My Nephews, My Sons

a project for the non group. A story of my Nephews more of an outline.

1,804 Words


My Nephews, My Sons!
By Lisa Noe


I'm going to tell this story from my own perspective, incorporating my feelings and thoughts as opposed to my nephew's thoughts and feelings.
My husband and I were together since I was fifteen years old and in the ninth grade.
I knew that we would be married one day; as I dreamed of having a large family of about two boys and two girls. Unfortunately, that was just to be a dream. We were married sure enough in March of 1986, It was the happiest day of my life. I was in business school when we married and I longed to start a family.
But we were trying to wait until we were married at least a year before we began to try. After a year I told my husband. I was ready to become pregnant with my first child. We tried for about six months and then I became concerned by the fact that I had not yet become pregnant. I made an appointment and went to the gynecologist, she showed some concern about the symptoms I had discussed with her, and sent me for an ultrasound. I was very concerned myself because my symptoms were the same as those you would suffer with if you had ovarian cancer. I went back to the doctor in about a week or so and discussed my condition with her. She explained to me that I was suffering from, what is known as, Endometriosis. It is a condition she felt she would be able to successfully treat with surgery to remove the tumor and to cut away scar tissue caused by Endometriosis. During the surgery, I lost some blood but not enough to account for what was missing. I had to have a blood transfusion.
She decided to leave me with one half of an ovary to give me a chance to get pregnant. Well, unfortunately, three months later the Endometriosis created more tumors and I had to have a complete hysterectomy; I was twenty-four years old and had no children. I had dreamed of having at least four children; my dreams were crushed.

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My older sister got married three months after I did, she really was not into having children right away.
She loved the night-life and dancing at the nightclubs with her husband. My sister was three years my senior, but I feel we were always pretty close, as I knew much about her and she about me. I recall she would protect me when I was younger and I always looked up to her; she was so beautiful and poised.
My sister and I had our share of knock down drag out fights when we were young but we were always good friends, and in my eyes, Tammie, my sister, was and is my best friend, along with my husband and my mom. She is still very beautiful and poised and very talented as well. She was married in June of 1986, I was her maid of honor as she was mine too.
Tammie wanted a job and after many years of trying, she found one in which she enjoyed. Working for the Harlan Daily Enterprise, in the Circulation department. She loved it. She had given up on having children, as she and her husband, had thus far, been unsuccessful. However, She found herself to be lacking her time of the month, then it was two months, so she took a pregnancy test. Sure enough! It showed positive, she was certainly pregnant. She went to the doctor and found out she was with a child and she was three months along, the child was to be a boy. Tammie was both thrilled and confused, as she had tried and tried for many years, unsuccessfully to become pregnant. Now here she was, she would have to leave her job, which she loved due to the heavy lifting and other strenuous activities. Everyone was so happy and thrilled because they had wanted yet even needed a child to help continue the line of their deceased father, Charles A. Noe.
The fact that the child was a boy was a blessed event. He was to be named for both of his Grandfathers;
Charles Noe, and Howard Smith, which was also his father’s name “Howard”. He would forever be known to the world as Charles Howard Smith, Born on his uncle Johnny's Birthday in 1998. What a blessed birthday gift his birth was. Charlie was an adorable baby and so sweet. He was a night person, who came alive each night and would cry, and have fits or want to play late at night. He took that from his Grandma, who he would forever call, Gran. Everyone was looking at Lisa to see if she was jealous or hurt by the situation since she herself could not have children. To Lisa, it had to be apparent that she was happy about the child, it was a delightfully whimsical time in her life. She held the child and read Winnie the Pooh to him. She attended his little league ball games as he got older. She loved the boy as if he were her own. Tammie told Lisa she was not just the baby’s aunt, but she was also the Baby’s God Mother. She told Lisa that Charlie would have two mothers. That made Lisa feel so special and loved. It made her feel wanted by not only Tammie and Howard but also Charlie.

