Visiting children...

[Judy G. Russell]

So my brother Bill, his wife Carolyn and their two boys, Dennis (age 5) and Duncan (age 2), had long planned to come up to visit this Memorial Day. Last night, however, the following lands in my inbox from Bill:


Well, the night before traveling to lands far away,
it seems the littlest one was quite sickly that day.

He acted so happy, so lively and quick
that you never could guess that his tummy was sick.

His breakfast he gobbled with childish glee
and went off to day care with no symptoms to see.

But he got there and as his nice lunch did go down
it came right back up again gooey and brown.

So his mom came and picked him up, took him back home,
where he slept nice and peaceful in his crib all alone.

Then, when he awoke he had water and O's
and showed no signs worse than a runny ol' nose.

But, dinner was one of his favorite mixin's
(chili beans, corn bread, and all of the fixin's).

Still, two tiny bites later and up it all came
the water, O's, chili, and bread all the same.

While we'd like to be certain we'll come on the morrow
I'm afraid I have to report with great sorrow

That we cannot presume such a judgement tonight
Since he's barfing up left and he's hacking up right.

So, we'll call you tomorrow on your handy cell phone
to tell you we're coming or staying here at home.
Of course, I had to reply in kind:


I am so upset and I am so distressed
to hear that poor Duncan's by illness possessed!

(This isn't the first time, if truth shall be told --
Most times that I visit, he gives me a cold!)

But barfing and hacking, that's different I'll say!
Six hours of that in a closed car? Oy vey!

I hope that he's better when morning arrives
(since barfing and hacking can RUIN a drive)

And if he is not, well, I'll sure understand
If you keep him home with his crib close at hand.

I can't tell you that I won't be disappointed,
But that's better than being by kid barf annointed.
Carolyn couldn't resist getting involved:

My rhyming is bad
so I will try a haiku
I do not like puke
Then this morning comes the update, also from Carolyn:

The boy feels good now.
His stomach expels no puke.
Springtime in the van.
And my response:

Oh frabjous day, hip hip hooray,
the boy is feeling better!
A real delight, a gorgeous sight,
a regular go-getter!

It's such good news, I can't refuse,
I will raise my voice in glee...
And if it's a scam, and he sickens again,
Just don't let him barf on ME!

[Mike]

ROFL! That should be saved!

[fhaber]

Your whole family's doggerel is of the highest quality, Judy, but we love youse, so you get to wear the Ogden Nash Memorial Sou'wester.

[Judy G. Russell]

Thank you, sir!

Duncan, of course, was Not Amused by the whole event.

[Lindsey]

Duncan, of course, was Not Amused by the whole event.
LOL!! That's exactly the expression that was on JJ's face when his father took the training wheels off of his bicycle. He didn't really need them; the one on the left side was worn all the way down to the nub, and had become more a hindrance than a help. But after the wheels came off, every time he took a turn a little too sharply, or slowed the bicycle down a little too much, or had a hard time getting back on after it was stopped, he'd frown and stomp, and demand, "Why did you break my bike????!!!"

--Lindsey

[Judy G. Russell]

he'd frown and stomp, and demand, "Why did you break my bike????!!!" That's Duncan all over. The kid has an AMAZING frown and an even MORE amazing scowl! Dennis, on the other hand, is just a doll...

[Lindsey]

Dennis is looking more and more like his Aunt Judy every day!

--Lindsey

[Judy G. Russell]

Dennis is looking more and more like his Aunt Judy every day!Don't insult the kid like that!! Truth be told, he looks more and more like his Mom and her side of the family. Irish, from Chicago.

[Lindsey]

Don't insult the kid like that!! Truth be told, he looks more and more like his Mom and her side of the family. Irish, from Chicago.
Pfffft! He's a great-looking kid. And the eyes and hair look a lot like yours. But it's not at all impossible for kids to strongly resemble both sides of their families.

I'm being a bad aunt, not including pictures of my own. Here's JJ. Notice the bruise and cut between his eyes. (I don't think I've ever seen this kid without a knot on his head.) Here's the origin of that: He and his sister Melissa were playing with a bungee cord. (I could never discover just how it happened they had a bungee cord to begin with.) He demanded that she let go. And Melissa, ever compliant, did just that. And of course, it snapped back and hit him right square between the eyes.

You wonder sometimes how any boy ever manages to make it to puberty.

(Sorry the picture is out of focus; damn kid moves every time I start to press the shutter...)

