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Two Twenty-Two Twenty-Two
Tuesday, February 22, 2022 at 02:22PM 
Little Andrew is not so little any more ... pictured here with his mother
Our little Andrew turns ten today.
Five twos equals ten.
He was born on Two Twenty-Two Two Thousand Twelve at Two THIRTEEN in the afternoon. I was there.
(It was a Wednesday, though, and not an alliterative Tuesday like today.)
I asked Dr. F: Couldn't you fudge that time of birth one minute, so that he's born on Two Twenty-Two Twelve at Two Twelve?
She just looked at me with a blank expression.
I mean, I continued, surely somewhere on this property, in this city, in this state, some clock -- many clocks -- said two twelve at the moment my grandson emerged from his mother's womb?
Dr. F was a dour, humorless sort. Not given to much smiling. I'd never taken to her, and with the evidence available to us, we can safely assume that the feeling was mutual.
(She delivered Allissa too, four years earlier, and rebuked me like I was an unruly four-year-old for hustling down the hallway towards Stephanie's room because I'd traveled from Columbia that morning and was in the parking lot when Joel called me to say that Allissa had arrived and that everything was fine.)
(If she'd been there on the day four years before that, in a Pennsylvania hospital in the afternoon of the shortest day, when our Melanie was born not breathing, she may have changed her tune. But I doubt it.)
No, she said.
Spoilsport.
To come all that way and miss it by one teensy digit! But I always -- always -- tell myself that our little Andrew, beautiful precious boy, was born in Hickory, North Carolina, on Two Twenty-Two Twelve at Two Twelve in the afternoon.
Take that, Doctor Sourpuss von Killjoy.
At any rate, last Friday night we all converged on the Cracker Barrel in Fort Mill, South Carolina, and had a wonderful time together celebrating TG's and my eldest grandson's tenth birthday.
The manager was cooperative enough to join several tables for us so that we could sit together.
I have no pictures like this of me with either of my grandmothers, on any birthday
(We were twelve in number.)
(Missing Andrew and Brittany and Ember, of course.)
We were served by the most charming server any of us can ever remember having, anywhere.
Her name was Essie, and by the time we left, she knew all the children's names (being especially attentive to Melanie, who had a mini-meltdown at one point) and had dubbed TG and me the King and Queen, and could not say enough about how beautiful my daughters are, and how much they resemble both one another and me.
After supper, we had cake and presents.
(This was not Andrew's official birthday cake; he will have that today, with his family.)
But Stephanie had again bought the light-up crystal-look numbers, and the one and the zero sparkled atop the round one-layer Oreo cake that he'd requested.
Andrew was given birthday gifts appropriate for a ten-year-old boy: a magnetic dart board, a super-duper bicycle tire pump, a remote control car, et cetera.
His smile is always genuine, and he made eye contact and said thank you politely to each relative upon opening each present and reading each card.
In addition to his gift, TG and I stuffed his card with a ten spot.
What a treasure that boy is! Like his father and grandfather before him, he's becoming good at basketball too, I am told.
When the party was over, I was in the general store part of the restaurant, looking for a gift to take to Ember (who is currently obsessed with horses) when I see her next week.
Someone in our party alerted me that Essie wanted to personally bid me goodbye.
I went back to the dining room and found her, and we embraced and I told her how much we appreciated the way she took care of our group. I told her it was rare, because her sort of caring, in that setting, actually is.
I love the Lord and I love people, she told me. But she didn't have to tell me; it was obvious. What she had told me was that she has two sons who are USAF airmen. We had lots in common.
She was so kind and warm. A true servant. It touched my heart. May we all be that way, all day every day.
(FYI -- R A C I S M is a made-up trope, from which bad people benefit. For NOW.)
Baby Rhett will turn ten in nine years and five months
As for today, I bet our little Andrew took cupcakes to school for his class.
I can almost see his big brown eyes shining. And later he will celebrate again with his parents and his sisters.
I'll send him a text this afternoon -- the kind with the confetti.
It will say: Happy Birthday, little Andrew!
And that is all for now.
=0=0=0=
Happy Tuesday Two Twenty-Two Twenty-Two
Reader Comments (14)
Oh goody - another celebration! Young Andrew, now 10, is a very handsome boy. He has a gentle smile. May this year bring him happiness and fantastic opportunities for growth and satisfaction. And Baby Rhett - look at him standing with a little help from his mom! Blessings to both your big and your little grandsons and to your family, Jenny.
@ Barb ... you know how precious those grandchildren are! Grandsons and granddaughters. But those little boys are so special. Love to Sam -- whose picture with the fox completely entranced me! xoxo
What a handsome birthday boy! And that lady with him ain’t shabby, either! The Oreo cake looks divine. It’s absolutely delightful to have such good customer service and doubly so on a special occasion. Happy Birthday to your Grandson on his special birthdate.
Happy Birthday Andrew! 10 years old - a milestone! (I'm thinking, Alaina is 10. Now, she has a few months on him, but I think this would be a good match!) :)
Look at Rhett standing there! His blue eyes are beautiful, and so are Andrews brown eyes.
I can tell I would love Essie. Isn't it a wonderful thing when that bond of being sisters, or brothers in Christ is obvious? It's a good reminder to show whose we are in our everyday life.
