Grandchild Number 1 - Anna Kathleen Little

Grandchild No. 1 - Anna Kathleen Little

                Our first grandchild, Anna, was born July 9, 1994. She was two weeks late, and there were problems during her delivery (which I will not detail). Long story short, she has severe cerebral palsy. Her actual diagnosis is static encephalopathy. Her little brain just wasn't growing. She was never able to swallow, so we eventually had a feeding tube put into her stomach. This procedure really made things a lot easier--for us and for her.

                It was difficult when  her parents finally brought her home. We were all very scared. I remember one night after we had returned from the hospital when Russell and I were sitting on the front porch in our rockers sharing a glass of wine. I remember making the comment that "I can't do this; I'm not the kind of person who can take care of a special child." I kept remembering that "God does not give anyone more than he or she can handle." And man, was that right!! She is 16 now, and I can't even believe I ever said that.  She is SO EASY to take care of, and we couldn't love her any more if she were perfect.

                Russell was especially good with her--from day one. He had a really deep voice, and we were all convinced that she knew when he entered the room and called her name. She has to have someone with her 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The first few years, Russell and I took turns with her parents taking care of her at night. When she was 3, we were able to get a couple of nurses, Sandra (at night) and Lois (during the day). On the days and nights the nurses did not come, Russell and I and her parents would take shifts at night and Russell and I would take her to our house for the whole week-end when we could, to give her parents a break.

                She is a joy; she is our heart. We were told when we left the hospital that she would probably only live 4 or 5 years. She will be 17 next month!  Our original plan was for her to live with us after we retired. Russell and I would care for her so my daughter could go back to school, work on a career, and have as normal a life as possible with the rest of the family. The only part of that that didn't work out was the "we" part.

                My daughter and her children moved in with Russell and me for about the last two years of Russell's life.  Anna's parents were divorcing, and my daughter and I took care of Anna and Russell while I continued to work and my daughter went back to school. I am also completely indebted to Anna's part-time nurses who also helped us take care of Russell. They are both angels. Because of them, we were able to keep Russell home until he died. He was NEVER hospitalized. He had a hospital bed right next to Anna. My daughter graduated in 2009 with her master's degree in speech and language pathology and is now working for a local convalescent home as a speech therapist. I have retired and her mother, the nurses, and I are taking care of Anna and our seventh grandchild (soon to be 2)--I will write about her in another blog.

                Anna's hair had never been cut until the summer of 2010. However, when she turned 16, her mother decided to cut her very long hair and donate it to "Locks of Love, "  (http:locksoflove.org).  We asked her Aunt Brenda to cut it, and she was able to get three 18-inch pony tails to donate.  It was a bittersweet task--Anna's beautiful long hair was shorter now, but she was able to help other children; and I think she would be so happy for that. Two of the attached pictures show her hair before and after it was cut.

                There is also a picture of Anna with Russell when she was about 2 years old. I know you can see the love in his eyes. I just miss being able to hold her in my arms like we did when she was a baby. She is 16 now and weighs about 100 pounds, so it's a bit more difficult to pick her up! She has a wheelchair and we are able to hug and kiss her--and believe me, she gets a lot of that! And I still miss Russell terribly, especially when I think of what he has missed and is still missing. He always said, though, that he prayed he would go before Anna because he wouldn't be able to handle that--there is some comfort in that.

                There is one more picture, and that is of Anna Christmas day, 2008, our first Christmas without Poppa, at least the physical Poppa. We talk to all of the grandkids about him all the time so they will have some memories. And we know he is watching over all of us; we can feel his presence and his love.

                I could go on and on with stories about Anna and what she has and is still teaching us (compassion, patience, sympathy, and most of all unconditional love), but I do have six other grandchildren. And I have some special times with each of them that I want to share. So I hope you will watch next week for stories about grandchild number 2!