Ahhh . . . granddaughters

Mary loves painting with her new paints.

 I spent my spring break in the perfect grandma-dream; I was with my two granddaughters (Oh!  My son and daughter-in-law were there, too . . .) Baby Anna arrived a little early, a little scarily, but safe-and-sound, none-the-less.  I went to help with things while mommy and daddy tried to get their lives settled after the great event.  To say it was a wonderful week would be a gross understatement.  If I wasn't holding the baby, I was playing with Mary, the "big sister."  I soon realized why we're blessed with children while we're young:  the amount of energy required for a toddler and a new-born is exponentially multiplied with each child added to the equation. I watched my two sleep-deprived adult children deal patiently with their two time-demanding daughters, and I marveled at the joy they shared about and with their little ones.  Obviously exhausted (think about a baby waking every 2-3 hours at night and a 3-year-old who's feeling unsure about things, so she climbs into bed with Mommy and Daddy no matter how many times she's put back in her own bed . . .) they still found time to share the happy, family moments with each other, spilling love and unity onto the sweet little girls.

Baby Anna asleep in my lap.

In the few quiet moments we were able to experience, I couldn't help but think of the times Corey and I brought new babies into our home.  Each time we added a new member to the family we experienced it as completely new.  Each child brings his or her own personality, and each time we would come home it was the same excitement, same thrill of having another sweet spirit added to our lives, same adjustment for those already living in the home.  I think everyone pretty much experiences the chaos-that-eventually-turns-into-routine with a sense of "this seems like it'll never end, but this, too, will pass (we hope!)  It was a bitter-sweet time for me.  I missed my own small children and our adjustment times.  I feel blessed beyond measure that I got to experience bringing each of my children home as newborns and then raising them to the amazing people they are now.   I empathized with the struggles of my son and daughter-in-law. I remember all to clearly the exhaustion mixed with amazement and joy.  Yes, I missed those feelings, too.  But through all the wishing for the past,  I absolutely loved the time with my granddaughters.  I realize that these will be the memories I will miss when these granddaughters bring home their own little ones.