Dear Rebecca,
                     Hello my beautiful baby girl. Right now you are watching a Baby Einstein Video. You are yawning and you had a bottle not so long ago so I would wager that shortly you will be napping. Right now though, you are enraptured in this toy on the tv screen. -I was correct- Now you are napping. I had to pause this post and bounce you in your bouncy until you fell asleep. Now you are napping sweetly covered up in Mommy's fleece throw. That's a nice warm blanky. You're borrowing Mommy's because yours is upstairs. You have one that stays in your car seat in the kitchen but this was easier and it is kind of chilly in here. Plus I don't want to forget to put the one that goes in your car seat back. You need that for outside. *Big Smiles*
   I wanted to post this poem I wrote for you night before last. I know that Daddy will come along and tweak it until it looks nice on the page but I wanted to be the one to put it here to start with. It's not much but I want you to know how I feel about you. You are the BEST thing that has ever happened to me and I love you. Well. Here goes.

Unaware As I rock her steadily, Her belly 'cross my breast, I hold her, oh, so close to me, Her arms resting on my chest. My chin brushes her downy hair, Her tiny head resting on my shoulder, And she lies there, Unaware, Of the love I feel when I hold her. Unaware of how it grows, Every moment of every day, I wonder if she'll ever know, If she'll ever feel this way. And then she sighs the sigh, Of quiet, peaceful sleep, And I sing to her a lullaby Of Mary and her sheep. I place her gently in her bed, And stare down at her lying there, I run my hand across her head, Across her blonde and silky hair. And in the morning, she gives a smile, And a happy, friendly call And I realize that all that while, She wasn't Unaware at all

   Anyway little girl. I wanted that to be here. I love you, you sweet little thing!

Dear Rebecca,
                     Hello my sweet little baby girl. Right now you are napping in your Bouncy in the living room in front of Daddy's chair. Daddy is also napping upstairs. He got up with you this morning because Mommy was up way late cleaning up from the great big fun Halloween party the kids & I had last night. It really was lots of fun. I think maybe I had more fun than the kids did. They were all very good and they all won at least one prize. Your cousin Leah and her friend Kelsey won two. I think. Anyway, it went off without a hitch (well maybe a minor hitch or two) and it was lots of fun. You were a little fussy. I think your Duckie costume made you hot and all of the people and excitement made you nervous. Daddy did a very good job taking care of you while Mommy directed the kid's games and things. Then Mommy rocked you to sleep while Daddy and the kids started watching Scooby Doo 2. You fell asleep fast. You were so tired. While I was rocking you, your aunt Linda cleaned up from the party a bit, which I really appreciate. I then came downstairs to finish cleaning up from the party while Daddy and the kids finished the movie. From what I know your cousins Allison, Jacob, John, Leah, and her friend Kelsey all had lots of fun. I am glad.
   We got your pictures back Wednesday. They were wonderful. You really are a VERY beautiful baby. Of course I could be biased. Who cares. I think you are gorgeous. Well this was just a quick post to tell you all about the goings on last night. Now you are awake and I know that you will want to play or watch Baby Shakespeare. So I love you, you pretty little girl!!!

