A Mimi's Love...

So, imagine my surprise when I get out a thumb drive to put some pictures on to go get printed out and find a journal my mom was writing to Anabeth. I have barely stopped crying and mostly because Charlotte walked in and I knew she wouldn't understand. I have printed it out for Anabeth to be able to read and know just how much she was loved by her Mimi! This is what she had written...

My baby girl, where do I begin?

It's June 12, 2008 and I get a picture of you for the first time.  I can hear your heart beat and see your tiny body move.  We are all excited and looking forward to meeting you.
 It's not long after and I get to see you again.  This time I can even count your fingers and see your arms and legs.  The doctor tells us, "It's a girl!"  You're so special!
Gosh!  It's already October and I get one final glimpse before you're born. Although you're all curled up in a ball; now, I can clearly see your nose, mouth, feet and legs. My, how much you've grown!

12/29/2008, 9:15,  8.1,  21.5… Seem like mere numbers-- but important numbers they are.  December 29, 2008 is the day you were born at 9:15 PM.  You weighed in at 8 pounds 1 ounce and were 21.5 inches long.  Wow!  What a big girl!  What a beautiful girl!  I just stood in front of the nursery window at St. Vincents Hospital admiring every part of you.  What an amazing thing God has done!!  What a perfect creature God has made!!

Hmmm...who is this little person?  Your mom and dad went through many names trying to figure out what would fit your personality...of which they had no clue.  Family, friends and even strangers offered help in this process.  We decided your first name would be Anabeth-"Anna" named after you mom's best friend from school and "Beth" named after your grandmom Andrews. “Ana” has a Hebrew & Spanish background meaning:  grace & favour.  “Beth” is also a Hebrew name meaning:  God is my oath.  We'd already decided your middle name would be Joyce-named after Mimi and your mom. Joyce is Breton (one of the original 6 Celtic nations-in northwest France). It has several meanings: experienced in battle, little lord, and of course joyous.  So there you have it. 

"World, let me introduce you to Anabeth Joyce Andrews."  She’s graceful, a gift from God, full of joy & able to conquer whatever this world sends her way.

A new year rings in...it's 2009!
Your mommy gets to stay home with you for about 2 months.  We both enjoy the time we get to spend with you. I know your mom isn’t looking forward to having to leave you to go back to work. But I get to keep you so you don’t have to go to a daycare. 

Immediately your mommy & daddy begin taking you to a place that will become an important part of your life...church!  Fort Caroline Baptist Church to be exact.  Being a newborn, you haven’t yet realized where ‘church’ fits into the picture—but you will as it becomes a normal part of life.  You are truly blessed to have a mommy that makes it a priority for you to go to church so you can get to personally know who God is.  More than anything in the world, Mimi wants you to know how much God loves you and sacrificed for you.  My prayer is that one day you will love Jesus & trust Him in your heart. 

A very special & most important event takes place in your life & all those that love you.  The date is March 15, 2009.  You’re not quite 3 months old.   You are wearing a long white cotton, hand embroidered, two piece gown with a matching embroidered cotton hat.  What a beautiful little girl you are!!  Anabeth is the center of attention to everyone in church—it’s your dedication day.  Your dedication means mommy & daddy realize you are a gift from God and they are, in a way, ‘giving you back’ to God. That means they are promising God( in front of Pastor Ricky, your family  & all the congregation) that they will bring you up in a Christian home where you will see God alive in their hearts by the way they live.  Baby girl, they will be your example by doing things the way Jesus would... being thoughtful, loving, gentle, kind, compassionate, & humble. 

But your parents aren’t the only ones you will be watching—the rest of the family will influence you for better or worse.  I pray for the good.  Mimi, knows it’s a tremendous responsibility to be your Mimi.  My earnest prayer is that God will give me strength & wisdom to show you Jesus in the times we spend together.
Everyone loves you.  We want to hold you, kiss you, be close to you, watch you breathe and even hear you cry.  The adventure of taking care of you is just beginning.  Dressing, bathing, feeding, and even changing your diapers are such a joy.
Going with you to the doctor & watching you get shots are the worse part about being your Mimi. It kills me to see  you cry.  But mommy & I are quick to help settle you down and forget the pain.  We had to take you to the ER at Wolfsons because you were so sick with a high fever.   We want to just put a bubble around you for protection against injuries, illnesses, anything that could hurt you...but that’s not reality.  So we continue to trust God to help us take care of you & keep you well.

Mimi decides have a house built so I end my lease where I’m living and move in with Uncle David & Aunt Melissa until the house is finished.  So guess what?!?  Uncle David gets to help watch you...He really enjoys taking care of you!  He dons you with a bib & feeds you rice cereal mixed with milk & fruit.  He gives you a bottle and lets you play for a little while.  You get tired but those little eyes just don’t want to stay shut!  It can get frustrating getting you to go to sleep...and once asleep to stay asleep for any length of time.  Boy!! We sure hope you outgrow this!  When you DO sleep, you like to sleep on your side. Your little body usually needed 2 naps a day. (Gee! Even we needed a nap after that!)  I think you finally started sleeping through the night when you were 6 months old.  I’m sure your mommy & daddy were elated. 

Close attention is given to all those milestones you accomplish.  Holding your head up, turning over, and your first tooth, your first smile.  It’s fun watching you learn to crawl...you'd get on your hands and knees then start rocking back and forwards.  Sometimes you'd just fall over (and get distracted by something), at first the only direction you went was backwards; but eventually you got the hang of it. 

