For those of you who are, don’t you just love being a grandparent? From the first moment you hold that little bundle of joy in your arms, you’re in love. National Grandparents Day is observed this year on September 11, and as a grandma to five – ranging from three months to 14 years old – I have many happy memories. Brennan, Mack, Gianna, Noah and Elijah have all brought my life much richness.
The day Brennan came home from the hospital, I had fallen and broken my foot, so I was in a cast for most of the summer. I spent a lot of time with my little guy – “sink baths,” and long walks with him in the stroller. I rocked him to sleep in the same chair I had rocked his mother in. I was the one who could soothe Brennan when he had a fever or was teething. When he was about three years old, he put a spoon in the microwave and it caught on fire. As the flames melted the inside, it took on the form of a fish. “Grandma, look what I made!” he said, elatedly. “There is a fish inside the microwave!”
Then came Mack – double trouble! One day, when I thought they were napping, Brennan and Mack did some artwork in my living room. They “painted” my cream-colored carpet with strawberry and chocolate syrup. It took hours to clean up that mess! Going to the Applefest in Fenton was a yearly ritual. Mack was so excited when he won a cake in the Cake Walk. I was not excited, however, when he got up in the middle of the night, ate nearly the whole cake, then threw it all up on my couch. I walked out the door and said to my daughter, “Call me when it’s cleaned up.”
A few years later, along came Noah – such a sweet baby. His big brothers taught him many things. One day as we ate lunch at Red Lobster, the server complimented my daughter on how well-behaved the boys were. She gave Noah a box for his leftovers and asked him how to spell his name so she could write it on the box. He looked at her innocently and spelled a very inappropriate word. Brennan and Mack looked at each other and simultaneously exclaimed, “I didn’t teach him that!”
Finally, I was blessed with a granddaughter, Gianna. I didn’t get to spend as much time with her because she lived in another state, but she would visit me every summer. She loves Disney movies, Frozen, in particular. During a visit, she asked if I’d like to hear her sing her favorite song, “Let it Go.” She asked what version I’d prefer – the original or the one in 16 languages. Trying not to laugh, I said of course I wanted to hear the version in 16 languages! Each line was a different language – French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Mandarin, Italian, etc. When I asked how she had learned it, she responded, “On the Internet. I just practiced a lot.”
So, with the three “grands,” I thought I had been given my full complement when my daughter called me (in a panic, I might add) with some “unexpected” news. But she thought perhaps a little girl would be nice in a house overloaded with testosterone (wrestling and fighting, burping contests, video games, footballs and hockey skates). NOT! There it was on the ultrasound – 100 percent guaranteed male. Frosted on the baby shower cake were the words: “It’s a Boy – Again.” Elijah entered the world earlier this summer, and what a precious little bundle he is.
I’ve made many, many good memories with my grandkids – picking strawberries, going to the apple orchard, camping, visiting the library, reading books together, and playing Monopoly until 2am. And my heart still melts when one of them calls me to ask, “Can I come over to your house tonight, Grandma?”
