Dear Mark

Has it really been a year since you entered this world? Happy 1st birthday!!! What a sweetheart you are! Those enormous soft chocolate eyes just melt my heart every time I see you.

The night you were born it was raining and boy was it raining. Hurricane Sandy had been making its way northeast after landing as a Category 3 in Cuba on October 25. Your parents watched uneasily as predictions of power outages and flooding were forecast for our area. Late afternoon on October 28, your daddy called and wondered if we would be available to spend the night at their house. There were signs that you were close to making your entrance and he was concerned about road closures that would make it hard for him to get Mommy to the hospital if he needed to. He wanted to make sure that someone would be in the house to stay with Alexis and Lydia if they needed to leave in the middle of the night and also that Grandpa could monitor the chicken houses if the electric went out and the generator needed to be used.

We gladly made our way over the treacherous roads and through the pelting rain to spend the night on an air mattress in the playroom. We drifted off into an uneasy sleep. Around 2:30 in the morning your daddy woke us and said that he and your mommy were headed for the hospital. I dozed off and on and spent a lot of time praying until around 6:30 when my phone rang and it was your daddy. You were here! They had made it to the hospital safely and you arrived shortly thereafter. We were so excited to welcome you as our first grandson! Just like your daddy is named after his two grandfather's your parents named you Mark Stephen after your grandpas. Grandpa is proud that you carry his name. Your sisters soon woke up and we shared the happy news with them. Lydia was too little to understand, but Alexis was happy to talk to Mommy and Daddy on the phone and they were able to tell her about you.

After the girls had their breakfast, we loaded them and their things into our car to take them to our house where they were going to stay until Daddy and Mommy were ready for them to come home. On the way to our place we stopped at the hospital to visit you. Of course it was love at first sight! Here is a first family picture.

 

You went home to a wonderful, busy and energetic family. Your parents lives were very rich indeed as they took care of three active little children. Grandpa and I enjoyed every moment that we got to share with you and your sisters. Sometimes it was hard to get time with just you, because Alexis and Lydia were usually bouncing up and down and wanting to show me things and play with me! Here are a few pictures of your first year.

And here is a video of you and Megan shaking rattles together.

One special day that I remember with you was in August when Mommy and Daddy and Alexis and Lydia went to Knoebels Amusement Park for the day. They decided not to take you along and we had the pleasure of keeping you all day long. We had such a good time! You played and smiled and giggled and crawled all over the place. It was a beautiful day and I took you outside and you were fascinated with Chip. You kept trying to crawl over to him and Chip would let you get really close and then move away from you. You would sit up and stare at him for awhile and then start all over. It was so cute! I actually took a video of it.  Here it is.

Just a few weeks ago, we kept you and your sisters again for the day. It was such a fun, busy day. You really liked my dishwasher. Since your mommy doesn't have one, it was something new to you. Here are some pictures of you investigating it and a video. (Sometimes I just want to call you "little Jay." You look and act so much like your daddy did when he was your age.)

 

 





 

 

 

And that pretty much brings us to today. You are an active, busy, adorable little boy.  What joy you have brought to your family. I love you Mark Stephen Lehman and am so thankful and blessed to be your Grandma.

 

Love,

Grandma