As I write this the dishes are stacking in the sink and there are a couple of other things I could be doing as well; however, I have to take this time out to write about grandpaism. According to spellcheck and to any reputable dictionary, "grandpaism" is not a real word. Well, it is now...I just invented it.
So, what IS grandpaism? It is the new way one looks at life after graduating from being a parent to becoming a grandparent, and all the many new ways the fledgling grandparent is blessed by being the recipient of a grandchild. I think that is a pretty good definition, yet it is so dry and does not begin to convey the feelings involved.
I can recall when I was a younger person, prior to getting married, and even after marriage, then as a young parent, that I thought to myself, "So you're a grandparent. Big deal." Friends or relatives would tell me, "I've just become a grandfather!!" Sure I congratulated the person and was happy for them, but I was not all that excited. "Yeah, that's great, Fred. Hey, did you see the big game Saturday!"
But then came Baby Baby (the pet name I gave to my little Leah Marie). A few months before this blessed event, Child B married her boyfriend, who is now Child B1. We did not lose a daughter, we gained a son. That saying is so very true. Anyway, Child B and Child B1 produced Baby Baby, and gave my lovely bride and I perhaps the greatest gift they could have given, besides being born themselves. I know this is true because I was there for Baby Baby's birth, at a local "birthing center."
Baby Baby was a true gift, and not just because she was born to her mother and father, and by extension to us, her grandparents. Baby Baby was a gift because Child B's labor transformed from routine into, very literally, a life or death struggle, with both mother and baby in danger. Without going into a lot of detail, it will suffice to say that the "easy and carefree" birth hawked by the birthing center propaganda was not the case here. I am being completely honest when I say that Child B's labor, at first routine, stretched into a trial of grit and love that lasted well over forty hours. Child B was in such pain at times that Father of Child B was literally held back from breaking into the room and forcing the midwife to stabilize my daughter and get her to a hospital NOW! But finally we heard that little baby's first cry! In that instant I (and the other three grandparents) were transformed.
In seconds we were in love with this little creature, and we were so relieved that Child B was out of danger, and her pains were over. Child B1 was now a father, too! But for the newly crowned Poppee (me), to say I was in heaven does not even cover the way I was feeling, the emotions. Even now, nearly two years later, I cannot adequately put it in words. Baby Baby is twenty-months old now, but her birth seems like only yesterday. My lovely bride and I are happy beyond words, so grateful to Child B and Child B1 for bringing Baby Baby into this world.
A few months ago, when Baby Baby could hardly talk, and her vocabulary was limited, I remember how that day she told me very clearly, "I love you." I was so happy, again beyond words. I think that grandparents, not being busy with both parenting and taking care of all the other things in life, are more able to step back and watch the child grow and blossom day by day. I know that when I was a new parent, I missed some of this joy because at that time we were living spoon to mouth, and the month outlasted the paycheck by days. In a way, having a grandchild gives the grandparent a chance to relive those days, or at least to remember those days, to hold and love a new child that in so many ways is the picture of her mother and father when they were the same age.
I guess I am writing about this because I have had so many special moments with Baby Baby, and last night I had another. I realize now that if that someone had told me about this thing a few years ago, I would not have understood how special this moment was. But grandpaism opened my eyes to the moment and the meaning.
Baby Baby was sitting in the lounger up in my lovely bride's lap, which is one of Baby Baby's favorite places to be. But Honey (my lovely bride) has a certain special effect on children, Baby Baby included. You see, any child who crawls up into Honey's lap within a few minutes begins to suffer from the "Honey Effect." The Honey Effect causes the child in Honey's lap to suddenly begin to feel drowsy. Amplifying this drowsiness, Honey wraps the child in a fleecy blanket, and within minutes it is all over. The unsuspecting child is suddenly in La La Land, all other plans for playing or staying up late...futile.
Baby Baby, having been around for twenty months now, is fully aware of the Honey Effect. Although Honey's lap is one of Baby Baby's favorite places, she has learned some devious ways to resist the Honey Effect. For instance, if Honey wraps Baby Baby in the fleecy blanket, and Baby Baby is not particularly "ready for bed," she will kick both feet out from under the blanket, and then wriggle her arms out of the blanket. Another anti-Honey Effect technique Baby Baby uses is to evacuate from Honey's lap when all other means to fight off the Honey Effect fail.
