April 10,
2015
Dear Easton,
My writing goal this past year was to
write a Happy Birthday to each of my grandchildren. We were in Texas during your birthday, and I
was too busy to write you a birthday letter.
Also grandpa’s laptop was not working.
Happy 6th birthday to my big boy. I take my memory back to the day you were
born. On Monday, March 23, 2009 your mom
called early in the morning to say that she was in labor. I took the day off. They dropped off your sisters and went to the
Med Center. Grandpa had to go to work,
so Bernie came over to babysit. This was
so I can leave for the hospital when your Daddy calls. You took a long time to get out. Your mom would have labor pains and then they
would slow down, she only had about 2 ½ hours of hard labor. The doctor had even left during the evening
to attend a baseball game. Your dad
called and said you weren’t going to come until the late evening. But around 5:00PM Sean called to say to come
up to the hospital that things were moving along. I left the house when the tornado sirens were
going off and tried to race the storm.
When I got to the Med Center off of 42nd the sirens down
there were going off. I was there only a
short time and you were born at 6:01PM, weighed 9lb 12oz and was 21 ½ in long. The baseball game that the doctor was going
to attend was cancelled due to the storm, so he was there to help with your
delivery. Julie was having problems with
the afterbirth, so I got to hold you and talk with you. I love being there when my grandchildren are
born. We knew that your name was going
to be Easton but we did not know the middle name of Patrick after Grandpa. So that was a big surprise.
It
was a couple of hours and the afterbirth still had not been delivered. They were going to take Julie to surgery to
remove it. Mom had some bleeding
problems when you were 3 months and thought that she had lost you. The doctor thought that maybe the placenta
had fused inside. The doctor even said
that maybe he would have to do a hysterectomy.
I remember Julie pleading with him to not do that because she wants to
have more children. Sean emailed
everyone from church etc. to pray. I
left Julie to go home to put the girls to bed, so Bernie could go home. I also prayed and prayed. I wanted more grandchildren. God answers His children’s prayers. They put mom out for the surgery and the
afterbirth came out with no surgery. God
answered our prayers.
Some of my memories of you as a young boy
before you were 2 years old were the time you climbed out of the pack and play
downstairs. You went into the toy room
and found your toy pliers and then went around the room unplugging the electric
cords from the sockets with the pliers.
You had this thing about plugging in cords like blow dryers, curling
irons, and even crock pots. I had to
hide all plug in devices from you when you came to visit. You also would take things apart that had
screws. You had really good fine motor
control for such a little one. You did
not talk much, since you did not have to.
You had two sisters that did the talking for you. Then all of a sudden you began to talk. On one trip to Lincoln you talked about such
random things like parking lots along the way, just to talk.
When you ate you would stuff your cheeks with
food. I was always worried you would choke. I would tell you to slow down and chew. You loved hot dogs and still do. Fish crackers were your favorite snack. When I would take you kids on a walk, you
were so slow. You would stop and study
items. Your mind was probably thinking
about how it was built or put together.
You are so much like your dad.
You love the things that he loves and love going places with your dad
and grandpa. You fish, bike, shoot guns
and bows, and build things with your Lego’s or other items that you find. You can go off and play by yourself and keep
yourself entertained. You also like to
cook. I taught you how to break an egg
open a few years ago. You were so proud
that you could do that. You are a great
helper and love to vacuum. When you were
really young and Weston would get into the dirt of my plants and spread it
around. You were right there warming up
my vacuum. I still think at times you
may have made the mess just to get a chance to vacuum.
Your favorite thing to do now is to play a
game called Mind Craft. You have tried
to explain it to me but I just don’t understand. It is something to do with building cities on
your I Pad. You love sharing with me
about the things you are learning such as counting by 5’s, 10’s and 25’s. You might even tell me about space or
science. Even at age 6, you are still my
baby and still love to cuddle. You like
it when I tuck you in and sing you the “Go to sleep” song. I call you my little snuggle bug. You love exploring and hunting down bugs and
other creatures. When I take you to the
pond behind our house, you are always looking for ways to make your own fishing
pole from a stick and old fishing line that was left behind. I have some great memories of the many
camping trips that we have been on. You
were just asking last week when we were going camping. I told you to ask Grandpa. You are really interested in helping Grandpa
set up the camper and then get it ready to go home. The sewer system really has always concerned
you. How your poop and pee is stored
under the RV and then emptied by the sewer hose at the campground. You are also in charge of turning the table
into you and Weston’s bed at night and then back to the table for
breakfast. You are very patient with me,
and will remind me that you are Easton when I call you Weston. You both look so much alike. You will always pick out books with big print
that I can see when it is time for a bedtime story. You will ask, “Grandma can you see this book?”
You will also take my hand and help me cross streets by watching for cars,
etc. My big helper boy! I could go on and on about my many
memories of you and how much I love you.
I am so glad you liked our present that we gave you for your 6th
birthday. Angie sent us a picture of you
holding the $20 bill with your huge smile.
Love, hugs
and kisses to my snuggle bug Easton!
Grandma Rene
McQuinn