Dear Rebecca,
                     Hello there sweetheart. I know that I have not posted in a while either, but unlike your father, I DO have an excuse. I spend all my time taking care of you, my sweet little baby. It is the most rewarding and most wonderful job I have ever, ever had. I couldn't ask for anything more.
   Lots of big happenings yesterday, as your father has already told you. We are trying so hard to be responsible adults now that you are here. We never have been really all that responsible. Or adult, for that matter. But you know what they say...it's never too late to have a happy childhood!
   Sunday we went to Lexington to Golden Corral and ate lunch. You slept the entire time and only woke up en route to Wal-Mart because you were hungry. We got to Wal-Mart and I sat in the furniture section and fed you while your Daddy walked around a bit but mostly sat there next to us letting his food digest because he ate too much. Daddy gets a belly ache just like you when he eats too much. We got some various odds and ends at Wal-Mart. We did get our Christmas tree, but mostly I went there to get treat bags for the kid's Halloween party this weekend. I am throwing them a little Halloween party. I hope that they can all come because I got lots of Halloween stuff that would just go to waste if they didn't. I won't describe any of it here because I want to keep it a surprise ...Just in case they get to come. When I talk about *the kids* I mean your cousins...Allison, Jacob, and Jonathon. Also Leah as well. I told them to all come and invite a friend. So I may or may not have eight kids here. It sounds like it will be fun anyway. We are going to play games and have a scavenger hunt and an apple bob. Anyway... All the family reads this so enough said... don't want to ruin any surprises. After Wal-Mart we went to Toys-R-Us to get one of your Christmas presents because they had sold out of them ALL at Wal-Mart and we were worried if we did not buy it we just would not get it this year. It seems like it's going to be a big hit in the toy market this season. And even though I know you can't read yet and buy the time you read this journal you'll be grown.. I am NOT telling what it is. Ha, Ha!
   After Toys-R-Us we went to visit your great grandmother Annetta in the hospital. She seems to be doing much, much better and we are thankful for that. Your great Granny is a sweet old lady and I so hope you can get to know her and know her well. Your great aunt Linda and your cousin Leah was there and they made a big fuss over you like they always do and you cooed and talked and laughed and smiled at everyone like you always do. You really are a fantastic baby. The lady at the bank setting up our accounts didn't like kids and I thought that was crazy...Especially you.. I mean you are the best baby in the world! Duh! You even smiled at that mean old gender identity crisis person. (Explanation for gender identity crisis to come later.)
   After we visited Granny we came home and watched a little TV then I fed you and put you to bed. Daddy and I stayed up watching more TV then we went to bed ourselves. Daddy got up with you Monday morning. He was off work. I was appreciative because I had not had a lot of sleep over the weekenend. I slept until almost eleven am Monday then I got up and came downstairs and played with you. Daddy went to take a nap and then he got up and we ordered pizza and we all just sat around watching Tv and vegging until bedtime. All in all, it was a pretty good weekend. The only downfall was that they did not have your pictures ready for us Friday. They were supposed to and they didn't. But they should be ready for us today and we are excited about that. I can't wait to see them. I know they will be cute. Daddy didn't get to see you taking them because he got aggravated and walked away. He wasn't aggravated at you, just at the situation. I know that Daddy will be so pleasantly surprised when he sees your pretty little pictures.
   You got your very first Halloween card from Mamaw and Papaw and it was so cute. When I read it to you, you smiled and cooed and thought it was great. I thought I would add that in here because it is always special to get *firsts.* Mommy loves Halloween, did you know that? It is one of Mommy's very favorite Holidays. The only Holiday that I love even more is Christmas. And we all know that is Jesus' Birthday.
   You fell asleep after your bottle this morning which is rare for you these days. You must have been very tired. I can hear you now starting to wake up so I had better do some of the things I need to do before you start *yelling* (making loud coos and gurgles) for me to come and get you. I love you so much, little girl!

Dear Rebecca,
                  Hey Little Girl. Daddy here. I know it's been a long time since I posted here and there is no excuse for that. Your mother bought me some new toys and I've been playing with those instead of posting to you. She bought me a fancy new digital camera and I've been trying to figure out how to use all of the options. It's very fancy. It wasn't really very expensive either. Of course it wasn't cheap either. Your Mom also bought me a brand new iPod mini. Now, that was very expensive. I can fit over a thousand songs on it. Pretty cool, huh? Well, I've been playing and not posting.
   Today was actually a pretty big day for all of us. Today we took $3,000 and started a Roth IRA for myself and another one for your mother. We can't touch it until we are 59 and ½ years old. We are gonna add to it as much as we can over the years. We also put $7,500 into a college savings program for you. I expect to have over $20,000 in your college fund by the time you are ready to go. I really couldn't afford to go to college and wish that I had. You will not have to worry about money for college and for that I am very thankful. Also, your mother finally got her drivers license today. Your mom is 27 years old and is just now getting her license. I was so very proud of her. She failed her test about a month ago and to tell you the truth I really thought she'd fail again but your mother never ceases to amaze me.
   I was off from work yesterday. Your dear mother woke me up at 5:30 in the morning. Tha time I usually get up for work anyway and asked if I couldn't take care of you for the day. I rolled out of bed and even though I was sad I didn't get to sleep in we had a great time together. Just you & I. You talked to me more yesterday morning than you ever had. It made me feel real good. I love it when you talk to me.
   Well, I'll close out now. Your father loves you very much.

