The Big Reveal

    In the modern era, it is more common than not for couples to find out the gender of their baby before the birth occurs. It was not even an option for The Husband and me in three of my pregnancies and by the time we got to our fourth, we already had two boys and a girl, so finding out the sex of the baby beforehand was not of prime importance. In my own case, I can readily testify that learning whether you have given birth to a boy or girl at the moment of delivery is possibly the most wonderful surprise in life. However, today it seems that the vast majority of couples want to know ahead of time. And since technological advances have given us a window into the womb, if my children choose to find out the gender of their baby and are willing to share the news with us, then I am more than happy to forego the element of surprise.
   My eldest son and daughter-in-law planned a "gender reveal" for us the week before Christmas that proved to be a lot of fun. The plan was for both immediate families, his and hers, to gather at our house and enjoy a meal together. After the meal, my daughter-in-law promised that we would soon learn whether the grandbaby would be a boy or a girl.
    Here's how it played out. The two grandmothers had the honor of cutting the delicious homemade cake which contained a surprise. You can tell that we are just a wee bit excited.

 Those are the parents-to-be standing by to see our reaction.

In case you are wondering, we can't really tell anything yet...

 I'm still in the dark here...

 Can you tell that the other grandmother has figured it out?! I love her joy.

 Ahh...there is the proof. Our grandbaby will be a BOY!

I am hoping that May will get here sooner than later. 

I can't wait to meet this precious little one.

There are also some other little people in our family 

who are eagerly awaiting the arrival 

of a new cousin.

However, I think the biggest attraction that night was the idea of getting to eat some cake!

Recapping the moment!

Momma-to-be with her Momma!

The granddaddy-to-be and his girl!

Momma-to-be and her siblings!

The Daddy-to-be and his siblings sans one son-in-law...

And finally, here's the lovely couple with both sets of grandparents!

No matter the number of grandchildren, the joy is the same. Love has a marvelous
way of multiplying itself like a cup running over with the addition to the family of each little one.
We feel so very blessed.
I am mindful of the scripture I prayed before this first-born son of ours came into the world,
For this child I prayed and the Lord hath granted me the petition
I made unto Him, therefore, as long as he lives, he shall be given unto the Lord.
May it be so with the life of this little one.

Happy News...Our Family Grows Again

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children's of one's youth.
Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!
He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. Psalm 127:3-5

 It just keeps getting better! How could it not with the safe and speedy arrival of our fourth grandchild! In case you haven't noticed, we love, love, love babies around here. In fact, there is nothing sweeter in my book than holding a precious new life in your arms, especially if that little one belongs to someone you love.
   On Sunday, August 25, our middle son and his lovely wife welcomed their second child and first son into the world. The baby is named for both of his grandfathers which means that little James Edward Thomas White (to be known henceforth as JET)  has the wonderful heritage of two godly men who each feel so honored to have this little one carrying on a part of their name.
    One of the sweetest things we witnessed was getting to see Jet's Big Sister meet him for the first time. Her love and joy ooze out and spill over. If this doesn't warm your heart, nothing will!

Here we are in the Family Waiting Room at the hospital waiting for our son to come and get us.

Big Sister is nearly beside herself!

 Big Sister's first look: "What are they doing to him?"

 Daddy and his boy...

 "Can I hold him? Can I hold him? Can I hold him?" 

Mommy and Daddy patiently explain about how helpless little brother is and 

why Big Sister has to be so very careful with him. 

 "That's my baby brother...."

 My daughter-in-law's sister (Aunt B) came up from Birmingham to meet the little guy!

 The proud grandfathers with their namesake!

 This little girl loves her Mommy so much!

 Big Sister is just sure her baby brother is talking to her...

 Drum roll please...

Introducing the beautiful family of four!

 Baby Sister will always be a Daddy's girl!

 Camper and her Mimi

 One more hug...

" Is he here to stay?"

You betcha, Big Sister, and he will grow up thinking that you are the cat's meow. Just

promise not to paint his fingernails pink and you all will get along just fine!

