I am a Gramma!

Being a gramma is the best and my grandbaby is adorable! So far, this could be written by any of your mothers! Isn't it wonderful that grammas feel that way? Grammas just know to ask other grammas to see their brag book. After 3 months, I don't even have one yet. My daughter in Rochester asks for the pictures I print or I put the updated ones in my photo coasters. I am very proud of the fact that I figured out how to put the pictures on my digital photo keychain--all by myself! What a technological genius I am, my granddaughter, Adeline, will someday say. :)

Thoughts on being a Gramma!
1. I forgot how much work a newborn is. I told my daughter--"babies just eat and sleep." Well, getting little Addie to sleep is a trick in itself. If my daughter hadn't discovered the Moby Wrap, this baby would be identified as the 'colicky' one. Being claustrophobic, I have resisted getting bound by 4 yards of material to wrap this baby. She falls asleep as soon as you bounce on an exercise ball with her snuggled in the Moby Wrap.
2. I am amazed how much my daughter knows. All I had was a book by Dr. Spock. (PAIIR was in its infancy itself)
3. Whenever I visit the beautiful children's section of the Rochester library, I tell myself--don't buy another book!
4. I look at her darling baby clothes and cringe when I think about the type of clothes my babies wore. (I won't even mention what our maternity clothes looked like.)
5. I oscillate between thinking she has too many toys and feeling guilty mine only had some rummage sale baby toys.
6. The tide has turned and I now listen to my daughter's advice. Pedestrians have the right away in Berkeley, where she currently lives. I was told to NEVER start across the street with the stroller until I had made eye contact with the driver, so I knew he saw me. This was actually helpful and made me feel safer, too. (Of course figuring out the car seat and stroller system was another challenge.)
7. I am terribly jealous of any gramma that has a grandbaby less than 5 hours away. Mine is moving to Ann Arbor, but that very large Lake Michigan will still make it a 10 hour trip. I am so thankful for digital cameras and video clips on U-tube.

Let me know how you keep in touch with your child's grandparents. It's a new and wonderful experience for me. What have you appreciated most about grandparents? What is irritating? I'm listening!

Linda Munson
New gramma and newly retired parent educator after 25 years at PAIIR.