Happy Birthday, Sebastian!

by Pa Rock
Proud Grampa

My youngest grandson, Sebastian Phoenix Files, turned two-years-old today, and though it has been way too long since I have seen him, his mother sends me pictures and short movies over the Internet almost daily. He is walking, often running, and pulling things out of his cabinets, like most explorers his age tend to do. He is also learning to use the potty like a big boy! And he is always busy, busy, busy - but never too busy to stop and smell the flowers. Sebastian, like Pa Rock, loves to smell the flowers!

Little Sebastian called me this morning. I sang "Happy Birthday" to him, and when I finished, he said clearly, "I wuv you!"

Well, I wuv you, too, Sebastian! I weally, weally do! Have a wonderful birthday!

Family News Bulletin

by Pa Rock
Proud Grampa

My daughter, Molly Files, informed me by email and a telephone call today that her second child, due this Thanksgiving, will be a boy! I am so happy for her and Scott, and I know that Baby Files will lead his older brother, Sebastian, on a merry chase! Oh, the fun times they will have! I can't wait to take them to Disney World!

Baby Files will be my third grandson - with no granddaughters, and my sis, Gail, (my only sibling) will have her third granddaughter in July with no grandsons! Who dealt those cards? (Actually, Gail and I are both thrilled with our growing string of descendants!)

I think Molly and Scott are still struggling to come up with a boy's name. Serious suggestions may be submitted in the comments section of this post.

1-2-3-4-5-6!

by Pa Rock
Proud Grampa

Molly sent this update on my 19-month-old grandson, Sebastian, a couple of days ago:

Just wanted to let everyone know ..

Sebastian was playing with my markers and counting to himself, as he often does. He counted one through six! Of course when I asked him to do it again for daddy he wouldn't. He often does things on his terms.. like when he first started walking he wouldn't do it if everyone was watching. But you look away and he had walked across the room! Makes me wonder what else he knows that he isn't ready to share yet! :)

.m0LLy.

Hey Sebastian,

I received your beautiful homemade valentine in the mail today. I loved it, especially your hand print! It will be in a place of honor on my refrigerator!

I love you!

Pa Rock

A Year in the Desert

by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist

Last week marked the completion of my first year in Arizona, and although I bitch about the heat, my landlords, and the blankety-blank cable company, it has been a memorable and eventful twelve months.

I expected one of the best things about relocating here from the Midwest would be my proximity to my little grandson, Sebastian, and that would have been the case had he not moved off to Oregon with his parents in February. I did get in some quality time as one of his very first babysitters, allowing Molly and Scott some brief respite from their 24/7 responsibility.

My job has also been a huge plus. I have been fortunate throughout my working life to almost always land in a good work environment, and the Family Advocacy Program at Luke Air Force Base has been all that and then some. I work with wonderful people. Recently I was offered a chance to relocate to Georgia, but turned it down at the last minute primarily because I would have felt awful bailing on my co-workers here in Arizona.

I have been to a couple of plays out here, and have another one booked. I am also going to attend a Coyotes hockey game. I have discovered some great places to eat, and I am starting to become more involved in the community. One of my more memorable outings was to see Barack Obama, Governor Napolitano, and Caroline Kennedy rock the house at a February campaign event in Phoenix. That was an evening that I will never forget.

The Phoenix Airport (Sky Harbor) has only racked up one incident of homicide by staff during the last year, and with that little transgression aside, it is a remarkably easy airport to navigate with direct flights everywhere that I need to go. This past year training has taken me to San Antonio and Washington, DC, and I have made two trips back to the Ozarks by air.

I have also put some travel miles on my little car. I made a trip to Nogales, Mexico, last February, and in August I drove to Tombstone. I also did two road trips to San Diego, with a third planned for November for Molly and Scott's wedding. San Diego is a little over five hours from Goodyear, but there is a lot to see and do along the way - including the famous date shakes at Dateland, and a wonderful souvenir emporium in Gila Bend.

Today my apartment air-conditioning isn't working - again, and my jerk-wad landlords (Palm Valley Luxury Rentals) have retaliated on my refusal to sign another contract by raising my rent - but hey, every cactus rose is surrounded by a few pricks! It's just part of life in the desert.