--Lindsey

[Lindsey]

OK, equal time for the girls. The one with the smile is Christina, and the one cutting her eyes is Melissa. Christina is mostly the quiet one, at least until she and JJ start playing off each other and escalating the wildness and hilarity. Melissa is the chatterbox. She'll start out, "You know what? Umm umm umm umm . . ." and then she'll launch rapid-fire into some narrative, complete with quoted dialog for minutes at a time, punctuated occasionally by "And then you know what? Umm umm umm...". It's not always easy to make sense out of it, but I think that's only because she's going so fast it's hard to keep track.

--Lindsey

[Judy G. Russell]

All three of them are SOOOOOO adorable, Lindsey. And good GRIEF are they ever Bournes! Is there ANYTHING about them that comes from their mother???

[sidney]

Ok, my turn. This is a public forum and I like to keep some details private, so I'll leave it ambiguous who these are ... Lindsey and Judy, I think you know already, although I believe they have grown a bit since you last saw a picture of them.

I just got a new MacBook to replace the laptop Toshiba is settling the class action suit about. It has an Intel chip (can boot Windows if I need to if I install it), is light, fast, and pretty, and has a webcam built in to the top of the screen with a Photo Booth program that acts just like an old fashioned photo booth, except that you can see what you look like on the screen, which encourages playing to the camera. Here are two shots from a series that resulted from two little ones mugging it up.

-- sidney

[Judy G. Russell]

Oh my lord... look at those carrot-tops. Mischief through and through! (And gorgeous, of course.)

[Lindsey]

All three of them are SOOOOOO adorable, Lindsey. And good GRIEF are they ever Bournes! Is there ANYTHING about them that comes from their mother???
I think Christina is going to be tall like her mother, although I guess it's really too early to tell much about height yet; sometimes kids shoot up fast early on, and then stop and are overtaken by the slower-growing ones.

And JJ, as much as he looks almost exactly like his grandfather's baby pictures (let me get home on my other computer, and I'll upload a side-by-side comparison), has certain expressions when he looks exactly like Nancy's mother. His eyebrows will sometimes make a Mr. Spock-like "V", and Nancy's mother's eyebrows do the same thing.

It's funny, too, how kids resemble different relatives as they grow. My nephew Ryan looked a lot like his father's younger sister when he was little, but now that he's grown, he's much more like my two brothers.

--Lindsey

[Lindsey]

Here are two shots from a series that resulted from two little ones mugging it up.
Oh, how precious! I always did have a soft spot for red-heads!

--Lindsey

[Judy G. Russell]

It's funny, too, how kids resemble different relatives as they grow.And even different relatives depending on how they hold their heads, or their expressions. There are times when I think Duncan looks JUST like my brother, and then he'll change his expression and I swear he looks JUST like his mother.

[Lindsey]

And even different relatives depending on how they hold their heads, or their expressions.
Absolutely, yes. That way Melissa cuts her eyes? Just like my brother Buddy. In fact, we had a great laugh at his expense the weekend the triplets were baptized. We all went out to dinner together the Saturday night before, and Buddy happened to be sitting next to Melissa, who kept giving him these looks by cutting her eyes to the side. "Where does she get that from?" Buddy kept saying, and at the time none of us were really sure. And then the pictures from the reception after the service came back, and there was one of Buddy, cutting his eyes while he was talking to someone, and we all nearly rolled in the floor laughing.

Attaching side-by-side pictures of JJ, taken this past weekend, and my father, taken when he was not quite a year old (with his maternal grandmother). Do these two look alike, or what?

--Lindsey

[Judy G. Russell]

Do these two look alike, or what?Wow! They sure do! What a cute shot of your father...

[Lindsey]

Wow! They sure do! What a cute shot of your father...
I'm sort of partial to that picture, too. <g> I have another one of him at about the age JJ is now, with his father and dressed in his dad's old army jacket and hat. That one is cute, too, but I don't have it scanned.

Oh, wait -- yes I do. But it's really small, and you can't see much, in part because the hat covers half his face.

--Lindsey

[Judy G. Russell]

That's very nice! I surely don't have any pictures of my father in his father's Army uniform... mostly because his father's Army uniform was WWI German! (See below for my grandfather circa 1916:

http://www.pbase.com/jgr/image/35123283/medium.jpg

[earler]

In fact, it is possible to measure remaining bone growth at an early age. We knew that my granddaughter won't be very tall when she was 8 or 9. No specific knowledge, but she will be about 1m60 to 1m65. She's now 13 and 1m49.

-er

[ktinkel]

Gorgeous kids, who ever they are! (And they look very well-behaved, not the cutups one would expect from the hair color!)

[ktinkel]

OK, equal time for the girls. They look wonderful. Triplets? Oy!

