As some of you may not know my mother passed away from lung cancer on November 22nd. When I find the time and the energy to express what she meant to me I would like to share. In the meantime I wanted to share a letter that she wrote to Jacob, her only grandchild, that eloquently summarized her feeling for him.
My Sweet Grandson,
When you were baptized “Jacob” by your parents “Rebecca” and Vincent “Isaac” Porter,the biblical parallel was obvious (Gen. 25: 19 – 26).
Such an auspicious beginning carries a weighty responsibility, mainly to yourself, to strive for the loftiest goals your world will have to offer. During this time you’re destined to bestow blessings on others whose lives you touch, as you have already graced your family with.
When you made me a Grandmother and I held you the first time, I unexpectedly felt like my whole life had been leading up to this moment, the ultimate, miraculous joy that is you, Jacob Harper Porter.
Before you got here, I busily shopped for your first red tricycle, your first set of Lincoln Logs, and more. But I settled for a more practical First Christmas Gift, a fullsize Radio Flyer Rocking Horse! (His name is “Liberty” and he’s waiting for you over here at Nana's Stable.)
Precious Boy, if I got to see you everyday, I would still catch my breath at the wonder of the hand of God in my life. You instill in me the desire to be worthy of of You and all the other blessings I’ve taken for granted. Thank you.
You are progressing at the speed of light it seems: crawling by 4 mos. (remember how you liked to “crawl” up Mom or Dad’s chest when you were a couple of weeks old?)
You’ve got your first TWO teeth coming in now when you’re barely 5 mos.! You’ll be asking for the car keys any day!.
Mom and Dad diligently video/audiograph your every little event. Even before you you arrived, Daddy got nice pix of Mommy’s tummy with you inside which she hopes he didn’t put on YouTube. ( One tape, Jacob’s First Bath, is a study in What NOT to Do With Anybody’s baby!)
Jake, that one-of-a-kind brilliant smile you’re so generous with, melts my heart. I fervently pray that forever in your life and world, you’ll always have reason to use it.
I love you,
Nana
February 20, 2009
What I decided to try was a really simple potty chart with stickers. I know how much he loves stickers and stamps at school for rewards so I thought what better way than to reward him for using the potty. Now let me back up a moment. Jacob isn't really aware of when he is going potty. He doesn't care and then runs away when we try to change him. By the way he hates getting his diaper changed. So I figured why not start off really simple and reward him every time he tells mommy and daddy that he has already gone and he gets a sticker. Really simple here folks. So we will do this for 30 days and see how it goes. I am fully aware that there are going to be many times we forget to remind him to tell us, but at least it's a start.
Then after 30 days we will institute the big potty chart. He will then have to tell us when he has to go potty. During this time we will teach him to use the actual toilet seat in his bathroom. Again if he does tell us he gets another sticker for everytime. I am crossing my fingers that this works.
Does anyone else have any advice for potty training?
{two} what sound does your alarm make when it goes off in the morning? ugh, this REALLY annoying buzzing/beeping sound. it’s pretty awful.
{three} chocolate milk or hot chocolate? Definitely hot chocolate! My husband uses milk and I use water to make it.
{four} what is one of the quirkiest things about you? I am very OCD about certain things. Like the way I do laundry, hang clothes, load the dishwasher.
{five} are you more like your mom or your dad? I would have to say I am very much like both of them in very different ways. When it comes to arguing, I am like my dad. My mom and I have very similar tastes in colors, furniture, and shopping.
{six} do you sleep with the TV on? I have a really hard time falling to sleep with silence. I think it's because I never really turn my brain off at night. I always have something I am working on, so having the TV on helps me drown out my personal thoughts. Of course my husband hates it.
{seven} if you were a crayon, what color would you be? My color choices are always changing. If we are talking design wise I would have to say either gray or a light blue color.
{eight} ross, joey, or chandler? I would have to say Chandler. He would always keep me laughing.
{nine} do you play any musical instruments? I have no musical talents whatsoever. Ask my husband and he would tell you I can't even keep a beat.
