7-22-14
Dear Katelyn
Rose McGee,
Happy Birthday! You are seven years old today. I thought I would write about my memories of
you. I will be using some of my letters
that I wrote to you in the past, since my memories come and go at times. I am really glad that I have those letters
and journals that I have kept these past years.
I started keeping journals for your mom and Angie when they were
born. You will receive your binders of
writings and pictures when you are older.
Your first binder is already full and I just bought new ones. You picked out your first binder and of
course it was your favorite color-pink.
You decorated it with stickers etc.
We
just got back from my “Trip of a Lifetime #3” to CO in our motor home. This trip was a little different than #1 and
#2 because your dad came along for this trip.
At Focus on the Family in Co Springs you picked out a Bible and a pink
cover protector. It is an adult King
James Bible with a cute little girls cover.
So it is not written in a kid’s language like those little kids
Bibles. You were so excited that you
would not have to carry Mom’s Bible to church anymore. This was what you wanted for your birthday,
and not forced on you like some gifts.
Grandpa had planned on giving you money to spend at the American Girl
store in Denver, which really made me mad.
Those things are so expensive and it is just a money making racket. Plus
your aunts were planning on giving you things for your American Girl
dolls. Your dad let you and Jocelyn pick
out a new American Girl doll for your birthdays. Your dad sure spoils his little girls. I would have said, you already have two of
those dolls and you don’t need a third.
Back in the day we needed to have more than one Barbie, but they were
smaller and we made their clothes and beds, etc., or we got Barbie things from garage
sales.
You
are my great helper. I was having major
problems seeing on this trip #3 due to an eye bleed and a eye shot plus a lot
of eye mucus. You would take my hand
without even asking and help guide me on the trails at the Garden of the
Gods. You would tell me when I came to a
step and when we came across an uneven trail due to rain wash. You described scenery and the wildlife for me,
so it was as if I could see it. You
waited with me at the waterfall, since I was not allowed to climb all the way
to the top. I did climb up about a
fourth of the way. Going up was easy;
it is the going down the steps when you are blind is very hard and a slow
process.
You started helping me years ago on my
first outing to an unknown place with a crowd after I became blind. We were at a rescue dog show and none of the
other kids were helping, they just wanted to go ahead and not be tied down
walking a blind grandma. You also helped
me cross the streets of Washington DC on Trip of a Lifetime #1 and held my hand
in the museums, so Grandma would not get lost.
You also help me in other ways.
You are my fruit and vegetable slicer and dicer for our healthy salads
that I make when you are over or on a camping trip with us. You are always asking if you can help. I pray that you will continue wanting to be
so helpful, because I may really need more help in the future. You are also a very polite little girl. You remember your “pleases, thank you, and no
thank you. You are a very picky eater so
‘no thank you’ comes in handy vs the ‘I hate ….’ You don’t like to eat the many things that
the other kids do, which causes me some frustration in what to serve you. One time while camping you emailed your mom
complaining about how I was not having anything you liked for dinner. I did not let you starve that night like you
thought.
I came across something that your mom
wrote about you that I had saved in your binder. She wrote this in Nov of 2010 when you were
three and staying with us. Katelyn: naps
and bedtime put her in a diaper… Remind
her before nap that she cannot come out of her room and needs to take a good
nap. She will be extremely cranky if she
does not take a nap. That is so true. When
I read that I started laughing, and had a flashback of the extremely cranky
girl that I had to deal with on this last trip.
You no longer will take a nap even if you need one. You think you are too old, but your mom took
naps even in high school and still does.
She needs those naps and so do you.
On the last trip you were tired and cranky and refusing to take a shower
in the camper. You kept arguing, and I
was so close to giving you a spanking that would not cause laughter but
tears. I did the grandparent threat
talk, and you then stopped complaining and did what you were told to do. We talked and prayed about this in the wee
hours of the morning as we were snuggling in the bed. I just don’t understand how you kids and
Grandpa can get up so early in the
mornings. Weston is usually up first and
sings in bed. One morning he sang about
your dog Maggie. It was Maggie, Maggie,
Mags, etc. until I got him up. You are
usually the last of the kids to get up in the morning.