Sebastian at One Year

(as reported by his Daddy)

Sebastian had his 1 year dr. appt today. He is 29.5 tall (34%), weight was 18.4(1%) and head circumference is 48(87%). He gained 2 pounds 3 ounces which was over the 2 pound goal! His weight percentile is really low but the doctor said he is fine. She was more concerned about his rapidly growing head. (he's a MACY) She was very impressed with his language skills. She only expected him to know a couple words. He put on a show for her. He said, "What's that? Light! Hi! Go! Go! Go!" and more. He received three immunization shots: pcv7, varivax, and MMR. We were also told that he could start drinking whole milk and begin eating almost anything except nuts, so we are going to be trying a lot of new foods over the next few weeks.

Molly is packing for their trip to MO. We will be spending the night in Portland tomorrow night. Their flight leaves at 5:45am Friday morn.

Happy Birthday, Sebastian!

Happy first birthday, Sebastian. I really enjoyed talking to you on the telephone earlier this evening. It sounded like you were having a lot of fun opening your presents. Wouldn't it be great if every day was a birthday!

When your Mom turned one-year-old we were living in a big, blue house in Mountain View, MO. I remember that she got a wooden rocking horse for her first birthday.

I wish that I could have been with you on your special day, but I will see you next week in Kansas City and Noel. That will be fun! We will play - and smell flowers - and buy some new clothes. Your Uncle Tim and Uncle Nick will be there, and so will Cousin Boone. Pa Garland will be there too. We are all anxious to see you!

Stay happy and I will see you soon!

Love,

Pa Rock

On Being a Mom

by Molly Macy

Suddenly I'm a mom and I'm chasing down my baby before he makes it to the electrical socket.. before the 4 year old trips over him... before he touches the newborn on the face. I'm chasing him down on my hands and knees.. only people with babies feel completely normal about crawling around on their hands and knees in public. I'm closing in on him and he crawls even faster, squealing and laughing. A guy hands my baby a book. It's like he is offering to help me out without giving the verbal acknowledgment that I am not able to control my kid. It's a nice gesture, unfortunately Sebastian doesn't feel like reading. A song starts up and Sebastian lets me bounce him up and down for a while. The commotion stops and he no longer wants to be held.. "Mmmm!!" he cries, searching the room for food. I'm sure someone is shaking up a bottle somewhere or opening up a Ziploc of Cheerios.. he's heard it. He begins to squeak and panic. That's my cue to let him crawl. And he crawls.. faster and farther.. approaching more strangers and children.. completely naive to any type of danger... feeling trusting and loving of anyone who comes in his path. He is the sweetest thing in the world. He makes it to the bookshelf at the front of the room and starts taking out all the books.. tossing them on the floor, one by one.. in front of the entire room of children and parents who are trying to sit quietly and listen to the woman reading the story. Again, I'm dashing across the room to get him.. hunched over and slightly jogging.. as if that will cause people to stare any less. He squeals and cries, not wanting to be captured. I throw him onto my left hip (it comes naturally) and hold him with my left hand, while using my right hand to put all the books back on the shelf. I bring him back to our seat. I know the crying will stop if I let him go. Everything starts up again from there. It's an exhausting cycle. He crawls up to a woman, grabs her shoe and says "hiii!".. she says hello back & smiles.. and then completely ignores him. He looks over at me proudly and smiles, while continuing to sit a foot in front of her.. patiently waiting for her to pay attention to him. Again my cue to go get him, bring him back, and set him down, only to witness his next great adventure. It's just a 30 minute story time, but that was the longest 30 minutes of the day for me today. I'm pretty sure it's not even a story time to him anymore. I think he's convinced it's a 30 minute marathon of trying to outrun mommy.

I'm not sure when it happened, but somehow suddenly, I'm a mom. Today I knew it for sure.

Sebastian Update

My daughter, Molly, included the following paragraph in an email that she sent to me yesterday:

Sebastian's top two teeth are really coming in. We met Scott at the mall for lunch today. After Scott went back to work Sebastian and I strolled the mall. There was a lady in the Gymboree store that upset him by trying to play peek-a-boo with him. He started crying and screaming.. and staring her down. Everywhere she went in the store his eyes followed. When their eyes met he would start screaming and crying again. We had to leave the store! After that he was fine. I was holding him and he put his hand out in the air.. waving at everyone that walked by.. and laughing. People thought it was funny.

