Talking Toddler
Quin has started his first verbal
communications. Along with the requisite "Mama" and the
unfortunate "no," he has added "hi" and "bye" to his repertoire.
He will say them with the appropriate prompting and wave while
doing it. Needless to say, Zoe and I greet him and wave at him a
lot! In no time he will be telling us what is on his mind.
Tooth Triumph
Zoe had her first dental appointment in
June. The good news is that she was extremely well behaved.
She cooperated with everything she was asked to do. She
received compliments from everyone in the office from the receptionist
to the dentist. Go Zoe! The bad news is that two of her
molars have a mid-line defect that will have to be repaired with
fillings. The defects are a developmental problem, not a hygiene
problem. Whew!
Promotion Commotion
After four years
with the Highway Patrol, Tom is finally eligible for promotion to
Sergeant. On June 17 and 18 he sat for four competitive
promotional exams. He was selected for the boards in the
following areas: Drivers' License; Criminal Intelligence; and
Motor Vehicle Theft. We are so proud of him! The boards
will take place in July, so keep your fingers crossed!
Quin Walks
The day after his
first birthday, Quin took his first independent steps. Of course
he wouldn't repeat the performance for the video camera, so his father
missed the early attempts. He has now graduated to running - and
so have I!
Quin Celebrates One Year
Quin celebrated his first trip around the sun
a little early on February 17. (The party was arranged so that
the out of town guests could easily make both parties.) He wore,
I mean ate, a white cake with light blue frosting and white polka dots.
He is an enthusiastic cake eater and obliged us all by
smearing it all over himself and his chair - much to the family's
delight. Quin's favorite gifts included a swing from his
grandparents to go on the outdoor swing set, a pair of ostrich-skin-like
Ropers, and a set of foam puzzles from his Aunt and Uncle.
Sheriff Zoe Turns Three
In pink boots and a sparkley cowboy hat, Zoe
celebrated her third birthday on February 16 at a cowgirl themed party.
She was joined by her grandparents, Aunt Laura and Uncle Ron,
Kennedy and Alayna from her class at school, Selah and her parents, and
of course, her favorite friend and playmate Zeke and his mother.
All the kids enjoyed rides on Buttons, the mellowest pony on
earth, despite the rainy conditions. Zoe blew out her candles on
a pink horse shaped cake and opened presents from her friends (even
though the invitations said no gifts!) After her party, Zoe
opened presents from her family including a table hand made for her by
her Gan Gan, Tom. At bedtime she told me that she wanted to have
a birthday the next day, too.
So Long PJC
After two semesters, Tommy handed over the
reins of his Criminal Justice classes. While he enjoyed teaching,
class preparation took up more time than he could spare. He plans
to devote his extra time to studying for his upcoming Sergeant exam in
fall of 2008.
Santa - Friend or Foe?
Zoe and Quin went to see Santa at Paris'
Christmas in the Square. Zoe was a big fan and Santa promised her
a doll. Quin wanted nothing to do with the jolly old elf and
cried the whole time he was on his lap. Classic. Zoe was
allowed to help decorate the tree for the first time this year.
She was in charge of an assortment of plastic ornaments for the
bottom of the tree. In perfect almost-three fashion, she hung all
30 ornaments in a one-foot radius and grouped all like colors together.
We celebrated Christmas at home this year. Highlights
included an antique baby carriage that Mary played with as a girl,
refinished by Uncle Carl and lined by Mary, Hanukkah and Christmas
play sets from the Berners and tool boxes for both kids. Laura
and Ron joined us for Christmas dinner - which wouldn't have made it to
the table without Laura's help!
Happy Turkey Day
Kicking off the holiday season, Zoe
enjoyed her first school party, a Thanksgiving feast. We provided
3-D turkey shaped cookies for dessert. Zoe enjoyed being a helper
and licking the spatula. Laura celebrated Thanksgiving in
Victoria this year, so the Currys traveled to Irving to celebrate with
Aunt Mimi, Uncle George, Mark, Julie, Jackie and Nick. Rae Ann
made a pear and cranberry pie that was deemed picture-worthy. (It
was gorgeous, if I do say so myself!) While Tommy went hunting
after the Thanksgiving celebrations, Rae Ann and the kids went south to
visit with the Whitmires.