At that point, there was no stopping you--you were all over the place.  Next, you started pulling yourself up on things – chair legs, table legs, people legs, the couch, and any walls you were near. As we each anxiously watched, you finally took your 1^st step in November.  Of course there were many falls, many bumps, many tears.  But the explorations continue.

We were all so busy talking to you-each in our own way.  Your mommy & me talked to you like all mommies do:  baby talk.  But we also talked to you in big girl language.  Although Mimi pretty much enjoyed goo-gooing & ga-gaing with you more than anything.  Now your daddy was a different story.  He was just like your Grandmom and Granddad...always proper adult language-no baby talking to you. No way! 

Anabeth, every time I’d see you I’d enter that ‘Mimi time warp’ where it was just you and me with the world shut out.  I’d run to greet you, swoop you up, swing you around, smooch you all over and whisper sweet nothins’ in your ear.  They were things like:  my angel pie, sweetie pie, my sweet angel girl, I love you to pieces...on & on.  It never failed though, I ALWAYS got the lecture from your dad & your granddad:  “Quit fussing.”  But did I care?  Not ever, and I kept on holding you tight, telling you how much I loved you.

A year has zoomed by, we’ve celebrated your 1^st birthday, and it’s now 2010...

What can I say but life goes on...

You continue to cut teeth & by the end of the year you have 12 teeth.  My goodness, you enjoy time at the dinner table.  Food on your lap isn’t so bad but peas on the head & applesauce in the eyes is a bit much...although it is kinda cute! You seem to have fun experimenting with your eating utensils & learning to sip your drink from a straw. When it comes to eating you have 2 best friends-Sadie & Remington.  They almost sit on your lap to see who can get most of the remnants.  You mom, dad, & I shoo them away.  Sadie has an extra sensitive stomach & will get sick eating anything other than her regular dog food.  But, we have found there’s a sly fox in the house...guess who? YOU!! You hold your arms down and with Sadie on one side & Remington on the other—you seem to enjoy them licking the food off your fingers, hands...all the way up to your elbows at times.

It’s so precious to hear the pitter patter of your feet as you find your way down the hallway. Mimi loves for you to come see me.  I love to take you outside to play.  My backyard has some inclines which pose a challenge for an 18 month old.  But you just take it in stride as you generally tumble down to the bottom.  I run to pick you up, brush you off and take you back to the patio for you to just do it again.  You seem to love the outdoors.  I can see your little brain taking in all the sights & sounds. You watch the birds fly from limb to limb & butterflies land on pretty flowers.  Squirrels scurry across the top of the fence as the birds sing to each other.     

  As much as we try to keep it from happening...the doctor continues to give you shots.  We hate to see you hurt & cry but know it’s best for you.  Hopefully the shots will be end soon! 

I almost forgot...there’s a lady in Mimi’s Lifegroup that loves to take care of children.  Her name is Mary Sandiford.  She is so sweet (& her husband too). She only has a few other children she keeps—so this is perfect (since Mommy’s not ready for you to go to a regular daycare).  It’s decided Miss Mary will take good care of you during the week while they are at work.  Mommy, daddy nor Mimi have to worry about you at Mary’s house.  She loves you very much. You get to meet other kids and soon make friends. Lala (Layla) & Josh (Joshua).  Layla and her parents go to our church so we knew them already.  Joshua is Miss Mary’s grandson.  She also keeps a set of baby twins!  That’s got to be fun!

Anabeth, you have so many people who love you.  Mommy, Daddy, Mimi, Uncle David, Aunt Melissa (“Aunt Lissa” as you like to say), Granddad & grand mom Andrews, Randy, Liz, Shelby, aunts, uncles & cousins.  As a matter of fact, you have many nana’s & papa’s.  Nana Stouffer, nana Mary, nana Carol, nana Fay, papa Stouffer, papa Sandiford, papa Edwin, papa Jim. And out in the “twilight zone” you have an unknown papa.  Your mommy & I were in Publix grocery store and a stock person went by and you immediately called out “Papa”.  This young man heard you, turned around to look & quickly said, “I’m not your papa.”  (I think you had him a little scared.)  Your mom & I just laughed & walked on.  So now, you’re just about claiming everyone as a relative of some sort.  

Since the day you were born, Mimi would whisper in your ear:  “Who loves Anabeth?” And I’d whisper this reply:  “The whole wide world loves Anabeth.” When anyone would come up to me while I was holding you; I unashamedly announced who loved you.  I’d look at you and ask the question:  “Who loves Anabeth?” & give them the same reply:  “The whole wide world.”   I would later change it to:  “Who loves Anabeth?” And answer with:  “Anybody who has any sense does!”

Guess what?  It’s your birthday again!  This little one is growing up fast!  You are now 2 years old!  What a sweetheart...wait a minute...I heard it’s time for the terrible two’s.  No, not our little princess-never!!

A new year rings in and it’s now 2010...

-My! What a big, big girl you’ve become.  So independent…you’ve graduated from your crib to your very own bed…WOW…at such an early age.  Thanks to Ganny you have a nice simple headboard that’s not too bulky for a tender princess such as yourself.  Mommy painted it and daddy (along with your help) cut wooden cross boards to support the mattress.  The 3 of you went shopping for your mattress & I’ve been told you enjoyed testing out all the choices before making a decision…I guess you were playing Goldilocks saying:  “No, mommy this bed is too hard” “oh no daddy this just won’t do either”  Finally plopping down with a giggle saying “This is the one I want”… Of course, it has a hefty price tag$$$...but nothing’s too expensive for daddy’s little princess…is it daddy?