Little Sebastian will be one-year-old on July 5th. I really miss Molly and her wonderful family.

Pa Rock

2007 Personal Highlights

The year 2007 will pass into the history books later tonight, an event that causes me to reminisce about the year that was. Overall, it was a good twelve months.

In January I joined the Hopkinsville, KY, YMCA, and was faithful to a fitness program there (primarily walking, stationary bicycle, and weights) until I moved West in late September.

I sailed the Caribbean in February with the National Association of Social Workers and MS Magazine. On that voyage I met several prominent feminists including Tyne Daly and Eleanor Smeal, attended a variety of workshops that were focused on feminist issues, and got a good look at Belize, Guatemala, and southern Mexico.

I celebrated my 59th birthday in March and moved to within one year of receiving my first retirement check.

My newest grandson, Sebastian Phoenix Files was born on July 5th. Later that month my son Nick and my other grandson, Boone, joined me in a train trip out West to meet little Sebastian. One highlight of that trip (other than Sebastian!) was a visit to the Grand Canyon.

In September I accepted a job at Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix. It was significant for two reasons: it located me in the same city as Molly, Scott, and Sebastian, and it brought me officially into the federal employment system. Now I am getting to see my grandson on a regular basis, and I am completing requirements for another retirement.

My nephew, Justin Smith, was married in Fayetteville, AR, in September. I flew to Missouri from Kentucky to take my Dad to the wedding. It was really great getting to see all of my sister’s kids at that happy event.

Nick helped move me to Phoenix at the end of September. I doubt that I could have gotten here without him.

I began work at Luke on October 1st. My new co-workers proved to be just as great as those at my last two bases, as well as the good people that I worked with at the Children’s Division in Missouri.

I began blogging in November and am really enjoying the challenge of coming up with interesting things to write about. This project also gives me a place to organize things that I have written over the years, and to present snippets of my personal history. It is a very introspective enterprise.

I made a trip home for the holidays in December and was able to spend a brief amount of time with all of my children and grandchildren. I also learned while there that Tim, my youngest, will be getting married to his girlfriend, Erin, in the near future. That was very good news indeed!

I ended this year by joining a local health club, Lifetime Fitness. After a good initial workout yesterday, I am almost too sore to move today. Old age is such a blessing!

My best to you in 2008!

Pa Rock

Molly Miranda Macy

My daughter, Molly, was born thirty-one years ago today in Joplin, Missouri. I was in the delivery room the day that Molly was born, but once labor was induced she came so quickly that I almost missed the big event. She was a beautiful baby, with tiny, wet, red curls. My mother and father came to the hospital that night to see her. There were about thirty babies in the nursery viewing room, and Molly was on the front row. I will never forget my mother pointing her out from among all of the others, and saying, “There she is. There is our baby!” The following day Molly’s maternal grandmother and great-grandmother showed up to introduce themselves to their new granddaughter. They brought the largest poinsettia that I had ever seen.

And then life hit like a slide show running way too fast, and now Molly has her own baby, my grandson Sebastian.

Seize the day, Molly, seize every day! Love that baby and enjoy each minute because he will grow up so very fast – just like you did. And when he grows into a happy and healthy young adult, I know that you will be very, very proud of him, as I am of you.

Happy birthday - I love you!

Dad

Sebastian

My youngest grandson turned five months old this week. He is just leaving the infant stage and beginning to observe and grapple with the world around him. Soon he will be walking, and pulling things out of the cabinets, and mastering his universe. He is smart. All grandchildren are smart and beautiful. And he knows that I am somebody who plays a role in his life. There’s that twinkle of recognition in his eyes whenever I suddenly appear in his field of vision.

Tonight I was his babysitter for a few hours. He did his obligatory crying thing in an attempt to guilt his parents for not including him in their outing. After they were out of the door and out of earshot, however, he settled down for an evening of intermittent napping and listening to his Grandpa sing silly songs. When Mom and Dad came home a couple of hours later they found their little man asleep on the old man’s shoulder. We were bonding in slumber.

The little man is called Sebastian, and I am a very lucky Grandpa for getting to live so close to him.