My lovely bride, myself, and Child A spent a wonderful evening on Tuesday with our granddaughter (Child A's niece). I have grown to love these nights with Baby Baby. She has grown from an infant to toddler so quickly that my head is still spinning from that night she came first came into our lives. I cannot believe she is nearly three years old! I don't remember Child A and Child B growing up so fast! But it is true, our Baby Baby is not a baby anymore. She is such a little chatterbox now, and certainly has a personality all her own.
Baby Baby (I know, she has a real name, but I still use my made-up name for her) is such a sweet little soul. She is so musical now, singing all the little songs children sing, but now ad lib-ing her own version of such classics as "She'll Be Coming Around The Mountain" or "Jack and Jill." We never know what the lyrics will be. For instance, a new verse to "She'll Be Coming" is "She'll be wearing Paw Patrol when she comes...she'll be wearing Paw Patrol when she comes..." She makes up her own words to "classic" children's tunes, but also makes up her own songs as well. Now she also makes up dialogue between herself and as many as three or four dolls or animals at a time. AND she still talks to me or sings during this intricate dialogue!
Perhaps the best blessing for me lately is that she has designated me as her official playmate when she visits us. As soon as her little feet clear the front door, Baby Baby yells, " Poppee, play in my room?" She is not asking if she can go play...no, she is demanding that I come to play WITH her. One of the things she likes to do most is act out "There Were Five In The Bed." This involves singing the song of the same name while Baby Baby, three designated dolls or stuff animals, and of course, Poppee, all lay in the bed and roll over. Of course I cannot literally lay on her bed because it only supports seventy-five pounds, so I just lay with my head on the foot of the bed. Then Baby Baby sings "They all rolled over and one fell out!" At this point I roll off the bed and "bang" my head on the floor. I am rewarded with Baby Baby's peals of laughter.
Tuesday night I was held "captive" in Baby Baby's room for nearly an hour as she and I played different games, played catch, chased each other, and raised a general "ruckus" that kept my lovely bride on egg shells as she wondered which one of us would really "bang" our head on the floor, the wall, a corner of the dresser, etc. In the end, no one was injured, but I was in need of an oxygen treatment. But most of all I was blessed by the laughter and the sheer joy that child had as she played in her room with her Poppee.
Then it all came to an end. As happens more and more frequently now, Baby Baby announced that it was time to "get in the truck and go find MommyDaddy." That child seems to sense now when the clock is about to strike "half past Eight." I am pretty sure that as yet she cannot tell time, but she knows within five minutes when it is time to leave. She begins saying her goodbyes to Child A and to Honey, gets into her shoes, and heads for the door. She usually takes a choice toy and some crayons with her (not that the truck is not already loaded down with same) to occupy her hands while she sings, "Jack fell down...OUCH!!...and broke his crown. And Jill came tumbling after."
I have to admit that taking her back to MommyDaddy is a sad task for me. Oh, Baby Baby and I sing and talk all the way back to her parents, and it is truly a joyful and fun-filled time. But then comes the really hard part, for me, anyway. I have to give her a hug and tell her good-bye for the evening. Sometimes it really tugs at the old heart-strings after such a great visit. Imagine, her parents actually think THEY should get to spend time with her, too! After all, she DOES live with them. And within seconds of getting her inside the dojo, Baby Baby has hugged both her parents then raced off to play with the other kids who are waiting for their older siblings or parents to finish the mixed-martial arts classes. She dismisses me with a hug and a kiss, and says, "See you later, Poppee!" then she is gone like a whirlwind.
The ride back home seems so much longer than the ride to the dojo, and no matter how loudly I play the radio, the silence of no granddaughter in the truck is so deafening. Okay, I admit it...sometimes I am teary-eyed as I head east back toward Midland. Just then I can see Baby Baby's sweet face and a happy thought crosses my mind...
"She'll be wearing Paw Patrol when she comes! She'll be wearing Paw Patrol when she comes!"
May God bless you all...
And may we always be thankful for our children...
Baby Baby (I know, she has a real name, but I still use my made-up name for her) is such a sweet little soul. She is so musical now, singing all the little songs children sing, but now ad lib-ing her own version of such classics as "She'll Be Coming Around The Mountain" or "Jack and Jill." We never know what the lyrics will be. For instance, a new verse to "She'll Be Coming" is "She'll be wearing Paw Patrol when she comes...she'll be wearing Paw Patrol when she comes..." She makes up her own words to "classic" children's tunes, but also makes up her own songs as well. Now she also makes up dialogue between herself and as many as three or four dolls or animals at a time. AND she still talks to me or sings during this intricate dialogue!
Perhaps the best blessing for me lately is that she has designated me as her official playmate when she visits us. As soon as her little feet clear the front door, Baby Baby yells, " Poppee, play in my room?" She is not asking if she can go play...no, she is demanding that I come to play WITH her. One of the things she likes to do most is act out "There Were Five In The Bed." This involves singing the song of the same name while Baby Baby, three designated dolls or stuff animals, and of course, Poppee, all lay in the bed and roll over. Of course I cannot literally lay on her bed because it only supports seventy-five pounds, so I just lay with my head on the foot of the bed. Then Baby Baby sings "They all rolled over and one fell out!" At this point I roll off the bed and "bang" my head on the floor. I am rewarded with Baby Baby's peals of laughter.
Tuesday night I was held "captive" in Baby Baby's room for nearly an hour as she and I played different games, played catch, chased each other, and raised a general "ruckus" that kept my lovely bride on egg shells as she wondered which one of us would really "bang" our head on the floor, the wall, a corner of the dresser, etc. In the end, no one was injured, but I was in need of an oxygen treatment. But most of all I was blessed by the laughter and the sheer joy that child had as she played in her room with her Poppee.
Then it all came to an end. As happens more and more frequently now, Baby Baby announced that it was time to "get in the truck and go find MommyDaddy." That child seems to sense now when the clock is about to strike "half past Eight." I am pretty sure that as yet she cannot tell time, but she knows within five minutes when it is time to leave. She begins saying her goodbyes to Child A and to Honey, gets into her shoes, and heads for the door. She usually takes a choice toy and some crayons with her (not that the truck is not already loaded down with same) to occupy her hands while she sings, "Jack fell down...OUCH!!...and broke his crown. And Jill came tumbling after."
I have to admit that taking her back to MommyDaddy is a sad task for me. Oh, Baby Baby and I sing and talk all the way back to her parents, and it is truly a joyful and fun-filled time. But then comes the really hard part, for me, anyway. I have to give her a hug and tell her good-bye for the evening. Sometimes it really tugs at the old heart-strings after such a great visit. Imagine, her parents actually think THEY should get to spend time with her, too! After all, she DOES live with them. And within seconds of getting her inside the dojo, Baby Baby has hugged both her parents then raced off to play with the other kids who are waiting for their older siblings or parents to finish the mixed-martial arts classes. She dismisses me with a hug and a kiss, and says, "See you later, Poppee!" then she is gone like a whirlwind.
The ride back home seems so much longer than the ride to the dojo, and no matter how loudly I play the radio, the silence of no granddaughter in the truck is so deafening. Okay, I admit it...sometimes I am teary-eyed as I head east back toward Midland. Just then I can see Baby Baby's sweet face and a happy thought crosses my mind...
"She'll be wearing Paw Patrol when she comes! She'll be wearing Paw Patrol when she comes!"
May God bless you all...
And may we always be thankful for our children...
I felt every word of this. I miss them every minute we're apart. And they thoroughly wear me out when we're rogerher, but I wouldn't trade this experience with them for anything.
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