Dear Rebecca,
                  -October 8, 2004-Great news, little girl. They aren't going to interrupt our service on the phone at all apparently. yippee! I really ain't all that excited about it, I just thought I'd utilize this oppurtunity to use the word "yippee." You so rarely get to use that word in a sentence. Mommy's silly, isn't she?
   You are sleeping in your bouncy right now. Daddy is outside cleaning out his truck and getting ready to steam clean the inside. I'm really rather proud of him.
Ok, back from you waking up and having a bottle and then us having dinner and Daddy back outside to finish cleaning the truck. We had pizza tonight because when Mommy was watching American Justice while she was feeding you this afternoon it was about illegal activities in an Italian Pizzeria in New Jersey or New York or some such place where all the Italian crime goes down. They make fantastic pizza in New York, or so I hear. I have only ever been once and it was in the middle of the night and the only place we could find to eat was a Waffle House or some such nonsense. It made me want pizza so that is what we had.
-October 10, 2004-
   It has now been two days since I have been able to sit down and finish this post. There are always tons of things to do around here and like Daddy said in the previous post we were all geared up for Papaw and Uncle Butch's birthday and we had a great time until poor Granny fell and broke her hip. I cannot tell you how much Granny means to me little girl; It's been a long time since I had a Granny and I loved both of your other great Granny's dearly. But Granny Annetta is so special, she is one of the best ladies I have ever known. Next to my mother I don't think I have ever loved someone like I love Granny. That is saying a lot because I, too, was a Mommy's girl. Right now you are a Mommy's girl and I know that will change but for now that makes me smile. Eventually I know you will be a Daddy's girl. Most little girls always are. For some reason Mommy's head is itching. I hope I do not have the *jumpers*... ha, ha. That is what we used to call it when we were little. Call what you ask? Lice. We called it Jumpers. Anyway, I don't think I have the jumpers. Back to the story at hand.
   Your poor great Granny fell and broke her hip. She had to have surgery today. It only took a few hours. They thought they were going to have to replace her hip, but they didn't. They put screws in it. That is good news, because clearly the break could not have been as bad as they thought and now she doesn't have to have her hip taken out and a false one put back in. That is really a rather dangerous surgery because over a dozen vital arteries, veins, and nerves run through the hip and pelvis area. So a surgical slip could cause bad things to happen to Great Granny, and no one wants that. Anyway, you and Daddy and I were at the hospital for most of the day today. The rest of Daddy's extended family was there as well. Your Great Uncle Donnie, Your Great Aunt Martha, Your Great Aunt Lila, Your Great Aunt Louise, Your Great Aunt Alma (or was it Belle? - That is so terrible.. I can never tell them apart), Your Great Uncle Charlie, Your Great Aunt Linda, Your Great Aunt Chris and Your Great Uncle Mike. Also your second cousin Theresa was there and of course Aunt Lynn and Mamaw were there. You were so good with everyone; you smiled and laughed at them and you only got fussy when you were tired or hungry. You really are a fantastic baby and all the family loves you so much. Sometimes I wish my family was as close as Daddy's... but circumstances of long ago prevented that from happening. Don't get me wrong I know that Papaw Lawrence and Aunt Mary are very close to you and Daddy and I but I haven't seen some of my Aunts and Uncles in nearly ten years. Quite frankly I still meet new members of the family at Daddy's family reunion every year. It's like going to a different party every time. I haven't been to one of our family reunions in almost fifteen years. I don't even know if we still have them.
   Anyway, after we stayed up at the hospital through Great Granny's surgery and recovery and went to see her when she got put back in her room (you gave her smooches by the way) and I feed you while she rested, Daddy and I went to Wal-Mart and he bought himself a shin gaurd and a tripod and some other odds and ends. I really don't remember what they were because I never really pay attention to what your father thinks he needs; he just holds it up and I say yes or no or yay or nay and he either puts it back or pitches a fit until he gets it. What I really went to Wal-Mart for is to get your Great Granny a nice pillow for under her head (Mommy knows how it is to have a bad pillow under her head in the hospital; It isn't comfortable) and I got a few other things as well. I got three blankets; two for whomever decides to stay with Granny and one for Granny if she gets cold. Hospital blankets are thin and do a poor job of keeping you warm. In addition to that Granny is going to have to go to rehab and she will want to be comfortable as possible and she has thin blood and gets cold so I want her to be cozy. I bought Mamaw a pair of sweats and some footies to wear. There were two pair in a pack so Aunt Louise who is staying with Granny tonight could also wear some. I bought Granny some too in case her feet got cold and when she gets up and moving she will need some traction on her feet but I know she won't want to wear bulky shoes. I also got Granny some toiletries because hospital soap and shampoo is terrible for your skin and will often break elderly people or people with extra sensitive skin out. Plus it's nice to have some smelly-good stuff for your very own when you don't feel well. I also got a couple of towels in case anyone wanted to take a shower and some cookies for them to munch on if they got hungry. Your Daddy thought I was nuts and thought everyone else would think I was nuts but everyone else feels the same way I do; They would move the sun. the moon. the stars, and the mountains for your great Granny. She is good to everyone she has ever known and she always seems to find the best in everyone. She could find something good about Hitler. And if she couldn't then she'd just go pray for him.
   Your are wore out now that you are home and you are sleeping peacefully. I am tired myself and there are a couple of things I need to do on the computer before I go to bed. I know you will wake up for a bottle tonight and I am looking forward to it. I always love to see you any time of the night or day. But I had better get some things done and get some rest myself. I don't think we are going to the hospital tomorrow, unless Granny gets worse or she really wants us to. And tonight I am going to pray for Granny in the hopes that all goes well for her. Goodnight sweetie. Mommy loves you so much, Rebecca.