Quin Goes to California
Joining
his mother on her annual birthday trip
to San Diego, Quin took his first plane trip to California. He
was a trooper on the plane and only cried for five or so in terminable
minutes upon take off. While in sunny CA, Quin's horizons were
broadened with Flamenco dancing (the dancers
loved him!) at Cafe Madrid and gospel singing at the Hard Rock Gospel
Brunch. A
music lover, Quin enjoyed both. He also cooperated by taking a
nap so Rae Ann and Kelly could enjoy some afternoon matinees at the
movies. Can't wait for next year!
Zoe Wins! Again!
Zoe took first prize in the Mt. Olive costume
contest for the third year in a row. This year she was wearing a
vintage cheerleader ensemble worn by her mother in the early '70's.
Last year she wore an authentic Korean dress. The year
before she was a prize-winning chicken.
Kid's Bathroom Gets a Makeover
We saw the last of the '80's country
wallpaper this fall when Rae Ann took on a bathroom makeover in the
upstairs hall bath. The hearts-and-geese wallpaper was covered up
with paint in the colors of sand and sky to match a new palm tree chair
rail border. The addition of a fun monkey shower curtain and
accessories brought the bathroom into the current century. Our
little monkeys love it!
Quin's Eating Solids
No, wait - he isn't. Quin's introduction
to foods went anything but smoothly. We started him with the
world's most hypoallergenic food, rice cereal, only to discover that he
is violently allergic to it. After that, he was wary of all
things solid. After trying a variety of other cereals and other
bland mushy foods, he was finally willing to eat Cheerios. Whew!
Further food introductions have shown him to react unpleasantly
to cheese and possibly carrots. Since Whitmires are not allergy
prone, I am blaming the Curry genes!
Zoe Starts School
Zoe Curry started school at ABC Learning Center in Paris,
Texas on Tuesday August 28, 2007. She attends Ms. Nancy's class
two mornings per week from 8:00 until noon. She loves it!
Her teacher reports that she is clearly a big sister: she
mothers all the other children in her class. Zoe wakes up each
morning and asks if she gets to go to school today. Let's hope
this enthusiasm continues!
Alzheimer's: a Cruel Disease
On a sad note, Rae Ann's mother, Nelda Whitmire, is suffering from early-onset Alzheimer's
Disease. In mid-August, she became more than her father, Jack, could manage on
his own, so the difficult decision was made to move Nelda into a memory care
facility. She was moved into The Arbors at Homewood in Victoria August 22, 2007.
Unfortunately,
she did not transition well. Her delusions/hallucinations made
her combative and violent to the tune of actually hitting one of the
other residents. When she refused to take her meds, the staff
couldn't control her. My father was asked to come and calm her
down, and failing that, remove her to a psychiatric facility. She
was moved to the psych ward at a hospital in Corpus Christi for psychiatric evaluation. Following several weeks in Corpus,
she was allowed to return to the Arbors. Her medications are
keeping her from being violent, but are also limiting her brain
function. She is confused most of the time and doesn't know where
she is on her personal time line.
We are, of course, devastated. Please keep us in your thoughts and
prayers. We can use all the help we can get in this difficult time.
Annual Trek to Colorado
In Curry tradition, we packed up the kids and
made the 15-hour drive to Lake City, Colorado in early July.
While we were there, we saw many old friends and made some new
ones. Quin was baptized at Community Presbyterian Church on July
29th. We hit all of the highlights including a trip to Silverton
and family portraits in the American Basin. Unfortunately, Quin
was diagnosed with pneumonia while we were there, so Rae Ann and Quin
stayed home until he was well. Tommy and Zoe accompanied the
grandparents on many picnics and Jeep trips during the recovery.
It's a Floor!
After much anticipation, installation of a new
slate tile floor began in April. As is the case with most home
improvement, it was not smooth sailing. The house isn't square,
so the tile didn't line up exactly. A little design intervention
made the goof a beautiful feature of the new floor. Our
refrigerator died during the flooring process, complicating matters
considerably. The new floor was finally completed in June.
