Bank of Holly Springs

Close to Nowhere

Watching Shepard grow

Being a great-grandmother is hard. I find that other people are just not as fascinated by Shepard, now 10 months old, as I am.

I haven’t had a boy since son Kris was born over 40 years ago. I’ve had two girls, granddaughters Mere and Remy. I love to sew and made the girls lots of clothes — ballet stuff, flower girl stuff, Pilgrimage stuff, Christmas stuff.

Now, they wear jeans and T-shirts. I don’t sew those things because why bother.

Now, I want to sew for Shepard. I’ve had a terrible time finding patterns to fit him. And then, he’s growing so quickly.

Back when Kris was a little boy I made him a Navy uniform (well, kinda). Both his uncles were in the Navy and one of them sent him a couple of Navy patches. So I made blue pants and white jacket and put Navy stuff on it.

I have to find that now so at least I can take Shepard’s picture in it when he’s big enough to wear it. I think I have a couple years to find it. It’ll probably take that long.

Shepard is crawling now and pulling up. It won’t be long and he’ll be walking and I’ll be having a heart attack.

He was at my house one day last week and while I was in the kitchen and he was running around between living room and kitchen I was listening to an audiobook while cooking.

The voice on my book began to fade...

I looked and Shepard had snatched my phone and was running (in his walker) toward Kris’ room. Laughing.

He did that a second time before I got smart enough to put the phone on the counter out of his reach.

It’s so different having a baby boy. He won’t cuddle. Once in a great while you can snatch a hug, but he’s just too busy.

So I was pleased the other day when he would back all the way across the living room (in his walker) then would run straight at me, laughing like a loon and grab a hug.

His daddy Tim is teaching him to behave in church and doing a good job. I’m not very tolerant of kids running up and down and talking and cutting up in church. Tim isn’t either.

So Shepard is learning to sit quietly (OK, he sings sometimes) in his dad’s lap. I looked over at them a couple Sundays ago and Tim was holding Shepard’s hands in a prayer position while Bro. Maki was praying.

Made my heart hurt with joy.

Holly Springs South Reporter

P.O. Box 278
Holly Springs, MS 38635
PH: (662) 252-4261
FAX: (662) 252-3388
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