Discussing this nap stuff got me thinking
about how much you are like your mom when she was younger. You both needed your naps, but she also gets
cranky when she is hungry and still does.
I have not seen that trait in you yet, but that is because Grandma’s
Restaurant is always open 24/7. It is stocked with the same garbage as a 7
Eleven, that we only have around when you kids are here or traveling with us.
Grandpa would be eating the sweets, chips, etc. instead of my healthy
salads. I am hiding popsicles in the
downstairs freezer from Grandpa, since you love popsicles.
Your mom refused to swallow pills, and you
have that same concern. A couple of
years ago your dad was trying to get you to swallow an aspirin and you were
refusing and crying. It reminded me so
much of your mom. You also are a very
good student in school and you hate to make mistakes in your school work. Mom was the same way, one time she came home
crying in 3rd grade and had failed a test that she did not study
for. I have heard about how upset you
get when you get a spelling word or math problem wrong on a test. You love to read, and your mom did too. You are in the reading program at your
library and get prizes for reading. Mom
did the same and got Little King coupons for reading and would love to stop
there after the library trips and eat their pickles. She still loves that place. You both love pickles but then I say all
McQuinn’s love pickles and olives. We
always needed those two at our family events, and still do on our camping trips. You fight with your siblings like your mom
fought with Angie, but then all siblings fight and argue.
You follow Jocelyn around like Julie did to
Angie. You do most whatever Jocelyn asks of you, and she can
talk you into doing things that you do not want to do. I found that out when I spent the week with
you when your mom had her surgery a couple of mouths ago. I helped you organize and clean your
room. It took a full day to do
that. You and Jocelyn had everything
stuffed, from bags, drawers, closets and under the bathroom sink stuffed with
things that did not belong. It was like
Christmas, because you were finding many lost and forgotten toys and items. I had the stuffing talk with you. Don’t listen to Jocelyn when she wants to
clean up fast to get out and play. Take
the time to put things where they belong and not under the bed! Sure glad Angie and Julie had their own
rooms. Angie was the one with the messy
room and your mom’s room was clean and organized. Jocelyn is so much like Angie. Your mom was very sensitive and still is, and
so are you. Your feelings get hurt very
easily and then the crying begins. I
know mom is working on that with you, because you take things so serious.
One time you were over at our house
looking through picture books on our travels.
Every picture you came to that had a blond little girl you would ask, “Is
that me Grandma?” I would have to answer,
“No honey that is Jocelyn.” We got
through two albums when you stopped and said, “Grandma you never took me
anywhere!” I was trying to explain to
you that you were too little and did not want to leave your mom, when Grandpa
started joking and told you that we did not like you. Well that did not go over with a very
sensitive little girl. He has now
learned how to deal with you. Your first
time over at our house for a sleepover without your siblings was tough and you
shed a few tears and made a few phone calls to mom. Mom was like that on sleepovers also when she
was your age. I was also the same and did not want to go to camp or to
sleepovers by myself. Angie and Jocelyn were
the opposite. We took Jocelyn to Grand
Canyon when she was three and on the day when we were leaving she finally said
she missed her mom, it took her seven days to miss her. Your mom would call every night asking if she
missed her yet, and I would have to say no.
Mom was having a harder time than Jocelyn did on that trip. Every year when we plan our travels together
you always say that you want to see the Grand Canyon.
Sometimes I worry about you getting lost
in the pack of four. Jocelyn the oldest,
Weston the youngest, Easton is clueless, but you need attention and sometimes
seek out the negative attention that some kids do. You can give Easton a hard time, and
sometimes Weston but just remember that they are growing up and will soon be
fighting back and will deck you, ask mom what that means. She may have already discussed that with you,
or maybe you have already been decked by a little brother.
I was just reading the very first letter
that I wrote to you when you were 7 months old.
