I have an awesome new grandson!
We really needed the video camera this afternoon. We were still at the hospital, waiting for everyone to be discharged. Zachary had a messy diaper and, alas, it's Grandma to the rescue. Not. It took 3 adults and 4 wet-wipes to complete the mission. In the end (no pun intended) we had a clean baby (fianlly), a soiled blanket and lots of talk about how he sure can kick his legs and wave his arms right where they shouldn't be! Hummm...actually more like hummmmbling.
My Elisa is a mommy now. Rob, a daddy. They are the parents God chose for Zachary. I know they are going to be awesome in their new roles. What an incredible job they did in dealing with the stress, pain and fear of the last few days, weeks, and months.
It's really funny that as I type this there's an old Billy Ray Cyrus song playing; "Achy Breaky Heart." The funny part about it is that as little girls, Shannon and Elisa used to do the official Achy-Breaky dance when the song was popular (15+ years ago!) I can see them so clearly...even remember their error in the lyrics where they thought it said his heart would blow up 'the cutest man." The correct lyric was "might blow up and kill this man..." Now, those same two little girls are young women with families of their own.
I have learned the meaning of bittersweet.
Darrell is struggling to come up with nicknames for his newest niece and nephew. Let's hope he's struck (hard) with inspiration because his current offerings make me cringe!
I have an incredible 2-month old granddaughter!
Kenneth is a wonderful Granddad (or papa as Matthew calls him). It really warms my heart. He's still the burp-meister, too. He can get a baby to burp when no one else can.
Grandparenting can be hard since we still have young children of our own at home, but overall this gig is pretty wonderful.
Matthew has a cousin! Let's see...big brother in July, cousin in September...makes you wonder what his Christmas is going to be like!
Ken, Christopher, Abbey, and I had a special treat today. We had breakfast/brunch at the Marriott. They have a great buffet along with omelet and Belgian waffle stations. It's also the hotel where Rob and Elisa's wedding reception was held. More memories...I can almost hear Barbra Streisand in the background now...
I danced with my granddaughter today... My girls will understand this at once. I'm on another trip down memory lane to a time when Shannon was 3 and Elisa was a newborn. Mother and I were out to lunch with the girls to Morrison's Cafeteria. Elisa, having tummy trouble, needed to be held/bounced/pressure put on her tummy/rocked (all at the same time, of course), and Mother and I would take turns with her. Trying hard not to disturb the other diners, we were trying very hard to keep baby Elisa calm. Well, all of a sudden Shannon started crying. She sounded like her heart was breaking. Sharing puzzled glances with overtones of "oh no, what now?" I asked Shannon what on earth was wrong. Sniffling, wailing and looking pitiful, she finally got it out... "I want to dance with Grandma, too!!!" she said. It was priceless and probably one of those "you had to be there to appreciate it" family tales. But, with that said, I had a few moments with our beautiful Kaitlyn this afternoon here in the family room all by ourselves. Suddenly it struck me - hit me both like a brick...and a feather...that I was dancing with my granddaughter. It was too sweet for words.
To Mother...I'd give anything for you to be sharing in the joy of these babies with me...to be here with me for a smile, a laugh, a hug, a few tears. Or maybe even a dance. We sure could be silly at times.
Both of my oldest girls have put me in the position of having to see them wheeled off for major surgery for a good reason. Three grandchildren and three c-sections. Two of which came after hours of labor and increasingly frightening reports of stressed babies and dropping heart rates. But, on the other hand, three instances of ultimately healthy moms and healthy babies - even if they did take a different route. We never know when obstacles will appear to detour us. We find different sights on detours and it may take a little longer to reach our destination, but different doesn't have to be a negative.
I realized this week that missing a night of sleep really can take days to get over. Not like in the good old days when it was absolutely no big deal. Then you'd just grab a hot shower, a cup of coffee or a soda, and do it all over again!
Shannon is finally an Aunt! She's the one in the family who's been busiest making Aunts and Uncles of her siblings. Now it's her turn. Congratulations Aunt Shannon!
There's been another plus to all the excitement this week. Our families keep such busy schedules that we don't get to see each other as often as we'd sometimes like. With Elisa in the hospital, Shan's been there each day and we've had more time to spend with Kaitlyn. She's smiling now and will even give a little chuckle at times. She even shows "attitude" when Shannon holds Zachary.
Tomorrow is my last Sunday in Freedom Kids for this quarter. Monday is my next class in the study of 'Daniel.' Tuesday is our next small group class. I enjoy working with the kids and that's always a fun way to start the week. The ladies in my Bible study are terrific. I love getting to know these women and traveling through this study with them. We're still the newbies in our small group but so far the other couples have been so nice, warm, open and accepting. I look forward to the coming months getting to know everyone better. I'm so glad we have these folks in our lives.
There's so much more I could write but hey, I was up all night Tuesday night and now it's only Saturday. I'm still worn out! It's time to call it a night. Tomorrow will be here in the blink of an eye and I want to be ready for it.
My blessings are like calories...they don't just add up...they multiply!
Make a point of smiling at strangers this week. It'll make you (and them) feel good.
No comments:
Post a Comment