders--, and the two I remember the most are Lane Wright with his gigantic grin and Harley Martin who sat on the back of the desk with his cowboy boots in the seat.) Back to the first date. At the time, I was dating a guy at Livingston and going back every weekend to stay with friends and to see him. On this particular weekend, I found out that he and one of my friends had been having a good ole time during the week. Needless to say, that was the end of that for me, and I headed home. I hadn't been home long when the phone rang, and it was Dennis asking me out. Although I knew who Dennis was, he was much older than me. LOL He was a senior when I was a freshman, and during the sixties, these two age groups didn't mix like they do today. (I found out later that he and a bunch of his friends were planning a night out in Columbus. They mentioned seeing me in town and dared him to ask me out. They told him that I probably would not go with him, but I did.) And, even though cars are not important to me, I remember that he drove up in a bright green Grand Prix, I think, with white leather seats. Most people that know me and Dennis know that he is not talkative and that I am shy (yes, I am) until I get to know someone. So, between the two of us probably 10 words were spoken all the way to Columbus. While I had a good time, I remember thinking on the way home that he would probably not ask me out again, and if he did, I may not go. We just did not have anything in common! Later, I found out that he did not plan on asking me out again. Remember I said that I'm not good with dates? Well, the reason I remember February as the month of our first date is because Dennis gave me a box of Valentine candy that night. I was impressed about that, but later found out that he gave out several boxes of candy in the next few days because his friend, Cecil Durrett, who owned Eutaw Drug next door to his store in Eutaw, had bought too many boxes of Valentine candy and Dennis felt sorry for him. Our date ended, and I never expected to hear from him again. The next day, however, I was sitting outside in a swing when he drove by. He stopped and asked me to go the the movies in downtown Alicville. Imitation of Life was the movie, and I cried during most of it. (If you don't remember this movie, it is about a Black woman who passed as white.) So began what has lasted almost 37 years. By the end of March we were engaged, and on June 2 of the same year, we were married.

I'm adding this picture because I have very few of us when we first started dating. We didn't take pictures of everything then like we do today. My daddy had always forbidden me to ride on motorcycles, and Dennis had a Harley. Because I was out of school and working (even though I was still living in his house), he "let" me ride with Dennis on the motorcycle. Maybe it was because he trusted Dennis, or maybe he knew I would ride it anyway. :-)

Moe's

Last night the kids invited us to go with them to Moe's for some good Mexican food and then on to the new cupcake place in Midtown Village. (The cupcakes must be out of this world as they cost $3 each!) While eating, Libby put on a show for us. She is a great imitator and has started making all sorts of funny faces. We tried to capture the "new face" that she is making on film, but it just doesn't do it justice.







The kids and Cheri blame this new face on me, but I don't recall making this face or teaching it to her!

Another of Libby's favorite things to do is dance. She has been dancing since she started pulling herself up. It started as a bounce and then a booty shake. Recently, she has added twisting her upper body and shaking her arms. Anytime or anywhere music can be heard, she will boogie! Recently, she has started creating her own music so that she can dance. She does this by turning on her favorite music in her toys or by "singing." Because of her height, her parents and coach have determined that she will be a basketball player. I think she will be a dancer, or perhaps, she will do both. We shall see!

By the way, the cupcake place had sold out of cupcakes by the time we got there, so they must be good. We'll have to try again later.

Update

Well, it is February 1st and only 9 months until Parker gets home (for good, I hope!). I took a personal leave from school yesterday in order to help Dennis "close shop" at his school. He has found a retired math teacher to take his place until May, so he has opted to stay home. His bad days are starting to outnumber his good days, so this will be good for him.
It is hard to believe that Libby will be one on February 11. Where has time gone? Of course, I can say the same thing about my 29 year old son and 27 year old daughter. It seems like only yesterday that Parker and Savannah were keeping me busy with school, ball, dance, gymnastics, etc. etc. etc. I miss those days, but I am enjoying the time that I now get to spend with Libby. She has changed so much since she was born.



Savannah has a fun party planned for Libby and her friends and their parents. It has made me think back on her parties. I think my favorite was the one she shared with a friend in Selma. Each girl dressed as a model and we videoed them walking down a runway. This was held in her dance studio, so there were mirrors everywhere. I think the girls had fun. She also had a tea party with the girls, dressed like their mom, bringing their favorite dolls; an exercise party at a fitness center; and several softball parties. Savannah and another friend, Brooke, had a spend the night party at our house for the last birthday that we had in Selma. We invited all the girls in the 6th grade. I just remembered something that I use to do for my kids on their birthdays. The birthday "fairy" would come and put balloons from the light fixtures in the main areas of the house. Even now, if they are home, they expect the birthday fairly to say "Happy Birthday!" Needless to say, it was fun! I love being a mom.

Momma has had good news at the last two visits to her doctor. She has lowered her amount of prednisone, and she is trying to walk a little more each day. My mom is my best friend, and it is very hard for me to watch her have difficulty breathing. But, as always, my mom is trying to "protect" me from what is happening to her. Libby is also good for her and Daddy. She makes them laugh.

Not much news around here, but I felt I needed to add an update. Things are getting better for Momma, and they will get better for Dennis.

How do you spell relief? J-U-N-E!

Since the beginning of this school year, our days have been somewhat stressful. Dennis found out he had colon cancer, and so began his (our)journey of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Radiation and the first round of chemo were over in October, and Dennis got a break for several weeks. Then, right before Parker came home for Christmas heavier doses of chemo were started: one by IV through a port and one by pills. These final treatments last a week, and then Dennis is given a week of rest before another begins. They will last through May. Thus, June is our relief month.
For the most part, Dennis has not been sick through the treatments, but he has been extremely tired. Because he is unable to sleep, even with the help of medicine, he is even more exhausted. He is trying to continue working, not because he has to, but because of his students. Lately, however, it is becoming almost impossible, so he is trying to decide what to do. He has waited too late to bank his days because the city system allows this only at three times during the year. (I do not understand this, but it is a rule.) He could take a leave, but that may mean that his students will not have a math teacher for the rest of the year. There is a retired math teacher who originally told Dennis that he would help when he was out, but that hasn't worked out. So, not only is he stressed over not sleeping and being too tired, he is now stressed over his students not having a teacher for the rest of the year--before end of year testing.
I hate to wish our life away, but we are both looking forward to June when he will be through with the treatments, and our life will get back to normal. All of his blood work has been good, so we are confident that we are zapping any cancer cells that may have remained with these treatments.
Throughout this experience there have been many bright spots: friends sharing their experiences, making new friends who are going through similar experiences, hearing from friends via cards and calls, students who understand you are sick and behave, and family: brothers, sisters, in-laws, nieces, children, grandchild. Libby can certainly bring a smile to "Coach's" face no matter how tired he is!
J-U-N-E......bring it on!