When Cousins Come to Call or Happy Cinco de Mayo!

The least a couple of grandmamas can do is to spring for a meal and watch the babies while a couple of young moms get the chance to eat a meal in one sitting. Cinco de Mayo proved the perfect time to do just that, as Aunt Cindy and GrandMary hi-tailed it to La Fonda to grab a celebratory take-away meal for all.

It was a beautiful day, so we spread the feast out on the table on the back deck and let Kate and Jessica dig in. Little Sarah seemed happy enough with her cheesy quesadillas, while the rest of us ate our fill of beans, burritos, tacos, chips, salsa, and guacamole. Cindy and I kept an eye on babies Liliee and Liam so the mamas could eat.

Lilee, who had a couple more weeks to go in her leg cast, was sweet as pie. Such a cheery disposition! Liam was a little fractious, since he missed his morning nap, but he pulled himself together nicely toward the end of the visit.

Another important role for grandmothers: maintaining those family ties, making sure that cousins, aunts, uncles, and extended family have as many opportunties as possible to be together. And we love spending time with our cousins!

Good talk, good fun, beautiful day - ole!

Just Too Stinkin' Cute

It's a grandmother's prerogative to bring out the brag-book. Here are a few pictures of my sweet GrandBoy. Once I figure out how to share the Flip videos - watch out!

Liam, incognito. No autographs, please!

Liam and his stinkin' cute Mama and Daddy,

celebrating Mama's birthday.

Liam - shocked, surprised, wishing

GrandMary would stop taking pictures.

Liam impersonating Alfred Hitchcock. "Good Evening."

It All Comes Back To You

It’s been years since I had to get up in the middle of the night to feed an infant. Or that my arm fell asleep holding a baby because I was afraid if I moved even a little, the babe would awake. Or that I had to wrestle with a wiggly tyke in an attempt to change a diaper. Funny how it all comes back when you need to call those skills back into action.

Lots of things have changed in the past 27 years. Different theories. New technology. But soothing a tiny human at 3am is the same as it’s always been. I fell into the early morning feeding schedule during my visit to Atlanta, tag-teaming with the mama (who had to get up to pump milk anyway) and the daddy, who usually took the 6am leg of the schedule. Lifting, positioning, cooing, rocking are talents that kick into auto-pilot when needed.

The routine was so familiar that it was easy to forget that I wasn’t handling my baby girl, but my GrandBoy. I think I was a little surprised by that. After all, a parent jumps from one kid-stage to another: newborn, infant, toddler, child, adolescent – it’s easy to leave each previous skill-set behind to keep up with an ever-changing offspring. But I guess you just store all of that knowledge somewhere until it’s called for again.

You can’t call up a skill you never had, though. The one thing I was lousy at with Daughter was putting her sleeping-self back into her crib without waking her. It was all a matter of luck. Sometimes I got away with it; many times, I didn’t. Well, folks, that lack o’ talent continues to this very day. You’d think I’d’ve gotten the hang of it, but I still managed to rouse GrandBoy several times during the crib put-down. I’m open to ideas on how to perfect my technique.

Some things never change.

The Best Mothers Day

Daughter was only five days old when I celebrated my first Mothers Day as a bonafide mother. I was in a new-mom haze at the time, and although there are pictures documenting the day, I don’t remember much about it. This year’s Mothers Day, however, was very memorable.

That baby girl, who conferred the honor of “Mother” on me, celebrated her first Mothers Day this year. And for the first time since I moved to New York four years ago, I got to be with her. It was doubly-special to watch her commemorate the day with GrandBoy.

Son-in-Law did an outstanding job of pampering and gift-showering on Liam’s behalf. We all went to church – where we did a lot of showing off (and who wouldn’t, with such a handsome little feller?), then had a fondue-per time at The Melting Pot. Mm-mm-mm! I think the best gift Liam gave his mama (and all of us) was sleeping through the entire meal at the restaurant, allowing us to eat, drink, and be merry in peace.

As a new grandmother I had a double reason to celebrate. Watching my own baby girl join the Mothers Day Club made it the very best Mothers Day!

That Sweet, Sweet Smell

There is no sweeter smell in the world than a little baby's head, face, and neck. All I did for nine whole days in Atlanta was nuzzle Liam's neck, kiss his fingers, and chew on his baby-feet. Like all human beings, he has his own smell. Whether that little head is freshly washed or sweaty from sleep, his distinct fragrance comes through. Blindfold me and put me in a roomful of babies, and I could pick out GrandBoy.

I could (and still can) do the same for Daughter. Whether a dancing 8-year-old, a sleepy 17-year-old, or a busy 27-year-old mama, she's still that infant in my arms whenever I catch a hint of her baby-smell. I could find her in a sea of humanity if I had to by her scent alone (and I'm not talking her shampoo/perfume).

Is everyone as smell-centric as I am? I have always been accused of having an acute sense of smell, whether busting Step-daughter smoking outside at 3am, the smell of which would wake me from a dead-sleep, or getting the first whiffs of burning wires or a gas leak. Well, maybe not everybody has that gift - though sometimes it's not such a gift - so maybe folks miss out on the sweet baby smells (versus the not-so-sweet baby smells).

Anyway, Sweet Liam, I have your unique smell locked into this nose of mine. Even when you're grown with big stinky man-feet, I'll know how to find you by your sweet baby smell.