Gammy

On Tuesday Celia and I took a ride out to Lynnfield to visit my grandmother. She has lived in Lynnfield for as long as I have known her and a good deal of time before that as well. She recently moved from her longtime residence to a nice, smaller apartment about a mile away, and this was the first time I had visited her at her new place.

My grandmother (or "Gammy" as I have always called her) likes coffee and breakfast foods (donuts, breads, muffins, etc) as much as I do, so we sat down for a nice little feast when Celia and I arrived. She asked how everything was going for me as a temporary stay-at-home dad, and I responded that I loved it, but that I had no idea how she was able to keep it together with four kids at home way back when. She laughed and told me that it was tough--my uncle Peter (the eldest) had had colic and my aunts Anita and Lisa were born a year apart. Yikes. Even on the toughest days that I have had with Andres and Celia, I am still very aware of how easy/good they have been; no colic, generally well-natured, only minor eating and sleeping issues.

Gammy took a turn giving Celia a bottle and even burped her a bit (I asked her if she wanted to change a diaper, but she politely declined). She found Celia's propensity for flipping over quickly quite amusing--"Look! She did it again!"

For her part, Celia amused herself by playing with some toys on a little blanket, rolling over, and then reaching for some strawberries that we were eating. (Note to self: Need to start keeping real food out of my daughter's reach.) She also had a good time sitting with her great-Gammy; talking and blowing bubbles and occasionally trying to gnaw on her fingers. We headed out after a couple hours, just as Celia was getting cranky and ready for her nap.

I had a wonderful time (and I hope Celia did too! I'm sure she did). I have a couple fleeting memories of one of my great-grandmothers, but I only saw her when she was at the end of her long life. It was hard to forge a connection at that point...I remember being aware that I was related to this woman, but that's where it ended--I couldn't quite figure out how she related to anyone that I considered my immediate family.

For what it's worth, I think Celia and Andres are blessed to have healthy great-grandparents on both sides of the family. And I know my grandmother loves being a great-grandmother now too. I couldn't stop thinking about how quickly time moves...it seems like only a couple years ago that I was a child heading over to her house for Thanksgiving dinner, and now I'm bringing my own child (my second one at that!) over to her house for a visit.

I felt bad leaving, but a crying baby has a way of making you feel not so bad leaving anywhere, so we headed out. We'll have to head back again soon for more coffee and pictures.