Several weeks ago - just before Brian married, I told you a little about him. This time, it is all about Aaron.
What can I say - Mike and I waited almost 5 years to have our first child. When we first decided to have children, we thought it would be easy. Little did I know. We had to have a doctor help us - and that she did!
We found out we were pregnant around Easter in 1984. The due date was supposed to be Christmas 1984 - that's right, Christmas. The pregnancy was not easy - think bloating, swollen feet and hands and smells that made me sick just thinking about them! Aaron decided to come a little earlier than planned - again with the help of our doctor. He arrived on December 12, 1984 at 10:20 p.m., weighed in at 9lbs and 10oz. He was a whopping 22 1/2 inches long.
All of the pretty little - and I emphasize LITTLE - clothes I had bought and received didn't fit. He didn't come home in a cute little newborn outfit, we had to find a shirt that normally fit a 9 month old for him to wear.
Life was good at the Cross home. We took a trip the May after he was born to New Mexico. He got to see Carlsbad Caverns sitting in a backpack his Papa and Dad were wearing. He saw mountains and desert.
When he was 14 months old, he came down with haemophilious Influenza Type B - a bacterial form of meningitis now called HIB. We were told that at the best, he would lose his hearing and be developmentally disabled - at worse, he would lose his life. We spent 10 days at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston and have nothing but good things to say about them. He lost no hearing - although his hearing is selective at times, and he is not developmentally disabled. In fact, when he applied himself he was an A/B student. Key word is applied.
Because of this, he and Brian were placed in a tracking group of children and siblings who had HIB. This study was/is done by Baylor University. They keep up with him to this day.
In school, he did fine - enjoyed the teachers and the students. Had a few words of his own - like beatselt for seat belt and he would go and go until he just couldn't anymore.
In fifth grade, he wanted to try out for band at school. We initially told him no. Tears and arguments ensued. We talked to the band teacher and he thought Aaron would be a good fit. We relented. We are glad we did as it seems he has a natural talent for musical instruments. He started on the clarinet, progressed to the saxophone and ended up with the bari(tone) sax. He can still play these - in addition to the piano.
He played football and baseball passionately. He found in football a calling and pursued it. He liked playing center (they don't have to run). He would get so involved and forget to breathe at times the coaches would say "Breathe, Cross, Breathe!" He played in Junior High for the Peet Cubs and at Conroe High for the Tigers. He played varsity 3 years and loved every minute of it. He was recruited by LSU and by Arkansas. He was also involved in Robotics and band up to his senior year. He learned the band music and helped out for the UIL contest.
Aaron decided that he wanted, had, to go out of state to college. He had to get out of Conroe and Texas for reasons known only to him. He went to Southwestern College for his freshman year. Southwestern is a small private college in Kansas, in the middle of nowhere. Mike and I made the trip for every home game - even though he was red-shirted and couldn't play. He had shoulder surgery during spring break and decided he did not want to play football, so he came home to Sam Houston. He has been on and off since then (but he PROMISED his Uncle Dan he WOULD finish).
Aaron worked with his dad for several summers as a shop hand. He said he didn't like manual labor (imagine that) and wanted to go to work for the Sheriff's Department. He started as a Reserve (all play, no pay) for a year and became a full time deputy almost a year later. He asked to work in District 3 - the toughest district in Montgomery County. He has not only done well, he has excelled. He is also an FTO or field training officer and has taught in the Academy.
He has always been serious about what he does.
During this time, he met KayDee. She was everything he said he would never do - she was younger than him, shorter than him and everything he needed. She is a bundle of energy and life and she is just what he needs.
Remember to pray for your children and for their spouses - even if you don't know them now.
Mike and I have done this - we prayed for our boys and the choices they make in life. We prayed for their spouses and that they are Godly and the one God has just for them.
To my son - and now his wife -
Love, Forever and a Day
Mama Cross
