Grandchildren, Part 2

Grandchildren are a reward for having gone through the good times, tough times, trying times, happy times of raising children and still having some semblance of sanity.

I remember thinking my grandmother was senile when I was 12. She was actually 2 years younger than I am now. I wonder what my grandchildren think about me. We called her Oma, and my grandkids call me Grandma.

My grandson is the cutest little 2-year-old boy on earth. I know you're thinking that every grandmother thinks that, but this time it's true. He's so cute with his blond hair and blue eyes. He reminds me of McCauley Calkin.

I remember when my daughter was pregnant, she came home with a video of the baby moving in the womb. I watched the video and thought his face looked deformed. I was terrified the rest of the pregnancy that something was wrong with him. I didn't tell a soul, but I was really scared. And I prayed. Then when he was born and I saw his perfect little face in the incubator, I cried with joy. I as so grateful to God for this special gift.

He is a gift. I get such a kick out of the way he tells on himself when he's about to do something wrong. He gets a certain look on his face. Once, while I was babysitting, he crawled on the coffee table, slid around on his tummy with that look on his face, opening drawers and checking out the view from the "forbidden land." I figured he shouldn't be there, but I was told I could spoil him all I wanted, so I let him explore. Then he got on his knees in the middle of the table and said "Dit down!" He said it again, "Dit down!" I laughed so hard I cried. What a hoot!

One of the things I do with my grandkids (heck, I did it with my own kids) is bathe them in the kitchen sink. It really beats kneeling beside the tub, especially when my knees were so bad. He plays with the water and fills cups and bowls and splashes. I blow bubbles with the soap, and he pops them. It's a treat for him.

My grandson got a swing set for his birthday in January with a slide. The men set it up, and he couldn't wait to slide. I was out watching him climb up and slide down. I noticed an ant pile by where he was walking, so I told him to watch out for the ants because they were yucky. Everytime he walked by the pile, he'd say "that's yucky." He'd slide down, walk by the ant pile, say "that's yucky," climb up the ladder, and slide down. Over and over again.

The last time I babysat, we played in the backyard until it got dark and it was time for supper. He was actually ready for bed that night. The next morning, we headed back outside; we picked up golf balls, played on the swing set, and I pulled him around the yard in his wagon. My daugher and son-in-law live a block from a playground, so the next day, we went to the playgound. And again, I wore him out. Yea! My goal is to be able to keep up with my grandkids. Being able to wear them out is a bonus!

My daughter is such a good mom and a strict disciplinarian. I wish I was as good as she. Her son is very well behaved, and he minds so well.

My granddaughter lives 20 miles south of me, and my grandson is 20 miles north of me. I really don't like that they live so far away. At least we're in the same city. Some grandparents aren't as blessed as I am.

By the way, I still haven't heard anything about the CT scan. I'm hoping no news is good news and maybe the neurologist is looking the scan. I'll try to call the doctor tomorrow.