So the Last Will Be First, and the First Last

I was reminded of this passage from the Gospel of Matthew while composing a title for my last post. As the third and last child of Marion and Tom Walker, all my life I have been the last in everything. I'm always the last to get the phone call wishing me Merry Christmas, last to receive good news, and last to receive bad news.

Since I was elected to help my mother buy a new cell phone last week, I seized the opportunity to be first for a change. Mother's new flip phone had three speed dial buttons on it, and when the clerk said he would program it for her, I told him to make me number 1, Tommy number 2, and Kathy number 3. I secretly thought to myself, "Kathy will just have to learn to be last!"

Two days later my phone rang. "Margie, I didn't mean to call you. I was trying to call Kathy. I forgot you were number 1. I was going to tell her about my visit to Dr. Hester, but I'll just tell you instead." She then proceeded to spend 15 minutes giving me every minor detail. It could have been told in 1 minute.

So Mandy, Ben, and Wes, let this be a lesson. Being last is not always a bad thing! Now if I can just figure out how to reprogram Mema's phone!

Emma, Brady, and Noah

It was a red-letter day in the Duncan household yesterday. After 5 months and a week, we finally got all the grandchildren together in one place at the same time. To commemorate the occasion, we attempted to get a good photo of all of them together. I'll let you be the judge as to how successful we were.

We thought, too, that it would be fun to get a photo of the grands with the moms and one with our kids and their kids.

We tried the greats with us, and surprisingly, one of them was decent!

And finally we wanted one with all of us. Matt's friend Tim Coon, or Uncle Coon to the grands, took these photos for us.

MORE BIRDS

Birds seem to love my back yard. The latest, though is not in the yard, but nesting on top one of my outdoor speakers on the back porch. Yesterday I noticed a pigeon perched on the fan with a twig in his mouth. He flew to the speaker where he deposited the twig in the nest he was building for his lover bird. She's still perched on the nest today awaiting the arrival of the baby birds.

So, Mandy, be forwarned when you come over. We're soon going to have baby pigeons. Want me to save one for you?

Road Signs

One of my favorite pasttimes while on the road is to read various signs, whether they be on official highway signs, bumper stickers, or handdone in someone's yard. I've noticed some of my favorites while on the road to and from Destin.

In the middle of Nowhere Mississippi stands one of my favorites. It's a county line sign that my friend June Owens and I are convinced makes her the official owner of that county. All of June's friends and family know that she considers herself the Queen, and she expects others to treat her accordingly. And although I'm sure the good people of Mississippi pronounce Issaquena County "Is A Kwen A", June and I pronounce it "Eyes A Queen A." June likes it so much that I had a replica made for her for Christmas one year. It proudly hangs on her back porch.

Last summer I came upon a handwritten sign in the middle of a Junkyard in Alabama. The sign read, "Pre-depression Sale." Well the looks of that yard full of junk was enough to depress anyone!

My favorite was attached to a bumper sticker on an old delapidated truck in front of me at the McDonald's drive-through in Niceville at 6:00 a.m. on my way back home. I think it speaks for itself.

The New Chicken Coop

Alan and I went to Destin via Washington D.C. last week to check up on the progress of the Chicken Coop II (the new condo). It's coming right along! Melissa asked me to post some pictures on my blog. They are a tad blurry. I think I've set some button on my camera that's messing up my pictures. If I can ever slow down long enough, I'll try to fix that. For now, blurry will have to do.

June and I are going back down there next Saturday to decorate, so hopefully I'll get some better pictures then. For now, here's the master bath, kid's bath, and kitchen, and the view.

FOR THE BIRDS

I came home a few days ago to find a Blue Heron standing in the middle of the pond. I didn't know what to do, because I know they will eat koi, and eventhough I bought 11 this last time thinking half of them would bite the dust (not a single one died at a young age), I don't want them to go this way. I did the only thing I could think of--opened the door and hollered for it to go away. It went away allright. Two minutes later it was back again. My neighbors surely wondered what the heck was going on when I'd go out every two or three minutes and holler, "Get out of here and leave my fish alone!"

