Grandma Time

            In March, I had many quiet evening hours in the Hemminger household, holding Joelle so everyone else could sleep.  Sometimes I dozed, but mostly I read books or played games on my Kindle.  It didn’t take long to learn that Joelle needs to wiggle around until she finds that perfect place of repose.  My job was to assist, shifting her around to good sleeping spots on my shoulder or cradled in my arms.  When she started out on my shoulder, invariably she ended up on my lap.  I allowed that controlled slide, one infinitesimal shift at a time.  My tummy made a comfy pillow and provided soothing digestive sounds for her newborn ears.

            I also enjoyed my share of not-so-quiet early evening hours alone with Benjamin.  After playing on the floor with him and singing my repertoire of songs to him—always starting with his request for “The Wheels on the Bus”—invariably, I would get out his favorite toy, the See and Say.  Initially, it was used to motivate him to walk and to climb up on the couch.  He loved to have me snatch it away and hold it at the top of the couch.  He laughed with joy and rubbed his hands with excitement before clambering up to fetch it.  Then he would practice walking with it, crawling with it, standing with it, lying down on the floor with it—all the while pulling the lever like a pro.

            All that cuddling time and playing time allowed for no writing time.  There were also diapers to change, meals to make, dishes to do, walks to go on, and errands to run—it took three adults to barely keep up with the daily business of caring for children and running a household.

            Back home now, I have plenty of time to write, but how I miss the cuddles with Joelle and the play time with Benjamin.  I don’t mind the break from diapers, though.