It was 6 pages long and told about your birth and first 7 months. I was writing it on a day off of school due
to the cold weather of -22. Today I have
some extra time because it is too hot to do anything. It is hot and close to 100 and very
humid. Our house is too cold from the
air conditioning, and the upstairs office is the warmest room in the house, so
no blanket or jacket is needed. I just
thought of another way that you and I are alike. You love to wear your jacket around your house
and on trips when it is warm/hot. I find
myself telling you to take the jacket off so you don’t get overheated. Grandpa gave up telling me to take my jacket
off.
The first time I heard about you was when
we had just attended a mortuary service in Ne City for a friend from church Ron
Keene who had died that Sunday at church.
On Wed. Nov. 15.06, after the mortuary we stopped to eat at Valentino’s. Your mom looked at your dad and said should
we tell them? She said, “If all goes
well.” And then I said you are having a
baby. I was so excited. You are about 3 weeks old now and we don’t
know if you are a boy or girl. Your
brother or sister about 3 months old and is in heaven died on Sept. 27, 06, so
God really blessed us with you. Your mom
looked so beautiful as you were growing inside.
On March 2,07 we found out that you were a girl.
On
Sunday, July 22 your parents dropped off Jocelyn around 2:00 in the morning,
and went to the hospital in Omaha. Sean
would call and give us an update. I
figured I would come up after church to watch your birth since Jocelyn took
close to 24 hours to be born. Your
parents said that I could be there when you were born. I was so excited that I could be there
another birth. Thank you Julie and Sean
for giving me the chance to experience four great events of my lifetime. I was getting Jocelyn ready for church when
Sean called to say I had better get to the hospital. I got there around 10:00AM. I kept thinking I hope I did not miss the
birth as I was driving to the Med Center on 42nd. Your mom was still in labor and was doing well. Your dad was so excited, and so was I. Your birth 12:04 PM went really smoothly vs
Jocelyn’s. You were 20” long, head 13.5”,
chest 14’ and weighted 7lbs, 13 oz. Dr.
M. Mathews delivered you. Before you
were born the nurse had wanted mom to get up and walk around, but she did not
what to because she was too tired. Your
dad made her stand for a short while, and mom started complaining about
standing and wanted to go back to bed. When
she got to bed she told Sean to get the doctor that you were coming. All mom needed to do was stand and out you
wanted to come. A few pushes and you
were born. You were a beautiful
baby. I stayed with mom as the doctors
worked on the after birth and stitches.
Daddy took care of you. After
church grandpa and Jocelyn came up to see you.
Jocelyn wore her pink big sister shirt on the next day when we visited
along with Great grandma Deloris, Angie, Nan, Doug, Kim, DeDee and
Theresa. Daddy took pictures of you with
your visitors. You went home with mom
and dad on Tues. They rested Tues. and
then on Wed the 25th we brought Jocelyn home to see you again. You later got to wear that same pink big
sister shirt when Easton was born.
Your mom took you to music classes as an
infant, and that is where you first rolled over. She took you to the Lincoln Children’s museum
and still loves taking you to museums.
On the first time mom left you as an
infant with us while they went to a movie, we had a very rough time. She left me a bottle of breast milk for you
to drink. We tried giving it to you and
all you did was cry and scream. You
wanted nothing to do with the bottle of milk because you wanted it from mom
only. Mom had never tried to feed you a
bottle, it was grandma’s job to teach you.
She called after the movie and came here to feed her hungry crying
infant. We did learn that when she left
you with me again that you would take juice from a bottle, so you did not have
to starve the next time they had date night.
If you want more info about your first 7
years, see my letters to you. The first
one covers from birth to 2011 and is 17 pages long. The others are called Dear Grandchildren
letters that I started writing because it was getting too hard to write individual
letters. I just finished up one of those
letters the other day about our Trip of a Lifetime #3 to CO. So now I have decided that I will write one
blog for each of my grandkids on their next birthday, if I am still able to see
to type and read.
Well
big 7 year old, I love you so much. I
could go on and on writing about you but it is getting harder to see the
computer screen even at 16 points. Yes,
I could in large the font, but decided to get this finished for your birthday.
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