After I had done this about 10 times, the stupid bird finally left and didn't come back. He didn't show up the next day, so I was feeling pretty good about things. I didn't know if he had eaten all my fish since they hide in the leaves, but he was gone.

WRONG! Yesterday morning he showed up again. I was in panic mode, so after wearing myself out trying to run him off, I decided to go to Good Earth Nursery to see if they had a fake heron. I had read that they won't come around if they think another bird has claimed that territory. The only fake heron Good Earth had was an $876 stone one.

I called Chris Olsen who landscaped my yard, and he said to go to Home Depot and buy some netting to put over the pond. The heron would eventually get tired of not being able to get to the fish. Great idea, except this particular heron was standing in my pond at 7:00 this morning with a 6" koi in it's mouth. It was frustrated allright! He couldn't get the fish out of the pond to fly off with it, so he just stood there and bit chunks out of its side. I kept running the damn bird off til I had to leave at 9:30. In an effort to save the poor fish, I put the hard plastic lid from the pond pump over the edge of the pond so it could hide. It's sort of limping along and still barely breathing, but it won't come out from under the lid. Do you blame it?

Today I ordered a $20 plastic heron online. Who knows how long it will take to get here, but I guess until it does I'll be spending my mornings running off the heron. And it remains to be seen if it works. I have no idea if any of the other 10 fish are still alive or if the heron ate them before I discovered he was there. Stay tuned to see who wins the battle--me or the heron.

Another Beautiful Destin Day

I'm back in Destin, and although it's too cold to sit out on the beach, it's still beautiful. What's not to love about sunshine and the Gulf of Mexico?

This is another "work on the new condo" trip. I forgot to bring the cord for my camera with me to download photos onto this computer, so you'll just have to wait 'til I get back to see pictures. I'm happy to say, though, that most of the tile is down and the walls are painted, so we're making progress.

Thanks to my sister, Kathy, the paint color is wonderful. Being a builder, she knows what will look good. And I went to Norwalk yesterday to eyeball the new furniture that has come in. It's great! Mama Dot is with me this trip, and she's already ready to fight Alan and the boys for the swivel, glider, rocker, recliner that they, too, have claimed as their chair.

Coming down here with DL is quite different than coming with Mema. Don't get me wrong, I love bringing Mother down here. Let's just say, though, that she's not as independent as DL. I should be able to post some Mama Dot Moments when I get back.

I'm off to look at patio furniture and dining room table and chairs today. Also, I need to buy mattress and box springs for the queen bed in the "kid's room."

I'll update you later.

Beach Bums

It's official--Emma is a beach bum, and she hasn't even made it there yet! Melissa told me last night that she loves the sound of the ocean hitting the shore on her sound machine so much that they went out and bought a new sound machine that stays on all the time. (The other one stopped after a short while.) It seems that the ocean sound will instantly calm her down. YES!! She is definitely kin to me.

We already knew Noah loved the beach. After his trip to Destin this fall, there was no doubt about it. We now have to get Brady there so all our grandchildren will be beach lovers.

Noah and Brady

Comparing Noah and Brady, who do you think will win the fights?

FIVE POUNDS

When I think of how many times I've wished to lose 5 pounds, I never thought I'd be thrilled over that amount of weight, but I've learned it is relative. Emma went to the doctor on Monday, and she weighed in at 5 pounds! Looking at her, that seems so big after 3 pounds 7 ounces at birth.

After coming home on Christmas Eve, Emma seems to be doing well. Scott and Melissa were afraid she had lost weight, but she had gained! She sucks that bottle down like she's starving! I gave her bottle to her yesterday, and she didn't want to let go when it was all gone.

I'm now looking forward to five more pounds.

A Merry Duncan Christmas

Forty days after her birth day and 2 weeks before due date, Emma is finally going home today! This is certainly the best Christmas present any of us can ask for.

Two days ago, Emma pulled her feeding tube out as if to say, "I'm tired of this!" They left it out and bottle fed her to see what she would do, and she passed with flying colors. Scott and Melissa, Troy and Lou Ann, and Alan and I had heart monitor training yesterday to prepare for when she goes home. Today the doctor surprised us all by saying it would be today.

Even though she will be on the monitor and isolated from most people, we are so happy she's far enough along to go home.

