COOL AUNT CARRIE GRADUATES

I will always remember your face when you first saw the expanse of Jordan Hare Stadium. Your little lips stuck out and your eyes got big. It was so hot, but Nana Carol, Poppa and the two of us stayed cool by walking under the big fan in the breezeway and using your baby wipes. Aunt Carrie graduated and you got to spend time with her at her apartment and at lunch at Outback. We walked around campus and got you your first Auburn hat and outfit.

Graduating from college is a huge accomplishment and we are all very proud of Aunt Carrie.


While we were on campus we went to Samford Hall. That is where graduates go to have their pictures made. It is an acknowledgment of accomplishment. I wanted to take your picture there. You have already accomplished so much in your brief time with us. And since you are the greatest accomplishment of my life we were going to take a picture.... And also to give you something to aspire to.

We had to wait a few minutes. Two ladies and a male graduate were already there. He wore his graduation gown but his hat cap rested in his lap while the ladies who I assume were his mother and sister directed his wheelchair up close to the Auburn University sign. His head was bald. It wasn't the kind of bald head you get by choice. It was that of a very sick person. His frame was thin. You could tell even under his gown. He was weak and frail. The ladies helped him... Almost carried him the few feet to place him at the sign for a picture. I couldn't help but think of how hard it must have been to be that sick... and to stay strong and focused enough to do what is necessary to graduate. It was obviously a family achievement. The ladies looked at their son and brother with great pride. With a future in doubt it would have been easy for the young man to give up on college. But goals and accomplishments are important. They don't define us. But they can describe us at least in part. I was as proud of that young man as I was of Cool Aunt Carrie. Despite serious obstacles he achieved. I'm sure his family helped him get there. It is the most basic and beautiful of the great American stories. His sister took your picture.

I hope that your life is one of joy, love and accomplishment.

The Magnolia Room with PaPa and Mom

6 month doctor appointment

"release me"

6 MONTHS TODAY

It is so amazing. Six months has already past. I've been alive for 72 of your lifetimes and yet we have as many wonderful memories in these six months as we do the rest of our lives combined. Each day has brought something new and exciting. Holding hands. Smiling. Laughing. Crawling. Rolling over. Sitting up. Pulling up. Almost every day brings something new.

There have been so many exciting events. Coming home from the hospital and meeting friends and family. Doctors appointments. Having picnics in the park. Strolling the neighborhood. Playing in the big snow. Going to basketball games. Your Christening. Fun days with grandparents and great grandparents. Rock and roll gigs. The beach. So many things...

You are going to have a lot more firsts and exciting days. As you get older there will not be as many, but you should make every day as fulfilling as possible. And with every year of your life you should have at least one or two major and defining moments for that year. As in "the year of..." I'm pretty sure most of your Mom's and my big moments are going to be your moments. For instance, 2010 will always be the year of Wynn- the year we found out and finally got to meet you. 2009, Daddy had a really big case that you'll probably hear about later. 2008 was the tax school decision and beginning. 2007 was the year Mommy married Daddy. I think you should do at least one really big thing each year so when you are an old man - even older than me- you can look back on a life of excitement and accomplishment. You're well on your way. Of course there are a lot of little things you have to do all of the time... Like be a nice and polite young man.

So it was time for your six month doctor appointment. You were 17lbs and 8 oz and 27.5 inches long. The doctor put you in the 90th percentile in length. He said you were advanced because you crawl and sit up sturdy and strong and because you reach for things and move things from hand to hand. We didn't tell him you'd been doing it for two months.

Beauty sleep

Sent from my iPhone

Wishing we could freeze time

I'm watching you sleep. You are just a little angel. So peaceful. So innocent and so gentle. Before I laid you down I was holding you. I didn't want to lay you down. I wanted to freeze the moment. Capture in such a way that I can always call it up in my mind and experience it again. Every day is filled with moments just like that. We are so excited to watch you grow and learn. But there is a selfish side that wants to stop time and hold the moment the same way we hold you. Although we are so proud of all the "firsts" you are achieving almost every day... First crawl, green beans, holding your own bottle, and about a hundred more... They almost come too fast. As Miss Annie Cornell said, you'll be sixteen for a whole year, but the moments we are experiencing right now are over in an instant. We will just have to absorb every moment and soak it in. So many moments, but thankfully so much time.