Sunday, May 11, 2008

Being a Mom

One of the great things about being a Mom (besides having two wonderful children) is being a Nana. I have seven of the most wonderful grandchildren in the world. Is my perspective slanted perhaps? Anyway, S and A along with their spouses have raised a group of well behaved (most of the time), loving, fun, interesting, exciting, smart, beautiful, you get the picture, children. The Giggle of Girls (Katelynn, Emily, Beth and Hailey) are headed for Maryland right now and I miss them very much. The W Gang (Tyler, Ashley and Aiden) are in Templeton.
Katelynn, 10 years old, is the first grandchild and will therefore will always hold that special place in my heart. She and I went on the trip of a life time on board an aircraft carrier from Hawaii to San Diego with her Daddy. Katelynn has been such a special help to her Mommy and Sisters during Daddy's military absences. Katelynn also helped me very much last summer when the Giggle stayed at Lake A, so Mommy could meet Daddy in the Orient.
Emily, 8 years old, the second grandchild, is so special in her appreciation of music and dance, something in which Nana has no talent. One day while playing dolls with the girls in Chula Vista, Emily instructed me to hum or sing for the doll I was holding. After a few minutes, Emily suggested that she should do the humming and singing. Good choice. My most recent vision of Emily was in Carole's garden, where Emily danced and sang in an environment much like the "Secret Garden."
Tyler, 5 years old, is grandchild number three. He was the only grandchild that I was actually present at birth. I was one of the first faces that he saw in this world. From the time he was very little, he loved anything with wheels. I followed him around and around the house in Atascadero while he pushed anything that rolled. He is also an accomplished puzzle person, one of Nana's passions. He can put just about anything together, or take it apart.
Elizabeth (Beth): is 4 year old grandchild number four, born in Maryland, so I didn't get to see her until she was a couple of weeks old. I went back to help J after S went back to work. The excitement of the trip was not the laundry or housekeeping, but the Hurricane. We only lost power for a few hours, but the trip back to Baltimore was very interesting with no stop lights working. Beth was very easy to take care of as a baby. She has gotten much more active as a young lady. She is the one with the multiple band aids and bruises. She is every one's friend and loves her snacks very much.
Hailey: is 2 years old and grandchild number five. She was also born in Maryland, just before the family moved back to California. I went back to help J bring the two littles (Beth and Hailey) on the airline while the two bigs (Katelynn and Emily) drove with S. It was a rough trip for all, but one of the memories was one of the stewardesses commenting on Hailey falling asleep in my arms while I was also napping. Hailey and I really bonded last summer while the girls stayed with me in Lake A. She really took off walking, talking and going in the lake during the week J was gone.
Ashley: grandchild number six is 17 months old and part of a pair. She was born a couple of minutes before her brother. She is the one with the smile for everyone, but can be a drama queen if necessary. She will sit in any one's lap, even strangers at the park. As an infant, she did not want to take a bottle, so that was a challenge for a Mom trying to get a little break from twins. I really need an Ashley fix, which I will get in a week or so.
Aiden: grandchild number seven, and the other part of the twin set, is the last of our grandchildren. Aiden is very careful about who he warms up too. I am blessed to be one of the special people in his world (so far). He seems to like old ladies. He is big and strong and loves his Mommy very much. I can't wait to see him really walking (running) when I get down to Templeton.

3 comments:

twinmommy said...

Thanks for being the best Nana ever! Our kids our so blessed to have you and Papa.

GoughRMAK said...

Nana,
What a great post.

You have been blessed with a wonderful family.

I also know that they have been blessed with an AMAZING Nana.

We look forward to seeing you in the future.

Rich

GoughRMAK said...

What amazing kidlets you have! We love them all and I know they love their Nana!!

Mel