What's that you say?

In another acknowledgment of senior citizenship, I got hearing aids last week. 

I remember when I was in college, I did not understand why the writing on white boards in classes looked fuzzy. Also, road signs were blurry, and I could not read them until it was almost too late. 

It finally dawned on me one day that it probably had something to do with my eyesight. A visit to an optometrist confirmed my nearsightedness, and I was fitted for glasses.

Over time my vision has not significantly deteriorated, other than farsightedness that comes with age. About 10 years ago I started wearing progressive lenses (bifocals), so my "readers" are built in. I wore contacts back in my 20s, but eventually grew tired of the maintenance (and less vain about my appearance) and went back to glasses. 

Fun fact: the only time I ever lost a contact lens was the day I got married. With a contact in only one eye, I looked as if I were winking at my bride as she strolled down the aisle to join her life with mine. 

When I learned I needed glasses, I could not get them fast enough. It was a great day when I could stop squinting. I remember being amazed at seeing individual leaves on trees! 

But for whatever reason, when I started having some hearing problems at least five years ago, I resisted hearing aids. One reason was the cost, and knowing health insurance does not cover them. 

But I had some other misgivings. I remember my mother getting them when she was about my age, and she hated them. She was constantly adjusting them because she could never seem to achieve a level between not loud enough and too loud. 

And it's another thing to maintain, taking them off and on every night, being careful not to get them wet, etc. 

But I finally gave in, and much like when I got glasses all those years ago and could suddenly see things I did not know were there, I now hear previously unheard sounds. A few days ago, while driving, I thought something was wrong with my car due to a sound I was hearing. It was a Styrofoam cup vibrating in the cupholder. That is just one example. 

Maintenance is simple. I put them in a charger every night. All the controls are accessible via an app on my phone, and they have Bluetooth technology. Best of all, they are non-intrusive and virtually invisible. 

I hope, just as it has been with my vision, my hearing will not get much worse. But should I need to turn up the volume, I can do so. 

And if there are things I would still rather not hear ("sorry, I couldn't hear that, Honey"), I can also take them out. 

New arrival

Our new grandson entered the world Thursday, April 18^th at 7:26 a.m., weighing in at 8 pounds, 2 ounces. Baby, Mom, Dad and grandparents are all doing well.

Since he was born by a scheduled C-section, we awaited his birth in a hospital waiting room with our daughter-in-law’s parents. We knew she was going into the OR at 7 a.m. At 7:45 a.m. we were starting to get a little anxious, when through a window in the waiting room we saw a gurney being rolled into two double doors and taken down a hallway.

A split second after seeing the gurney whish by, we realized it could very well have been – and probably was –the mother of our new grandson! We all four jumped up, but by this time she was long gone.

For about 20 minutes, we debated whether or not that had been her, when finally, Younger Son appeared through the same window and then stepped into the waiting room to confirm the arrival of his new son. All had gone well, he said, and Mom and baby were resting comfortably.

We asked him if that had been his wife rolled into the hallway, and he said he assumed that it had been, but apparently he had been brought through another door, because we had not seen him with her.

It was a couple of hours before we got to see the new little bundle of joy.

This is grand #6 for Wife and me, but his arrival is no less thrilling than the other five.

We are already over the moon – and in love – with this little guy.

Fun facts awaiting the birth of grand #6

My youngest, sometimes referred to in this space as "Younger Son" will become a father in a couple of days. 

This will be his first, and our sixth grand. Once it started happening nearly seven years ago, there has been steady growth for our family. 

This one will be a boy, making a total of four grandsons and two granddaughters for Wife and me. 

My side of the family is heavy on boys. My parents had two boys (my late older brother and me). My brother and his wife had three boys, who had a total of five boys. I have two sons and, as of this Thursday, four grandsons. 

So, from my parents' union, there have been 16 boys (my brother, his three boys and their five boys) and three girls (my daughter and two granddaughters). 

Who knows why that happens, whether it's strange happenstance or some scientific reason for the tendency to produce male offspring? 

My newest grandson is breech, and not inclined to turn, so he will arrive by C-section this Thursday morning, April 18th. Wife and I will drive down to Birmingham, where the expectant parents live, tomorrow (the 17th) and be there for the arrival Thursday morning.  

He will have my middle name, which is the middle name of his father (Younger Son), his grandfather (me), his great-grandfather (my father) and his great-great grandfather (my grandfather). I never particularly cared for the name as I was growing up, but it eventually grew on me, and I am honored that Younger Son wants to have it continue. 

The Psalmist wrote "children are a gift of the Lord" and "How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them." 

Here is one blessed man who could not be happier to add to the quiver. 

Check back later this week for an update!