Thanks for all the prayers. And Merry Christmas!

8 Things

Mandy has tagged me to make an "8 Things" list, so here goes:

8 TV Shows I Watch

I really don't watch much TV. I can do without the noise. Mostly, I watch whatever Alan has on. During the day, I never turn it on, but here's what I can come up with.

1. Razorbacks basketball games
2. American Idol
3. Dallas Cowboys Football
4. Cardinals Baseball
5. Razorbacks Football
6. Occasionally, the News
7. The NCAA Basketball Tournament games
8. The Super Bowl

8 Favorite Restaurants

1. Criollas (Even though it has closed, it's still my favorite)
2. Fish Out of Water
3. Cafe Tango
4. LaPaz
5. Bonefish
6. 1620
7. Edith's
8. The Office

8 Things That Happened to Me Today

Since it's only 8 a.m., I'm going with yesterday.

1. I checked Matt out of the hospital
2. I visited Emma in a different hospital
3. I picked Brady up from daycare and brought him home to spend the night.
4. I worked out
5. I got happy e-mails from many of my nephews and from my brother trying to weasel his way onto the condo list.
6. Got three packages from UPS. I've gotten at least one every day this week.
7. Talked to all my children
8. Had 1 hour of sleep last night.

8 Things I Look forward to

1. Christmas Day--that means all the packages are wrapped, all the cooking is done, and it's time to share my grandkids' first Christmas!
2. Emma getting out of the hospital
3. Sleep
4. Going to any beach anytime
5. Taking a vacation with all my kids, their spouses, and their kids. We just need to find a time when we can do that!
6. Finishing the new condo so I can enjoy it.
7. Being able to take a picture of Noah, Brady, and Emma all together
8. Good times with family and friends

8 Things I Wish For

1. Peace on Earth--sounds corny, I know, but it's true
2. Good health as I grow older
3. Happy, healthy children and grandchildren
4. Someone to give the rest of the P.A.R.K. endowment money
5. Beach time
6. More kindness and tolerance and less criticism
7. Being able to sleep better
8. Trips to places I've never been

Emma's Big Girl Bed

Emma finally made it to an open-air crib in the wee hours of the morning today. It's definitely nice to be able to reach in and touch her without opening doors or lifting the top of her warmer. She seems very content to be out in the open. She continues to slowly gain weight, but it's looking more doubtful that she will be home for Christmas. I guess I'll be spending Christmas morning in the Baptist Hospital NICU!

A Quick Emma Update

Emma's first photo

Emma Louise Duncan made a rushed appearance into this world on Nov. 13. She wasn't about to let Ben and Claire have the weekend all to themselves, so two months early she decided she'd come meet the family while everyone was staying at my house for the wedding! Needless to say, life's been chaotic around the Duncan household ever since.

Emma arrived waving at the world, and she's made remarkable progress while staying in the Baptist Hospital NICU. She started on a ventilator, receiving oxygen, and being fed by an IV. She has since moved twice to step down units, gotten rid of the ventilator, IV, and oxygen and is now only hooked up to a feeding tube. She is also taking a good deal of her formula by bottle. They are still trying to find the right formula for her and get her to where they can get rid of the feeding tube, and we are all hopeful that she'll make it home for Christmas.

Melissa continues to recuperate at home, and she goes to the hospital twice a day to check on Emma. Scott gets there at least once a day while working. Mar Mar and Papa D get by there whenever we can.

We'll let you know when she goes home.

You're Never Too Old To Learn

THINGS MEMA LEARNED ON DESTIN TRIP:

*You don't go over the Mississippi River twice between Little Rock and Destin. That other big bridge goes over the Yazoo River

*Those big box things are grain silos.

*Southeastern Louisiana State University is not in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.


*Self-checkout. She had "never seen anything like that before!"

THINGS MARGIE DISCOVERED ON DESTIN TRIP:
*You don't have to read any street signs while travelling with Mema. She will read them all to you.

*The way to keep Mema from talking non-stop is to get her up early to leave. The talking only starts after she's been awake past 9:00.

*Mema and Aunt Boochie stopped at some random field while driving through the Delta onetime and picked a cotton ball to see what it was like.