Last night was one of those occasions where Baby Baby realized that she was loosing the Honey Effect battle. Not being ready for bed yet, Baby Baby employed the "evacuate Honey's Lap" technique, very effectively playing Poppee. Baby Baby looked into my eyes, gave me a really cute Baby Baby grin, and stretched out her arms to me. Of course I could not resist, nor did I particularly try. I reached out for Baby Baby and placed her in my lap. Baby Baby then said, "Bus?" This is her way of asking to watch the music video "The Wheels On The Bus Go Round and Round." So I opened the computer and turned on YouTube. I selected the appropriate video, and soon "Bus" was playing.
Baby Baby loves singing, and really loves singing along with the video. There are several songs on the video besides "Bus." Baby Baby settled back against my chest and began singing along. After "Bus" there was the "ABC Song," "Humpty Dumpty," and eventually "Ten Little Kids All Laying In The Bed." Baby Baby was singing along with this song, about the sixth song on the video, when all the sudden and totally without warning, her cute little head slumped forward onto her chest. She was sound asleep just like that! Singing one second, viewing her eyelids the next. And Poppee was so Happy!
Baby Baby is so comfortable with Poppee that she can go to sleep against my chest even though her favorite songs are playing. I cannot express the feelings and emotions, the happiness, that ran through my mind and my soul in that moment. It was such a simple thing, yet so full of love and happiness. I sat and rocked Baby Baby for nearly an hour. Finally she began to stir a little, and I knew the nap was coming to an end. Baby Baby yawned, stretched, and gave us that Hi! I am back in the world smile. And then it was time to take her back to Child B and Child B1 at the dojo. My how the evening flew!
Baby Baby and I sang and talked all the way back to her parents' business, a twenty-mile drive from our home. But the distance and time passed so quickly. Upon nearing the dojo Baby Baby began happily yelling, "Mommie, Mommie!" I said, "Yes, Mommy and Daddy are waiting for you." So we parked and went inside. Baby Baby immediately ran to Mommy and there was a happy reunion. I left a short time later, but not before getting a sloppy kiss on the check from Baby Baby. Oh yeah, I hugged Child B and shook Child B1's hand. Another joy-filled night with Baby Baby came to an end. It was a much quieter and longer ride back home.
Grandparents are truly blessed, and the children may never realize the great gift of love they have given their parents...until the children get their own grandchildren. Then grandpaism will set in, and the new grandparents will wonder how they ever lived without grandchildren.
May God bless you all ...
And God Bless America
So, what IS grandpaism? It is the new way one looks at life after graduating from being a parent to becoming a grandparent, and all the many new ways the fledgling grandparent is blessed by being the recipient of a grandchild. I think that is a pretty good definition, yet it is so dry and does not begin to convey the feelings involved.
I can recall when I was a younger person, prior to getting married, and even after marriage, then as a young parent, that I thought to myself, "So you're a grandparent. Big deal." Friends or relatives would tell me, "I've just become a grandfather!!" Sure I congratulated the person and was happy for them, but I was not all that excited. "Yeah, that's great, Fred. Hey, did you see the big game Saturday!"
But then came Baby Baby (the pet name I gave to my little Leah Marie). A few months before this blessed event, Child B married her boyfriend, who is now Child B1. We did not lose a daughter, we gained a son. That saying is so very true. Anyway, Child B and Child B1 produced Baby Baby, and gave my lovely bride and I perhaps the greatest gift they could have given, besides being born themselves. I know this is true because I was there for Baby Baby's birth, at a local "birthing center."
Baby Baby was a true gift, and not just because she was born to her mother and father, and by extension to us, her grandparents. Baby Baby was a gift because Child B's labor transformed from routine into, very literally, a life or death struggle, with both mother and baby in danger. Without going into a lot of detail, it will suffice to say that the "easy and carefree" birth hawked by the birthing center propaganda was not the case here. I am being completely honest when I say that Child B's labor, at first routine, stretched into a trial of grit and love that lasted well over forty hours. Child B was in such pain at times that Father of Child B was literally held back from breaking into the room and forcing the midwife to stabilize my daughter and get her to a hospital NOW! But finally we heard that little baby's first cry! In that instant I (and the other three grandparents) were transformed.
In seconds we were in love with this little creature, and we were so relieved that Child B was out of danger, and her pains were over. Child B1 was now a father, too! But for the newly crowned Poppee (me), to say I was in heaven does not even cover the way I was feeling, the emotions. Even now, nearly two years later, I cannot adequately put it in words. Baby Baby is twenty-months old now, but her birth seems like only yesterday. My lovely bride and I are happy beyond words, so grateful to Child B and Child B1 for bringing Baby Baby into this world.
