Page 11, Adoption
I was hunting in the woods around Wilson, Louisiana. Not too far from Saint Francisville. I had seen a particular 16 point buck for several years and I expected to see him on this cold December Morning.
I heard someone yelling at the top of her voice. It was Catherine. I climbed down out of my tree stand. I was not too happy. I was worried about my daddy. He had several heart attacks and I was afraid that this was it. When I found Catherine she was across the creek.
"What is it?" I asked.
She was short of breath. She said, "come across the creek and I will tell you."
Well I left through the woods and came out at the road by the truck. Catherine proceeded to remind me of my conversation with Bill a year ago. She said that he had been bugging her to come by his office for months. She kept finding excuses. Anyways that day he had called and said it was urgent that she come to the office today because he was bringing us a baby girl on the next evening.
Well I didn't believe her or him. I could not believe anything that good would ever happen to me. Catherine wanted me to leave the woods and go down to buy diapers and baby furniture. I said, I wanted to finished hunting, which started an argument. I finished hunting. Sure that there had been some kind of mix-up.
Well the next day, like clock work.
She was one day old. The biggest thing on her was the eyes that even then took in every thing that moved.
Just one blueberry, is that all I get?
She was everybody's baby. She knew no strangers. She had quick smiles and would let anyone hold her.
What do we name her?
"Rose", said Catherine.
Well Rose was a one nighter I met years ago on a cold December night standing in the middle of a corn field on the double yellow line on Highway 4 as I was headed to the hunting camp in North Louisiana.
"Rose won't do."
There was a girl that hung out in the dugout while her brother played and her dad helped me coach. I admired her. She was quiet, sweet and charming.
"Lets see," I said, "Lets name her Puddintame. Oh I got it lets name her after Jack's daughter, Heather. Like the flower in Scotland. " We named her Heather Lois. The Lois was for my favorite grandmother, the onetime one-room school teacher. The one who always displayed the sign "keep Smiling."
I sure as heck am glad you did not name me book head.
I can't say enough good things about Heather. She is the apple of my eye. I would do anything for her. She loves me when no one else can stand me. Unconditional love. Many times I do not deserve it. As you can plainly see I am not a perfect man. I have many faults. I took after my grandfather. When you get through with this page check out my page about Roddy White.
But I will say this. I am a lot better father with Heather than I was with Erin or Grecco. I am a lot more patient. I try to see down the road through a crises. It also helps that we do not have the kind of money problems I had in the past. Money ain't the most important thing in life, but it is way ahead of what ever is second.
Raising Heather is very time consuming. Children come in the world the center of attention and they demand it. For the first several months you can forget sleep.
Hey dude, got milk?
Several mornings I would take her outside way before daylight and swing her on the porch swing or even walk up and down the street singing. We frequented the Waffle House so long in the early morning hours that the waitresses called her the Waffle House baby. I drank tons of coffee as I fed her that bottle of warm milk.
You get hours of training for having a baby in Lamaze Class, but no one gives you training in raising a baby. If you don't have parents near by, you need to join a church or something to make sure you have help. It is not easy. You cannot make an infant quit crying by spanking, hitting, shaking or anything like that. If your friends, man, husband, tries it get out. Get Help.
Heather will be seven years old in December. The eyes have turned brown and the tears are down to occasional falls & scrapes.
Here she is winning tickets at Monkey Business, an inside amusement park in Baton Rouge.
Well I am about out of gas. cant think of another thing to say. hope you enjoyed the visit. Yall come back now Ya here.
page 12, now lets talk about your pregnancy
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