@Bijoux ... Thank you my friend! I did not taste that cake but I'm told it was good, haahaha! xoxo
@Mari ... what a grand idea, Alaina and Andrew! We shall see. And I think Baby Rhett is on track to be as gorgeous a male as his cousin. The Lord simply shone out of Essie. She was a blessing to all of us. May others say that OF us! xoxo
This is a wonderful, wonderful photo of you and Andrew! It brightens up your entire blog. What a wonderful celebration, and a wonderful waitress!
Happy birthday to Andrew! How special to turn 10 on this day of all 2's. And really, why wouldn't that doctor fudge just a little on the time? Maybe the clock was a minute fast, right? But what a delightful young man he is, handsome and so considerate and polite!! Love the picture of you and him together and you are right, I don't have any pictures of my grandmothers celebrating any birthdays with me. (Of course I didn't know my dad's mom as he came from Poland and she never came to visit and then he died real young and I honestly don't know much about her now that I think of it and my mom's mom only spoke Polish so there was a language barrier there and then we moved when I was seven and she died a few years later, anyway that is beside the point).
What a delight to be served by Essie. I bet she will remember you and yours for a very long time as you will remember her! I so agree about your comment regarding racism too!
Thank you for sharing Andrew's special time together with his family with us!!
And Rhett - what a charmer he will be when he turns 10 I think!
betty
@Ginny ... Thank you my friend! The memories we made were even better than we expected. xoxo
@betty ... Haaahaha love the rundown of your genealogy! Fascinating. Really. And a charming story! But then, how many people DO have pictures of themselves on their own birthdays, with grandparents? For our generation I think that is probably relatively rare. Those blasted phones are good for something!
Like you did not know your paternal grandmother, I did not know my paternal grandfather. He was just never in the picture as he and my dad's mom divorced when my dad was school-aged (I think; at any rate by the time my dad was 20 and in the Air Force, his dad had a new wife, which I know because I have a picture of the three of them taken at Lackland AFB in San Antonio in 1950). But unlike you I did know both of my precious grandmothers, although I spent very little time with my dad's mom. But she was my favorite and I think of her several times a week, as I do my mom's mom, who was equally precious to me. They both died in the early '80s when I was a very young wife and mother.
You wold have loved our Essie! She was all kinds of special. xoxo
I loved the story of his birth. What a great picture of you and your grandson celebrating his 10th Birthday. Both of your faces are filled with love and joy. Have a wonderful week!!
Well, Happy Birthday to that handsome young man! I hope Dr. F's competency makes up for her lack of bedside manner! Your waitress sounds like a wonderful woman and very much like we all should aspire to be, especially Dr. F!! Cheers to your gorgeous famiily!
@Lori ... Yes indeed we do love to be together! We all look forward to the birthday dinners. xoxo
@Jeanette ... Yes, Dr. F was a good doctor (probably still is, haha) I think, and at any rate Stephanie liked her and that's what counts. But bedside manner? Get outta here!!! She never heard of it. Bleh. Now, Essie? She is a STAR! xoxo
Happy Birthday!! Happy Birthday!!
I loved your story about Andrew's birth, I had to read it aloud to my husband. He laughed at Doctor Sourpuss von Killjoy!!!
I also loved the story about Essie, thank you for sharing.
We continue to fight this evil with our LIGHT!
Hi there Jenny, loved seeing these pictures of Andrew's celebration! Looks like so much fun, I really felt like I was right there with y'all! Those CANDLES ARE SO FUN! Dont think I've ever seen any of those! I will look at Publix. He is a very handsome young boy! I cannot believe how big Rhett is now?!--gosh, when DID THAT HAPPEN? LOL and little Ember's ponytails are so long now, she is growing fast, I know you can't wait to see her! (did you find a horsie to take her?) Your big trip is coming up fast!! I know y'all must be so excited! I loved our son's Wings ceremony, you will BE SO PROUD. Enjoyed seeing your valentines too, and oh my GOODNESS JENNY..........I am loving your newly done fresh pretty new bathroom! Love the colors, the chandeliers, the picture, the floors, ALL OF IT. You did great on all selections. It's very fresh and elegant looking. Guess what my MOST FAVORITE part is tho???----it's that gorgeous glass bottle with the blue liquid in it!!! (mouthwash maybe?) It was so warm here today we had to turn the air on for awhile since I was using the oven for biscuits! Is it warm there too? Hugs and happy weekend!
@Carla ... AMEN sister! Essie knows the secret of life, I do believe, and her light was such a blessing. I'm glad I could make your beloved laugh! I really have nothing against Dr. F but I like to hyperbolize, haaaha! More effective. I hope you have a great day! xoxo
@Debbi ... Haahaha mouthwash indeed! I wish the decanter were crystal but glass sparkles too, and I love glass! Keep it glassy, I always say. I'm pretty sure Steph got the candles at Walmart! And Rhett is seven months old, to all of our surprise and delight! He's such a joy. I did find a precious horsie toy to take to her, and a board book about God's grace on the farm! She'll love it. Warm here? It is HOT here! Yesterday -- FEBRUARY 24TH -- it was 85 degrees. I like to died. Our A/C is ON! Haaha! And hello humidity!! Oh well. Roll with the punches, I guess. I wish I could have a few of those biscuits, slathered with butter and Alaga syrup or Grandma's molasses!! xoxo