Lomax Family Ch. 14 Andy and Holly - Room for One More

For a recap of the Lomax Family relationships go to the Lomax-Hammond Family tab at the top of the home page.~~Author

Life was never dull at the Andy Lomax house; not in a family with three children under the age of 5.

Holly and Andy were working on the twins' vocal skills. They had already learned to walk some time back and had been potty-trained for a while now, too. The baby Bradley was definitely growing fast and it would soon be birthday time for him and for the twins.

With each passing day the twins' personalities became more distinct. Arliss, it turned out, had a bit of a temper, just like his daddy. Alexa, or Lexie, as they often called her, was much more even tempered like her mother and her Aunt Chelsea.

Holly had just found out she was pregnant again and the couple were planning to turn the room with their hot tub into another bedroom. They'd always know that, if their plans for more children came about, they'd need to convert it, but they definitely would miss the hot tub. The twins had been conceived there and the couple were sentimental about that. They both loved to be active with exercise and sports so the tub had also been very practical, but things change. Perhaps they could later put a hot tub outdoors, but they wanted as much of the backyard to be for the children as possible.

When Holly began to be somewhat uncomfortable in the late stages of pregnancy she had a lot of trouble sleeping. On those days Mrs. Buckley--and Andy when he was home--cared for the twins while she caught up on sleep or cared for Bradley.

They'd bought a new baby swing and Arliss loved that, but even more the twins loved to be outdoors, just like their parents.

Holly always made an extra special effort to take good care of herself during her pregnancies. This was was no exception as she made sure to drink lots of fluids, eat healthy and take her vitamins.

Arliss and Alexa got "big girl and big boy beds" and Mrs. Buckley had to be on alert during the night in case they woke up and began wandering around, which did happen a couple times. Now each night when the family retired--and during nap time--there was a baby gate in place at the top of the stairs.

The swing was popular with Bradley too and kept him quietly amused for a good bit of time, then he usually fell asleep in it. It worked well when he was feeling fussy.

When it was birthday time for all three children, everyone concerned was very excited. It was just the family gathered in the dining room for cake and ice cream. The twins were quite happy with their new status and looked forward to attending school on Monday.

Right afterward it was time for Bradley's birthday as he made the transition from infant to toddler.

That night Holly gave birth to a baby girl they named Claire. After several years of marriage Holly still thought Andy was a hottie and said as much as he held their newborn daughter.

She was currently potty-training Bradley. She believed the sooner a toddler was taught that; the easier it was for everyone in the household.

On the weekends they liked to have a lazy breakfast and then enjoy as much time as possible outdoors.

 
"I declare, that child spends more time sitting next to his tricycle and playing with it than he does riding it," Mrs. Buckley laughed.

Arliss was learning how to use his new fishing rod and reel with his father's advice and assistance, while Holly liked to play on the merry-go-round and the tower.

 
In the afternoons they often went swimming; Bradley had fun in his swim tube, but he preferred the kiddie pool. When they turned on the water wiggler sometimes their mother got into the act. Holly was a fun mommy in their eyes; always ready to join in their play whether it was sports, games of imagination or just being silly. Their father loved to swim and played with them in the pool and would often tease and roughhouse with them, but they had not cajoled him into trying the water wiggler yet. The twins figured they'd get him in there sooner or later; it was proving to be a long hot summer.

Next blog update: Glenn Caswell Ch. 6 Removing the Sword Part 1

Lomax Family Ch. 13 Corky and Elle Have a Baby

For a recap of the Lomax Family relationships go to the Lomax-Hammond Family tab at the top of the home page.~~Author

Elle Lomax ran into Andy Lomax, her brother-in-law, at Goth's Apparel and she told him about all the landscaping she and Corky had been doing. Well, actually, Corky was doing most of it; Elle was still consumed with her art gallery. Corky was at the top of his field in medical research and had been able to cut back on his hours a bit. They'd also decided since they might want to start a family, to add a third level with two more bedrooms and baths. Adding a stone facade had really improved the overall looks of the house and added to the street appeal.