It is gorgeous and well worth the wait. The fridge was
happily replaced with a new stainless model and we all lived happily
ever after.
Quin's Arrival: a Wild Ride
It was a wild ride,
but Quin arrived safe and sound at 3:55pm on February 26, 2007. We had planned to attend a
family funeral that afternoon, but when I woke up I was having either
indigestion or very early labor pangs. My doula (labor assistant) advised me to
take a 15 minute stroll and see if that affected the pains at all. If it did, I
was in labor. If not, it was probably a bad taco. Sure enough, the
contractions intensified, so I settled in to labor at home. My first labor had
gone very quickly with the aid of Pitocin, so I figured that I was in for a full
day of labor before Quin hatched.
Around 11:30 my pangs, though mild, became
insistent enough that I thought I should start timing them. They were a
comfortable distance apart. At one o'clock I sent Tommy out to get lunch. After lunch
I decided to labor in the tub for a while. Zoe got in with me and that was a
hoot. The pains were still tolerable, so I stayed in until the water cooled,
then decided to get out. I got dressed and went to lie down on the bed.
Suddenly, the contractions weren't so easy and I convinced myself that I was
being a total weenie, since I just knew Quin wasn't coming for hours and hours.
About that time, 3:30 or so, my doula, Diane, arrived. I asked her to apply
pressure to my lower back to help with a particularly bad pain. It was low
enough that she knew Quin's head was descending. At this point we decide to go
to the hospital.
On the way to the door I am knocked flat by a contraction that
made me want to push. Yikes! We hustle down to the garage where I am stopped
again at the front fender of my car, trying with all my might not to push.
Splash! My water broke true dramatic Hollywood fashion. There was a brief
debate about whether I would go the hospital or deliver at home (Diane is one
class away from becoming a midwife). After my water broke, I wasn't feeling
quite as urgent, so off to the hospital. A Ford Freestyle will go 110 mph if
you are truly in a hurry.
I didn't have another contraction until we arrived at
the hospital. Some helpful bystanders ran up to the Labor and Delivery ward and
told them I was coming. I made it to the elevator, but then I had to push.
Diane had to check to see if his head had come out in my pants. Since it had
not, I jumped (okay, waddled very quickly) into the wheel chair and was
literally RUN down the hall to the first available room. As soon as I was even
remotely horizontal (and, Tommy tells me, before my pants were even completely
off), Quin's head was out. One more push and the rest of him was out, too.
Wow! No one was as surprised as I was at how things turned out, though in
retrospect, there were some pretty clear signposts along the way that it was
time to go to the hospital. But all's well that ends well.
Quin is great and
so am I. I can't wait for you to meet him!
Tom Returns to Teaching
When the local junior college started up a new Criminal
Justice program, Tom was called to duty to teach an introductory class.
He will be teaching one night per week in the spring semester.
Tom is excited about getting back into teaching, an occupation he
has always enjoyed.
Rae Ann Visits California
Tired of spending her birthday (and
coincidentally the opening weekend of deer season) at the family ranch,
Rae Ann went to visit her sister, Kelly, in early November. While
there, the sisters enjoyed a transvestite revue, a day of pampering at
the Four Seasons Spa and some healthy exercise at the San Diego Wild
Animal Park. It was Rae Ann's first trip without Zoe. A
good time was had by all.
Sesame Street House Revolts
Upon returning from their annual Colorado
vacation, the unfortunate Curry family found that the pool was broken
and the east side of the house had tried to secede from the rest of the
structure. The bad news: the house is going to require a
minimum of 12 piers to repair the foundation damage. The good
news: the pool only required a plug in the main drain and some
minor plumbing repairs to become functional.
It's a Boy!
Rae Ann went in for chorionic villi sampling on
August 10. In this genetic test, a tiny piece of the placenta is
extracted and the genes can be studied. One week later the happy
family received the news that all was well, genetically speaking, and
that the baby is a boy. Tommy is beside himself. The baby will be
named Thomas Sherrod Curry, V, but will be called Quin for his
numerical designation.
Rae Ann is Expecting - Again!
