MIDLIFE ROCKS! ~ GRANDBABIES

MIDLIFE ROCKS! ~ getting to see your children's children is so special #grandkids

GRANDBABIES

What is there not to love about grandbabies???? And you can't have grandbabies without being in midlife, so one of the biggest reasons Midlife Rocks is the joy of sharing in the blessing of the next generation. To see your children's children and to be allowed to participate in loving them and reveling in their cuteness is beyond words. To see our son and his wife become great parents who are raising a happy and sun-shiny baby fills my heart with gratitude.

SOPHIA

Our son and daughter-in-law had their first baby in at the end of April this year. They named her Sophia (which is Greek for 'wisdom') and she is an absolute delight. I'm not sure how they figured all their parenting skills out, but they are doing amazingly well with her. She is the happiest little soul and spends a lot of time contemplating the world around her with a wise and thoughtful expression on her face (she was aptly named indeed). Crying is very low on her to-do list - although her mother may not always agree with that.

Sophia and her mum and dad live a couple of hours away from us in the city and since her birth we've only been able to spend a few hours here and there getting to know her and having grandparent time. We drive up fairly regularly to visit and to have a little bit of time with her (and with her parents too), it's easier for us to do the driving and it's a great excuse for seeing our adult children more regularly!

THE COUNTRY VISIT

Visits are lovely, but what is even lovelier is having a decent chunk of time with her and that happened last weekend. They all came down for a visit for a few days and her parents were happy to hand her over to be entertained and amused while they had their hands free to eat the meals we cooked for them (my daughter-in-law was in heaven not doing any meal preparation). I think it's the first time my husband and I really felt like grandparents and we both jumped in feet first at every opportunity.

Her mum and dad got to sleep in each morning because my husband is an early riser and he was happy to do grandfather duty for an hour or so between Sophia's waking time and her parents rising to face a new day. They also even had time to go for a drive together and have a coffee and "date" without having a baby on board. We got brownie points in the process because we babysat - she had a lovely sleep and then a stroll around the park in her pram - a very easy way to look after a baby for a couple of hours.

our darling Sophia aged 4 months
our darling Sophia aged 4 months

TIME TO PLAY

Her other grandmother gets to see her several times a week and I have a little bit of envy in my heart because our visits are less frequent, but having such a lovely few days with her more than made up for the time we missed. To hear her gurgling away and laughing, sucking on a toy or two, and the wonder in her eyes when Incy Wincy Spider played on one of those toys with little buttons to push. Watching her try to make the songs come on when her little hands don't quite co-operate yet - and the happiness on her face when she gets it right is so sweet.

Not everyone in midlife has grandchildren - or they live a long way from home and their visits are even more infrequent than ours, but for those of us who have a new little family member to snuggle, the love you feel warms your heart. People tell you that grandchildren are special, but until you have one of your own you really don't understand how gorgeous they are.
Their visit ended way too soon and I wanted to hide her away so they couldn't take her back home (except the breast feeding would have proved to be a bit tricky!) She has wiggled her way into a special place in our hearts and it shows that you always have room for more love. I think I could have twenty grandbabies and love them all (with a bit left over!)

Our daughter isn't in any hurry at all to pull her weight in the baby producing department. She is even hinting that they might not have children at all - what's with that??!! She seems to think that their life is pretty fabulous without adding babies and nappies into the mix - so there doesn't appear to be much hope in that direction for the time being. Maybe I should have been braver and had half a dozen children so there would have been more grandies arriving to fill our world - it's a bit late now though (and probably not the best reason for having children).

MORE TO COME

So, with only one little cutie to love, we have to make the most of it. These past few days have been such a blessing and joy and I know there will be many more to come. Watching her develop so much already is just the beginning, soon she'll be crawling, then walking and talking - and then maybe she can stay for a few days and her parents can have a break and we can start doing all the spoiling that is a grandparent's prerogative. I can't wait. In the meantime, Christmas is only a few months away!


MIDLIFE ROCKS! ~ getting to see your children's children is so special #grandkids

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29 comments

  1. So many of my friends are becoming grandparents! My oldest son is getting married next summer, so I'm patiently (?) waiting. :)

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    1. you will love it Monica - it's so special to be a part of a little person's life (even if it's not as often as I'd like!)