{ten} what’s the worst thing you’ve ever cooked/baked? Well it wasn't something that I actually cooked or even baked. It was cheese fondue. Last Valentine's Day my husband and I decided that we wanted to try making it at home. We got a recipe online and then headed to grocery store. It had a couple of different cheeses that neither one of us had even heard of before. We put it all together and added some white wine like the recipe called for and melted it. It stunk the house up. We could barely get through one bit before we called it quits.
I love how soft and bold they are. Such pretty colors and textures. I can definitely see myself wearing a few of things on the weekends with the right outfit. And the most fabulous thing is that they are interchangeable. How awesome is that girls. All you have to do is order the headband and you can change out all the different styles. Here are a few of my favorites.
{one} grilled or fried? I prefer fried, I am a Southern girl. But if I am watching what I eat, then grilled.
{two} if you could change one thing about where you live, without worrying about money, what would you change? I would buy a new house with everything that I ever wanted, wood floors, new cabinets, window shutters, spa bathroom, and of course a beautiful landscaped yard for my husband.
{three} what is your favorite time of day? if I'm not working, then the late afternoon if the weather is nice and breezy.
{four} what’s your favorite cereal? Some brand called Oh's!
{five} do you open your mouth when you put mascara on? I can't seem to remember.
{six} if you could make any fictional character come to life, which would it be? probably something English and romantic, like Emma from Jane Austin's book.
{seven} what are your favorite pizza toppings? Really just cheese and pepperoni. I really don't care for pizza that much.
{eight} are you a heavy or a light sleeper? depends on if I have a lot of things going through my mind. I'm so OCD and antsy, I can't stop moving when I have things I want to finish up.
{nine} what is your favorite board game? Probably just good old checkers.
{ten} what star/celebrity do most people say you look like? A lot of people use to say that I looked like Natalie Portman or Ashley Judd. But they are so much prettier than me, probably because they have people who can do their hair, clothes and make-up. Wouldn't it be so much easier if we all had a styling team following us around.
I completely forgot about doing this yesterday. So I am only a day behind for anyone that actually reads this blog.
{one} what is your biggest pet peeve? Tardiness. I am always at least 15 minutes early to everything. I grew up a millitary brat so there was never an excuse for being late. If you are a family member in my household you better have a good excuse for not being on time. {two} what is your favorite dessert? I love sweet and tart desserts. Things like Key Lime Pie. {three} what is the first thing you notice about people? their skin. {four} are you usually late, early or right on time? early. Refer to question #1 {five} have you ever fired a gun? I have only fired a gun one time. My uncle took me to an outdoor shooting range. There were so many types of guns to shoot. My very first one was some kind of semi-automatic. Pretty cool and I've got the pictures to prove it. {six} are you right-handed or left-handed? right. {seven} which do you prefer: coke or pepsi? Coke. It's a bad habit that I have. {eight} do you dance crazy when no one is looking? maybe. okay, yes. {nine} what’s your favorite movie snack? Sour patch kids {ten} do you scream on roller coasters? I think I do. I haven't been on an actual roller coaster since I was a little kid. It's been so long and no I am not going to tell you how long. Just a little bit more information on little old me! Have a great weekend.
{two} what is your middle name? Gail
{three} what’s the habit you’re most proud of breaking? laziness, just ask my husband, I never sit down. I am always up doing something.
{four} what do you order when you order Chinese food? Always chicken fried rice. I am so adventurous.
{five} what’s the best bargain you’ve ever found at a garage sale or thrift store? I recently bought a china hutch from craigslist. I had never seen it in person and had my husband pick it for me. It actually turned out to be a beautiful piece once I had refinished it.
{six} what’s the best costume you’ve ever worn? it wasn't the best costume, but it was definitely the most memorable. My mother decided to make me a pumpkin costume. Well pumpkins are suppose to be round and large. Well mine was slightly flat and droopy. I was so embarrassed.
{seven} who’s your favorite game show host? I don't really watch any game shows, but I do remember watching Wheel of Fortune with my grandmother, so I would have to say Pat Sajak.
{eight} what’s your favorite breakfast food? breakfast tacos, I live in Texas.
{nine} what’s your least favorite word? panties, I just hate that word!
{ten} describe something that happened to you for which you have no explanation. This is a hard one. I will have to get back to you.