Since we are showing cute kids, here’s mine, my sort-of granddaughter Sam, who came to dinner on Monday. She’s a bit over 2 now, looking as if she’s going on 24!

[Judy G. Russell]

What a cutie! Looks like she expects the world to dance to her tune... with good reason!

[sidney]

And they look very well-behaved, not the cutups one would expect from the hair color!

The magic of digital photography -- You can take as many pictures as you want at no extra cost until you happen on one you want :) Here's two I didn't post the first time.

-- sidney

[Judy G. Russell]

ROFL!!! That's more what I kind of expected!

[ktinkel]

The magic of digital photography -- You can take as many pictures as you want at no extra cost until you happen on one you want :) Here's two I didn't post the first time.That’s more like it!

[ktinkel]

What a cutie! Looks like she expects the world to dance to her tune... with good reason!She is a bit of a diva. But easy to forgive.

She’s learning Spanish — her speech comes out a really strange amalgam, like one-two-three-uno-dos-tres (and that’s it!). Very outgoing for a 2-year-old. Her mother thinks that comes from day care, but I also think it comes from being a first child.

But she sure is cute.

[Judy G. Russell]

Very outgoing for a 2-year-old. Her mother thinks that comes from day care, but I also think it comes from being a first child.And it may well be that you're both right!

But she sure is cute.That, as my sister-in-law would say, is a True Fact.

[Lindsey]

See below for my grandfather circa 1916
Cool! (I remember seeing some Civil War-era fancy dress uniforms that looked a little like that one.)

I have a snapshot of my grandfather and his buddies around the same time. But they weren't in Europe fighting Germans; they were on the Mexican border chasing Pancho Villa (http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=Common%2FMGArticle%2FPrintVersi on&c=MGArticle&cid=1137836101244&image=timesdispatch80x60.gif&oasDN=timesdispatch.com&oasPN=%21news). (My grandfather is the one standing up -- well, sort of -- on the left. Even at that young age -- he'd have been around 24 in that picture -- his hairline was seriously receded.)

--Lindsey

[Lindsey]

In fact, it is possible to measure remaining bone growth at an early age. We knew that my granddaughter won't be very tall when she was 8 or 9. No specific knowledge, but she will be about 1m60 to 1m65. She's now 13 and 1m49.
Oh, I'm sure that's true, but that requires x-rays and evaluation by medical professionals. When I said "too early to tell," I meant too early to tell by ordinary casual observation. IOW, just because a child is on the tall side of normal at age 4 doesn't mean he or she will still be on the tall side of normal at 18. I was on the tall end of my class in elementary school, but I ended up only just average height, while my sister was fairly short as a young child, but she's an inch or two taller than I am now.

--Lindsey

[Lindsey]

Triplets? Oy!
Fortunately, they're good kids. They mind very well, and their nursery school teacher sings their praises.

Since we are showing cute kids, here’s mine, my sort-of granddaughter Sam, who came to dinner on Monday. She’s a bit over 2 now, looking as if she’s going on 24!
Only 2? She looks a year or two older! Cute kid -- she's gonna be a stunner when she really is 24, I bet! That combination of brown eyes and chestnut hair is certain to turn heads.

One of Stu's girls has a ballerina doll, but I'm not sure either of them are aspiring ballerinas themselves.

--Lindsey

[Lindsey]

Here's two I didn't post the first time.
LOL!! I love it! Lots of personality comes through in those...

--Lindsey

[ktinkel]

Fortunately, they're good kids. They mind very well, and their nursery school teacher sings their praises.Guess I was thinking mostly about their early months — hard to juggle life and one baby, let alone two or three!

Only 2? She looks a year or two older! Cute kid -- she's gonna be a stunner when she really is 24, I bet! That combination of brown eyes and chestnut hair is certain to turn heads.She doesn’t always look that old (see attachment). That other photo sort of hints at the future, I suspect!

Her father is a quarter Chinese, which may account for the dark eyes. Her mother said she had hair like that when a kid, but it turned darker after a few years. Too bad — it is a beautiful color (and who knows if it will change).

[Judy G. Russell]

I have a snapshot of my grandfather and his buddies around the same time. But they weren't in Europe fighting Germans; they were on the Mexican border chasing Pancho Villa (http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=Common%2FMGArticle%2FPrintVersi on&c=MGArticle&cid=1137836101244&image=timesdispatch80x60.gif&oasDN=timesdispatch.com&oasPN=%21news).Now that is definitely way cool.

[Judy G. Russell]

was on the tall end of my class in elementary school, but I ended up only just average heightAnd I had to bring my birth certificate to the movie theater starting at about age 9 or they wouldn't let me in for the under-12 price...