*Mema's idea of a few minutes is 45 so plan accordingly.

Mema Moments

Most of you know I have come to Destin. My heart is in Little Rock with Melissa, Scott, and Emma (as well as a sick Matt and the rest of my family), but there were things that needed to be taken care of here that couldn't wait. With things at home looking up and with my family's blessing, I headed to Florida with Mema along for the ride. And there were a couple of Mema Moments along the way.

In one stretch between Hattiesburg and Mobile, we got stuck behind a big truck hauling some big green piece of equipment. One car was riding along with it, blocking traffic from going around it on a narrow stretch. We did finally get around it and go on our merry way. We later stopped for gas. After we got back on the road, as we were passing the truck weigh-in station, the green equipment truck was reentering the roadway with a car in front and in the rear riding along with it. I made the comment that I didn't remember there being a lead car when we passed it before. "Yes there was," Mema explained. "It was behind it."

My favorite was as we were passing through Hattiesburg. Mema asked, "Margie, is Southeast Louisiana--that team we played--in Hattiesburg?" I was speechless.

Great News

Melissa is home, and glad to be! Tests came back that she does not have preeclamsia. It's pregnancy induced hypertension. She needs to rest, but it's not nearly as bad as it could have been. The doctor says for her not to go back to work until she sees the doctor in her office on Wednesday.

She does still have gestational diabetes, but she seems to be managing that well with diet.

The rest of the drama is left to Emma!

Thanks for the prayers. They worked.

PROBLEM CHILDREN

It seems the Duncans are not destined to have normal pregnancies or non-dramatic babies. As most of you know, Noah was in NICU for a few days after he was born. In fact, he had already come into this world by c-section since he weighed in at almost 10 pounds, but he was dehydrated. A couple of months after his birth he decided a stay in Children's Hospital was in order. It turned out all his problems were just minor setbacks but not before scaring us all to death.

Then Brady decided he wanted to top Noah and be born a month early. He weighed in at 5 pounds and 5 ounces, but went home after a couple of days. And not to be outdone, he, too, decided to pay a visit to Children's Hospital at around 3 months of age. That one set me and Alan on a flying trip home from Destin. After minor surgery for a common, correctible problem, he was back on the right track.

Then there's Emma. She isn't going to let those boys outdo her, and she isn't even here yet. I'm sitting at the hospital with Melissa right now. She has been having high blood pressure issues, and they are testing her for preeclampsia. If she has this condition, she could be looking at a five-week stay in the hospital waiting for Emma to reach the 36 week point, so she can be born with fewer problems. Her vitals are looking pretty good today, though, so we're hoping this is just a scare. Afterall, the boys scared us, so why not Emma?

We could use all your prayers for Melissa and Emma. The doctors assure us that even if Emma were to be born today, they are highly optimistic that she would be OK. We sure could do without all this drama, though. We'll have test results back this afternoon and have a better idea what we're facing.

FOURTH

OK. So JB tagged me to upload the FOURTH picture from my FOURTH album and tag FOUR more people to do the same. This is one of the many pigs on parade in Seattle when we visited there a year ago before going on an Alaskan cruise in celebration of the 10-year anniversary of Alan's heart surgery. That was our third celebration of Alan's good health following heart surgery at age 45. On the one year anniversary we went to Jamaica. Hawaii was the 5 year anniversary. For the FOURTH celebration, we think we'll go to Europe.

There were pigs everywhere on the street corners of Seattle. In fact--here's FOUR more:

There's just one problem with this game of tag. Everyone else on my bloglist has already been tagged, so I'm offering a different challenge. I want Kathy to publish and write about FOUR different photos from her FORTIES. Of course, that's assuming she can remember her FORTIES and what she was up to then. Afterall, she was born in the FORTIES. Surely Larry threw her a FORTIETH birthday party she can tell us about. I'm guessing, though, that digital cameras didn't exist when Kathy was in her FORTIES, so we'll have to give her time to scan her prints.

Noah Visits Papa D

Noah decided to pay a visit to Papa D at his office this Halloween. As you can see, he was more interested in eating the chicken sign than eating mor chikin!