When I first held my baby, I felt: a little nervous, so many things to remember. But once I got comfortable with him it was a warm and fulfilling feeling, he fit perfect in my arms. He was a little chunk - I hugged every inch of him.
Some of the heartwarming and amusing things I remember are: I would say "you baby, me mommy..." He said baby first! He loved his pets, but would call the dog Kitty and the kitty Dog. I thought it was so cute I just let him do it. One day he said "Mom, we're calling the kitty and dog wrong." Smile was the next word, as I was always in front of him with a camera saying "smile." If anyone mentioned camera or picture, the automatic smile was on his face.
I can remember some of Troy's favorite toys, like: Mr. Rabbit and a wooden riding giraffe, long-necked, spotted yellow and black and red. And in thinking of them now, I once again feel: so happy that I got some gifts he truly loved. He would pack Mr. Rabbit everywhere we went, he named it and seldom shared it. Many nights he'd fall asleep with Mr. Rabbit's tune, The Lullaby. It was even almost destroyed by a bad dog, I had a friend make him over, he now had one ear, one eye, no music box and different material, but still his favorite. Now, the giraffe didn't get the tender loving care that Mr. Rabbit did, it had wheels, four of them and made of wood and a seat Troy could sit on. It got pushed, thrown down, hammered on, stood upon and many times found upside down. But the string in it's mouth always had to be straight. They shared many miles together!
In remembering family times together, some of the things I value most are: I guess this would be on the Hermosa Ranch because as a family we were always doing everything together. Troy always had such a great sense of humor and found fun even doing the daily chores. Those were the years I watched him grow and learn and happiness was all he knew.Sharon, Thank you for sharing such wonderful memories of Troy! I know how much he enjoyed reading through your answers to the questions in this book and I know that now it's so nice for me to read through your beautiful words.
I love you!
Lori