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Three years Lisa loved going over to the apartment next door to her mother’s where her sister lived. She loved to play with Charlie, she would allow him to get in his little fisher Price car and play McDonald's with her. She, Charlie, Johnny, Tammie, and Howard, as well as Gran, would play for a couple of hours then they would take pictures, and take Charlie outside to release his helium balloons.
We would stand and watch as it lifted into heaven and drifted far far away.
Three years later Tammie found out she was pregnant with a second child, this one was to have a difficult pregnancy. She had numerous tests, not to mention the tests they wanted her to have and she refused. Into the last months of the pregnancy, Tammie and Howard, and Charlie had bought a house and were moving out of their apartment next door to Gran. Tammie was having a hard time and they kept her upset by telling her, her age could affect the outcome of the child’s medical condition. Lisa was in college, taking nursing classes, and told Tammie, as soon as she went into labor to call Lisa and she would come to her house to stay with Charlie and keep him, while Tammie was in the Hospital. Tammie named the child, which was another boy, Ian Michael Smith. Lisa and Johnny saw her when she was in the hospital, while Gran stayed with Charlie. Ian was underweight and had some mild medical conditions they wanted to watch him, as he was premature. He was so tiny.
Lisa stayed at Tammie’s house for about three days to keep and take care of Charlie. Charlie was a pure and delightful little angel to take care of. I can recall how fun it was to decorate the boy's nursery both times they were born. It was done in Sea-foam Green, little bears, I believe the children had everything, they had people on both sides buying for them and giving gifts to them. The children were well-loved and still are. Ian was diagnosed early on by having Autism. They wanted to put him on medication, which Tammie, not knowing about such things, agreed to allow him to take the medication. However, within a very short time, she began to witness disturbing side effects of the medication which upset the child greatly. So she withdrew all medications and took the child and enrolled him in special education classes in public school, the child flourished, unlike anything we could have hoped for. He even made the honor roll a few times in the special education classes. Now he is taking regular classes, mixed with a few special education classes and he has made us all so proud of him.

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Ian loved elementary school, he was so happy at that school he called it “his school”. It was the Dryden Elementary School in Dryden. His mother, Tammie, took him to school every day as she also took Charlie, who attended the Pennington Gap Middle School. Charlie did not care for the middle school. He was a good student but he messed around and did not do as well as he should have. He did not like the school; as Ian, would also come to hate the school when he arrived after elementary school. Poor little Ian did not like change of any kind, it really freaked him out. Charlie was excited to be starting High school, He would be going to the Lee County High School, and be one of the Lee County Generals. He was a good student, as he always was. Although he had trouble with algebra, his parents got him some help at school and he got through it.
These two boys are special to Lisa’s heart, more so than anyone would know. Charlie was funny and had an out-there personality in the family and with his friends, however other than that he was painfully shy.
Ian was very shy and backward but would try things whereas Charlie would not. Ian would go to the Circus, zoo,
Festival and so on where Charlie was a homebody and didn’t want anything to do with anything other than computer games, gaming is his life. Ian on the other hand has an artistic flair and chooses photography as his chosen hobby. He is so very good at it also. He has taken some magnificent wildlife photos, they look very professional. I helped with homework before as well, I have no idea what grade I got! Haha! Yes, these children are like my own and I love them so very much. If I had children of my own I would want them to be like these two young boys. They are well mannered, handsome, smart, and talented. Who could want more? They never cause trouble, they never get out and fight, and look for drugs or drink alcohol, they don’t do any of those bad things. Charlie is now in college and on the Deans List, Ian is now in High School, he has a hard time, but he is hanging in there, he’s a good kid, very special. But they both are.
Tammie and Howard raised two fabulous children and that not only speaks well for the children, but it also speaks well of the parents. Good Job!

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So why did I take on writing this little outline or essay about my Nephews? Because I want people to see just how important these two boys are to me. They inspire me, they give me a reason to want to continue; all-be-it my health is failing fast. I want to be here to see these children get married and start families of their own. They are the most special children, so well behaved, well mannered, and witty. I love them both greatly. If I had children I would not want any more than what these boys are. They are the tops!