Dear Rebecca,
                  Hello, Lil' One. It's been almost two weeks since I last posted. I'm getting terrible at this blogging thing. It just seems that I don't have the time I once did. I wonder why that is? Seriously, your mother is your primary care giver. I'm just basically that guy you see around the house sometimes.
   We all went down to Mamaw & Papaw's for Papaw & Butch's, (That;s Uncle Rodney's father), birthday supper. We all had a real fine time. You were awful fussy but it was getting on toward your bedtime before we left. You cried for everyone except your mother & I. It made me very proud that I could comfort you and calm you. Anyway, a terrible thing happened as we were leaving. We were taking Granny back home and we were all leaving and Granny fell and broke her hip. Everyone was very upset. Granny is 88 years old. A fall can be very bad for an 88 year old woman. Anyway. She will probably have surgery tomorrow. We're all praying that she will be fine. I'm sure she will. I want you to remember her. She loves you so much. She's the reason you always wear socks. Granny is so afraid you're gonna get cold. She was scolding us for not having a jacket on you tonight. I told your mother to take you inside because your Granny was complaining that no one ever listens to her. I figured that even though it was a beautiful night and the temperature was very moderate i would respect her wishes.
   Anyway, That's it for tonight. I love you.

Dear Rebecca,
                     No posts for a few days. I know we go a few days between posts most of the time anyway, but I do not know how long it will be. We are having our phone worked on and it may take a while. No phone means no internet, which means no posts for Mommy and Daddy.
   Daddy kicked you yesterday. You were lying on a rug in the middle of the floor at Mamaw and Papaw's. He didn't really hurt you, he just scared you real badly. He felt terrible about it all night long. Daddy loves you lots, little girl.
   No big news to share, just that we won't be online for the next couple days. I reckon I will let you go for now, will write you a nice long post about what we do (or hopefully DON'T do) this weekend.

Dear Rebecca,
                     Hello there, little girl. Right now you are watching your movie of Baby Einstein: Baby Van Gogh. It's one of your favorites. You enjoy all the pretty colors and I think you especially enjoy the puppets.
Sorry I did not write more after your pictures. When we took you to get your pictures done Wednesday, all you did was fuss and cry. You were not a happy camper. So we decided to reschedule for Saturday. We took you back this past Saturday and you were all big smiles. All went well except for the fact that you spit up ALL over your sweater. Daddy was a little upset but Mommy fixed it. We just tossed the sweater to the side and took nice pictures of your smiley face. That is what is most important, the cute little smiles you give. Who cares about an old sweater?
Mommy is sick today. I don't know what it is but I am coming down with something. I can't really hold anything down and my throat is all dry and scratchy. Plus I am all stuffed up and I have a low grade fever. I am really quite miserable. I haven't even gotten out of my gown & robe today. Lucky for me you are a good baby and it's really no trouble to take care of you.
   You are going to need a bath tonight. I think I may let Daddy give it to you. It will be the very first time Daddy has given you a bath alone. I don't know why, it just will be. I think it will be anyway. Momma really isn't feeling very well so I think I will let you go and lie down on the couch while your movie plays. I love you, little girl!!