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  2. It must be the most wonderful thing to have a little baby in your life again! Oh, those golden snuggles that you want to last forever. Keep up the visits, Grandma. We all know how fast time flies. Love the photos, Leanne!

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    1. Thanks Cathy - it's an amazing thought that my child now has a child - and that I'm a part of her life x

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  3. What a wonderful, joyful post! I'm waiting patiently to join the club--four weeks from my daughter's due date.

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    1. How exciting Lee - you will be besotted by that little person when they arrive :)

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  4. I always joke with my girlfriends who have grandchildren that I'm sick of hearing about their cute little ones. But, of course, you know it's just jealousy. My daughters are still young and so there's time for me. But hearing your incredible joy in this post not only makes me smile, but makes me hope that I, too can share in this fabulous time with my fellow grannies, one day! Sophia is absolutely adorable...much happiness to you all. This made my smile for the day! Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Thanks so much Cathy - my mum always mocked the ladies in her social group who were showing grandbaby photos - then Sophia came along and she was showing great-grandbaby pics to everyone! Your time will come and you will be the funny nana who makes them smile and has embarrassing family stories to share :)

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  5. I can't even imagine, but I know it will be overwhelming to see the child of my child for the first time. Can't. Even. It sounds like such a lovely time.

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    1. It is an amazing time Susan - I never thought I'd see it either (and by the look of things it may be a while before I see it again!) I am loving every visit and every snuggle.

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  6. I have a grandson (6) and granddaughter (3), and I already miss them being little babies. Time flies!

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    1. My D-I-L just posted on fb today that they've been married for 5 years - where does time go? I'm sure it will be the same with grandbabies - I want to make time stop so I can enjoy her more :)

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  7. I never even thought of being a mother let alone a grandmother. A friend of mine just had her third grandchild born and she said it's perfect, no labour, and you get to hold and cuddle and then hand back. Sounds fun. By the way, Sophia looks like a delight, so adorable. Thanks for sharing. Hope this weekend treats you kindly. :)

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    1. Thanks so much Donna - I was never a gushy mother or anyone who got their identity from their maternity, but she brings out a side of me I didn't know I had - and it's lovely (all the good with no responsibility!)

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  8. We don't have grandchildren yet, that is a joy that is ahead of us. Sounds pretty sweet!

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    1. It's lovely Tam - and I bet it won't be long before one of yours has an announcement to make :)

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  9. I can only hope that my nephews hurry, mate up and have them. Because without kids I'm also without luck. If they don't get on it!
    Caro

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    1. They'll do their duty Carol and then you'll get to be the "great" aunty who buys inappropriate gifts and gets a cuddle or two and then waves blithely goodbye til next time - pretty sweet all round.

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  10. Being a grandparent is the best. We will have our 3rd in February! I live close to the 2 we have now, but this new baby will be 2 1/2 hours away. Boo! Your Sophia is just lovely!

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    1. Thanks Cathy - I bet you find a whole pile of excuses to make that 2 1/2 hour trip fairly regularly. A baby is a big lure and makes the trip time go faster :)

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  11. The post is just fantastic! Have a nice day:)

    irenethayer.com

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    1. Thanks so much Irene - she is a blessing and absolutely delightful :)

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  12. How lovely! My kids are 22 and 19 so we are not quite at the grandbaby stage but I am looking forward to it x

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    1. It'll be here before you know it Janet - time just seems to fly by (my kids are several years ahead of yours but it only seems a short time ago that they were that age!) Grandbabies are a reward for all that parenting we put into our teenagers!

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  13. Sophia is so cute and adorable, you have many years of pleasure ahead of you. It sure is hard not living closer, but then if you did they would not come and stay a few days. It is all good.

    Kathleen
    Bloggers Pit Stop

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  14. What a sweet post 😊 and what a gorgeous little bundle of joy ! What a cutee 😍

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    1. She's just beautiful Klaudia (although every grandparent alive probably says that about their grandbabies)

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  15. Your grand daughter is beautiful. My grand kids are getting bigger and it drives me crazy that I don't have the time to spend with them. I am in Florida and they are in Vermont. Being a grand mother is the best.
    Thanks for sharing at Over The Moon party,
    Bev

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    1. Thanks Bev - it's so frustrating when you can't pop in whenever you want, but at least I know that my visits are looked forward to and I'm not a nuisance :)

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