Let The Others Eat Cake

     Last week's birthday bash for our first grandson was purposefully low-key. With his parents currently undergoing a house renovation that has seen them moving out of their house and decamping to not one, not two, but three different locations, they opted for a "just family" outdoor party in a neighborhood park. The Daughter kept things really simple, and it was a good call. She served mini cupcakes from The Cupcake Collection, mini ice cream sandwiches and little bottles of ice water. There were picnic tables, a few helium balloons for decoration, a frisbee, some nerf rockets, lots of shade trees, and a good old fashioned playground nearby.
    The weather was amazing. When the daughter sent out her Paperless Paperless Post invites, and I realized the party was going to be outside, I worked up a sweat just thinking about it. Four o'clock in the afternoon in August in Nashville can be absolutely brutal. Last year the heat index for the very same day was 106. Yikes. The boy may have a few "hot" birthday parties in his future, but this first one was not one of them. The temperature was only 84 degrees, the humidity was low, and I never even broke a sweat!
    The Birthday Boy was a champ! He loved the attention, loved his toys, and had a great time. But he did not like his cupcake much. It was pretty funny!

Uh oh. Something's up.

Everybody has gathered around me, and they are singing some silly song.

 Oh wow. Take a look at that thing. Is that candle for me?

 I'm thinking about it...

 Not so sure about that blue stuff...

 I think it's growing on me...

 Good one of the family, except that I forgot to look at the camera!

 Let's skip the cake part...I'm just gonna concentrate on the icing...

 GiGi comes over to help me along....

 Now it's time to open presents. Yippee!

I love Thomas the Train!

 My cousins and sister are only too happy to help me out with the presents

Aunt Kelly and my cousin Mia are a big help!

Sister is trying to explain the instructions to me. I'm not too interested.

Momma decides that I need to try on my new shoes...

What are shoes anyway? I like my bare feet just fine.

Momma, I'm telling you it's not gonna happen!
Take these things off NOW!

 This is my Pappy, my cousin and my sister. We are adding another cousin
in a week or two. There's already room in Pappy's lap for him!

 That's my Uncle Bear and my Aunt Betta

 That's my Momma with my great-granddaddy, Pa Poag

 Here's Uncky, Nannie, and my cousin (Little Two). 

 That's my Uncle Jacob and my Aunt Kelly

 This is my cousin Tatum, my grandmother Gigi, and Ken.

 This is another shot of Uncle Bear and my cousin (Little Two)

Tatum and I are chillin' out with Pa Poag, our great-grandfather

My party sure was a lot of fun. I want to do it again next year.

And can you guess why Nonna told me that this is her very favorite picture from that day???

A One-der-ful Year in the Life of A Boy

   He is officially "one" tomorrow, this first grandson of ours. He is a charmer from his head to his toes. I wondered when he made his debut if I would love him as much as I had my first two grandchildren. But of course, God does that marvelous thing in our hearts when the love is shared...it divides and multiplies and runs over until the cup of love is filled to the brim!
 

Welcome to the world, little boy! 

Here I am chilling out under the warming lights, and I am not even one hour old!

That's my Dad there with a good grip on me. I already love that man.

Here is my Momma getting me ready for my first bath!

Ahh...I love it when she talks to me like that

Worn out and ready for my nap!

My Daddy rocks my world! 

Here I am meeting all of my Nonna's friends and being introduced to some

very important people at my Sip-n-See

Too bad I slept through the entire thing...

Now that I am waking up to life, I can tell you that I have fallen in love with my Big Sister. 

 Mom thinks it's possible that I might have a future as a comedian.

Check out my facial expressions

Here I am all decked out for Christmas! I love playing with Dad. 

He does fun stuff like throwing me up in the air.

Nonna has to look the other way.

Did I mention that I love my Momma?! 

Mom and Dad left me with Nonna and Pappy when they went out of town for a little vacation.

Don't tell anybody, but things happen at Nonna's house.

 Like getting licked all over by Wilson, the dog.

And now for a random fact:

Did you know that the paper at the pediatrician's office tastes good?

Sissy and I like to ham it up for the camera and for our amazing photographer, Katherine Holly.

Here I am getting worried that they might leave me up here all alone...

with that ratty ole bear

 It's amazing all of the changes a year can bring.

I can already crawl like greased lightning and stand on my own.

 I am starting to talk and can call a few folks by name.

I finally got some teeth (I am up to four).

I love to laugh, am ticklish, and like to make funny faces.

 Oh, and occasionally I like to rock a natural mohawk!

See what I mean?

My special day is off to a great start. Hope yours is too!