A few months ago, when Baby Baby could hardly talk, and her vocabulary was limited, I remember how that day she told me very clearly, "I love you." I was so happy, again beyond words. I think that grandparents, not being busy with both parenting and taking care of all the other things in life, are more able to step back and watch the child grow and blossom day by day. I know that when I was a new parent, I missed some of this joy because at that time we were living spoon to mouth, and the month outlasted the paycheck by days. In a way, having a grandchild gives the grandparent a chance to relive those days, or at least to remember those days, to hold and love a new child that in so many ways is the picture of her mother and father when they were the same age.
I guess I am writing about this because I have had so many special moments with Baby Baby, and last night I had another. I realize now that if that someone had told me about this thing a few years ago, I would not have understood how special this moment was. But grandpaism opened my eyes to the moment and the meaning.
Baby Baby was sitting in the lounger up in my lovely bride's lap, which is one of Baby Baby's favorite places to be. But Honey (my lovely bride) has a certain special effect on children, Baby Baby included. You see, any child who crawls up into Honey's lap within a few minutes begins to suffer from the "Honey Effect." The Honey Effect causes the child in Honey's lap to suddenly begin to feel drowsy. Amplifying this drowsiness, Honey wraps the child in a fleecy blanket, and within minutes it is all over. The unsuspecting child is suddenly in La La Land, all other plans for playing or staying up late...futile.
Baby Baby, having been around for twenty months now, is fully aware of the Honey Effect. Although Honey's lap is one of Baby Baby's favorite places, she has learned some devious ways to resist the Honey Effect. For instance, if Honey wraps Baby Baby in the fleecy blanket, and Baby Baby is not particularly "ready for bed," she will kick both feet out from under the blanket, and then wriggle her arms out of the blanket. Another anti-Honey Effect technique Baby Baby uses is to evacuate from Honey's lap when all other means to fight off the Honey Effect fail.
Last night was one of those occasions where Baby Baby realized that she was loosing the Honey Effect battle. Not being ready for bed yet, Baby Baby employed the "evacuate Honey's Lap" technique, very effectively playing Poppee. Baby Baby looked into my eyes, gave me a really cute Baby Baby grin, and stretched out her arms to me. Of course I could not resist, nor did I particularly try. I reached out for Baby Baby and placed her in my lap. Baby Baby then said, "Bus?" This is her way of asking to watch the music video "The Wheels On The Bus Go Round and Round." So I opened the computer and turned on YouTube. I selected the appropriate video, and soon "Bus" was playing.
Baby Baby loves singing, and really loves singing along with the video. There are several songs on the video besides "Bus." Baby Baby settled back against my chest and began singing along. After "Bus" there was the "ABC Song," "Humpty Dumpty," and eventually "Ten Little Kids All Laying In The Bed." Baby Baby was singing along with this song, about the sixth song on the video, when all the sudden and totally without warning, her cute little head slumped forward onto her chest. She was sound asleep just like that! Singing one second, viewing her eyelids the next. And Poppee was so Happy!
Baby Baby is so comfortable with Poppee that she can go to sleep against my chest even though her favorite songs are playing. I cannot express the feelings and emotions, the happiness, that ran through my mind and my soul in that moment. It was such a simple thing, yet so full of love and happiness. I sat and rocked Baby Baby for nearly an hour. Finally she began to stir a little, and I knew the nap was coming to an end. Baby Baby yawned, stretched, and gave us that Hi! I am back in the world smile. And then it was time to take her back to Child B and Child B1 at the dojo. My how the evening flew!
Baby Baby and I sang and talked all the way back to her parents' business, a twenty-mile drive from our home. But the distance and time passed so quickly. Upon nearing the dojo Baby Baby began happily yelling, "Mommie, Mommie!" I said, "Yes, Mommy and Daddy are waiting for you." So we parked and went inside. Baby Baby immediately ran to Mommy and there was a happy reunion. I left a short time later, but not before getting a sloppy kiss on the check from Baby Baby. Oh yeah, I hugged Child B and shook Child B1's hand. Another joy-filled night with Baby Baby came to an end. It was a much quieter and longer ride back home.
Grandparents are truly blessed, and the children may never realize the great gift of love they have given their parents...until the children get their own grandchildren. Then grandpaism will set in, and the new grandparents will wonder how they ever lived without grandchildren.
May God bless you all ...
And God Bless America
This may be my favorite of your blogs. My little loves are my everything. Sometimes I don't know how my heart can stand so much love pouring out of it. It's more pronounced now that I'm actually just a Mimi. Now I only see them 2-3 times a month and those moments are pure magic. Your Baby Baby stories always make me smile.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Journey. I think I like writing about these kinds of things much better than politics, for the most part. You and I have special blessing in our grandchildren...that make the trials of life fade into insignificance.
ReplyDelete