[Lindsey]

Guess I was thinking mostly about their early months — hard to juggle life and one baby, let alone two or three!
Well, that's true. My brother was (and still is) very good about pitching in to help, and never hesitated to change diapers, do feedings, give baths, whatever. He really loves being a dad. And Nancy's mother spends a lot of time with them as well. She was truly a godsend in those early days, and I think the kids see her almost as a third parent.

She doesn’t always look that old (see attachment).
Yes, that looks a little more like 2! But she has a lot more hair than Stuart's kids had at 2; they were barely past the cue-ball stage at that point. (Of course, being so blonde, it was a long time before what hair they had was very visible.)

Her mother said she had hair like that when a kid, but it turned darker after a few years. Too bad — it is a beautiful color (and who knows if it will change).
My father's hair got darker as he got older, and before it went white it was quite dark, indeed. The same is true, to varying degrees, of all of the blondes (or rather, former blondes) in my family. I expect it will happen with Stuart's kids, too. My brother Buddy and I started out with dark hair, and it stayed that way, though mine used to have a bit of red in it (like my mother's) that is no longer there. I guess what used to be red is now what is gray. :(

There's a young girl at church -- I think Hannah's about 10 -- who has the same eye and hair color your granddaughter appears to have, and it's a very handsome combination.

--Lindsey

[Lindsey]

And I had to bring my birth certificate to the movie theater starting at about age 9 or they wouldn't let me in for the under-12 price...
LOL!! I'm not surprised to hear that you were tall from the get-go! And I have a cousin that even today is barely over 5 feet. But she'd have never been able to do the opposite and pass for 9 at the age of 12. She, um, grew up fast in other ways, and at 12 she might easily have passed for 14 or 15.

--Lindsey

[Judy G. Russell]

She, um, grew up fast in other ways, and at 12 she might easily have passed for 14 or 15.That can be damned dangerous for kids today -- being taken (sometimes literally) for much older.

[ktinkel]

But she has a lot more hair than Stuart's kids had at 2; they were barely past the cue-ball stage at that point.Her mother had just given her a haircut! Amazing.

I do love seeing the next generation, in all its varieties!

We have another faux-grandchild: Jacob, who was born in April to my best friend’s oldest daughter (who, at 42 bore the child) and her partner. Have yet to see how he turns out (last photo, he was virtually bald, but clearly a male).

For people with no children of our own, Jack and I are doing a a pretty good job of accumulating a new generation!

[Lindsey]

That can be damned dangerous for kids today -- being taken (sometimes literally) for much older.
Very true. This was, fortunately, a much more innocent time by comparison. (And there was no Internet for young girls to post suggestive pictures on for the entire world to access.)

--Lindsey

[Lindsey]

For people with no children of our own, Jack and I are doing a a pretty good job of accumulating a new generation!
When you said faux-grandchild, you really did mean faux!

My mother has a number of those, too. Her refrigerator is full of pictures of grandchildren of her friends, and she has a long list that she sends birthday cards to every year.

--Lindsey

[Judy G. Russell]

This was, fortunately, a much more innocent time by comparison.I often think we grew up in easier times in many ways than kids face today.

[Lindsey]

I often think we grew up in easier times in many ways than kids face today.
Absolutely. The worst trouble kids got in when I was in grade school was for throwing spit balls.

--Lindsey

[Judy G. Russell]

Absolutely. The worst trouble kids got in when I was in grade school was for throwing spit balls.Mine as well, though I must say that we graduated into the Big Time in junior high. First (and last) time I ever saw a knife fight...

[ktinkel]

When you said faux-grandchild, you really did mean faux!Yes, but just from very close friends and their kids — we do not go wandering around looking for new babies to adopt! <g>

We have actually yet to meet Jacob — I believe he is going to stop by en route to Newport at the end of the month. Really looking forward to seeing him. And his parents, of course!

[Lindsey]

Mine as well, though I must say that we graduated into the Big Time in junior high. First (and last) time I ever saw a knife fight...
I don't recall ever hearing about anything that serious in our junior high. Fist fights, but nothing with weapons. And probably the most serious thing was an occasional cherry bomb thrown into a toilet.

Well -- bomb scares became a regular feature, especially in the mornings before homeroom. But I remember one being called in one afternoon in the middle of my first year Spanish exam. Which, actually, was fine by me, because it gave me some extra time to work out (in my head) something I was having difficulty translating. :)

--Lindsey

[Lindsey]

Yes, but just from very close friends and their kids
Yes, same with my mother -- friends that are close enough almost to be family.

--Lindsey