Since Holly and he had done much the same thing a few years ago at their house, Andy could relate. He told Elle if he could be of help to his brother to let him know.

When she got home Corky had just got off work early and she started a new portrait of him while he was fishing at the pond. It was the easiest way to keep him still long enough. Then she fried some of the fish he caught for dinner; she had a very good recipe from Lori Ferguson and the meal was delicious.

 

As to the changes being made inside their home their old master bedroom on the second floor was almost empty, currently housing their desk, a file cabinet and the exercise machine. Corky's music room remained as it was. Upstairs on the third floor was a new master bedroom with an en suite bath, a large nursery and a children's bathroom.

The next day that Corky had off work they headed over to Wildlife Woods Park. Elle got a bit of a scare when the new statue she'd noticed the park had put up suddenly came to life. It was actually a real person and she had to wonder how he stayed so still for so long. After the first fright, she put a nice tip in his jar. He deserved it.

When it began to sprinkle Elle and Corky played pool in the gazebo. It didn't last too long so they finished their game and then went swimming in the pond where there was a brand new dock with a slide and diving board. Once home Elle enjoyed her new bathtub in the master bathroom.

At bedtime they discussed how soon Elle might become pregnant. They hoped it would be soon now that they were ready. Corky assured her with a wink,

"Darlin', we just have to practice, practice, practice."

The next day Elle worked on the exercise machine and then showered and dressed. She'd barely chugged down a protein drink before she threw it right back up again. Hmm, could it be?

Their weekend was fun; they spent it just the two of them, enjoying the summer weather and their yard. If Elle was pregnant as she suspected their days as carefree "newlyweds" were numbered. The landscaping was looking so good now and Elle told Corky how proud of him she was. After that first day she had no morning sickness at all and her pregnancy went by quickly and easily.

Corky, who had always been very affectionate with Elle was now more attentive than ever. He'd loved her from the moment she gave him his first kiss and had never dated anyone else. This had been a disappointment to a number of young women who'd had an eye on him when he was in college.

The local ladies always found time to walk by the house in spring and summer; just in case the hot, hot, hot Dr. Courtney Lomax was working in the yard. Elle was never jealous; she knew that he was all hers so let them look. Corky seemed not to even be aware that they were admiring him. When various flirtatious women would called out saying, "Oh, hi there, Dr. Lomax! Nice day, isn't it?" he'd just wave and give them his heart-stopping grin. People were so friendly in Pleasantview. Elle reflected with a small smile that even the most highly intelligent men were some times kind of dumb. It was probably the absent-minded professor quality in him. Thank goodness.

Finally their little boy arrived amid much joy and excitement and was named Jody Christopher after Elle's two brothers. She'd actually wanted him to be a junior, but Corky hadn't been too pro on that. Maybe she could talk him into using it with the next baby. Elle loved caring for Jody and one of her favorite mother's duties was bathing him. He was such a happy, sweet baby and she could see that he was going to have red hair and green eyes. No surprise since both his parents had the same.

A couple days later Larry Max came by to see his new grandson, Elle and Corky had been in the backyard when he phoned, but she greeted him at the front walk. After a dip in the pool they all trouped in for a lunch of open faced egg and tomato sandwiches. Larry had always been a natural with babies, but so, it seemed, was Corky. He took great pride in his son and was as much a "hands on" father as his brother Andy was.

Early mornings usually found Elle changing and bathing Jody while Corky weeded his vegetable garden before leaving for work. The cucumbers were doing much better than the tomatoes did.

Elle hardly got to play the piano anymore; she spent so much time in her studio and the gallery, but after she had Micki and was home for a while she tried to get in a little practice. Currently she was letting her manager run the art gallery while Corky stopped by to check on things every day. But then he suggested that on one or two of his days off he could stay with Jody while Elle ran by the gallery. He knew she was a little worried about being away from it for so long. They did not really want a baby-sitter or nanny, at least not at this time. For now Corky would, more than ever, help her with the gallery.

Next blog update Lomax Family Ch. 14 Andy and Holly: Room for One More