I don't even know where to start. We were encouraged by our kids to pick our grandparent names. As part of my year-long 50th birthday celebration/rebellion, I thought we had to think of names that might sound kind of hip. We wanted names that wouldn't sound ridiculous when our future-25-year-old grandkids called us by the name they grew up calling us. Lily was a no-brainer. But Chief is hilarious because he is the only one in our little nuclear family that doesn't have an Indian blood card. As of now, that's what we are called. If she wants to change it, all bets are off. She might be running this show at our house...
You have two grandparents-to-be that have no idea what to expect, and everyone we have asked has said, "oh, it's just the best thing ever!" -and- "there's nothing like it!" I have had almost a full week to digest the fact that we are grandparents. In the flesh. She is here. And she is perfect.
We got the call at 4:15-ish A.M. on 4-14-14. "Details unnecessary, but the baby is definitely coming today." The kids were in the car on icy, slick roads driving the 100 miles to the hospital where our first grandchild would be born. Frankly, I was not all that calm.
So here is what I did. Yes, it was almost April 15th, and I had a few tax details to finish up before we left. I went into the office, and finished up all my paperwork, prepared everything for mailing, and answered a few emails. Then, I jumped in the shower, and put on my makeup -- just like a normal day, but it was now 7:25 A.M. Yeah, the unusual part of it is that I would not normally do all of that prior to 7:25 A.M. Under these circumstances, three busy hours enabled me to tie up the loose ends. I grabbed a few comfortable things to wear, all my cameras and chargers, threw it all in a cute grandma bag, and off I went.
And here is what Chief did. He rolled over and went back to sleep. His exact words were, "Really, Liz, what do you expect me to do?" He got up and went to the ranch as usual at 6:30 A.M. After the initial rounds, he headed toward the hospital, too.
I arrived in the hospital about 10:00 A.M. -- there hadn't been much delivery progress, so I was glad I had taken that extra hour to shower and get organized. She didn't arrive until about 5:40 P.M. Glad we had a big lunch, and I started celebrating early with that margarita. My gut feeling was that I was going to win the most brownie points with my son if I could just be the kind of help they needed. I didn't want to be in the way, I didn't want to step in the room or knock on the door at the wrong time. No doubt, I was clueless at the grandparent thing, but I was going to do my darnedest to help or stay out of the way. Their choice. But -- oh. my. gosh. Look at her!
This week I have thought a lot about how we are not the first people in the world to be grandparents. We are not the only people in the world to think we have a beautiful granddaughter. Really, the only thing that I am beginning to comprehend is the differences between being a parent and being a grandparent. And it is a big deal! :)
Is she perfect? I'm sure of it. But before this week, I was confident that babies are little miracles, and any way you look at it, they are all perfect. It is important to me to not minimize anyone else's joys, but I do want to share my excitement and discoveries. If you are a grandparent, I'm not going to have any news for you. The deal is, I just have to talk about it. My perspectives may be too general and unimpressive, but I hope that I can elaborate in an entertaining way.
This was a good sign. Happy in the car seat. A two hour ride home could go one of two ways. I was told that traveling very much agreed with her. I don't think she made a peep.
During the whole pregnancy, I wondered what my role would be. Gosh, it's been a long time since I have held a newborn baby. And this baby has a direct connection to us -- we are related! I've already promised her we can watch all the Disney princess movies together, and we can dress up to do it. And we will sing the songs -- loudly! Additionally, I have assured her parents that I will have her reading by next week. I crack myself up.
Baby O is beautiful, and one of her strong points is that she is a phenomenal eater. Seriously, how many things can you be awesome at when you are one week old? She is not very fussy, she is a champion burp artist, and her parents are truly goo goo over her -- as are the rest of us. It is all really great as of today. Everything is still very new for all of us, but we are in love!
While we receive congratulations from our friends and other grandparents, I continue to ask any and everyone for grandparent advice. Usually, the most I get is "oh, it's the best thing ever," and "there is simply nothing like it!" Today, someone finally gave it to me straight. This guy at church said, "you just punt." Bam! That's what we have been doing, but he and his wife have a little more experience than us, and I believe he nailed it. Terms I can understand. Sometimes there is no perfect or right way.
You just punt.
