Mama Mondays | Watching my Daughter Become a Mom...I'm a Grandma

    Mama Mondays | Watching my Daughter Become a Mom...I'm a Grandma 

-Kathy Lee

 It's so hard to believe that "my baby" has a 20 month old baby herself! I can still remember the day that Nicole & Steve told me they were expecting. I had been in San Francisco at a conference and when it ended I flew down for a visit. First I should state that I live in New York with my husband, younger daughter and extended family. So any chance to be in California I am all in. Now back to the day... It was the first week of June and we were in their kitchen when Nicole & Steve gave me my birthday gift. It was a Pandora bracelet with a red bead. Now my birthday is June, Nicole's is May so why the red?  Well they told me that this was the stone for my first grandchild, January due date! (happy tears were flowing everywhere)  

   So now how do we do this? They are in Cali and I'm in NY, I want to watch her pregnancy grow and be an active part of it, plus how do I build a relationship 2000 miles away with my grandchild? Thank goodness for Facetime so I was able to watch Nicole grow every week/ month and I'm blessed that I have an understanding husband that supports my visits as often as I can while still working full time. We shared sleepless night stories, foods that we couldn't stand to smell or eat while pregnant as well as shopping for clothes!!!  

      Now to the birth... Steve called me at work the morning of the actual due date to let me know it was a go. I found a flight and was at the hospital meeting my beautiful, sweet, granddaughter 5 hours after she was born! Holding her for the first time was the most surreal experience I've ever had. How could this baby be Nicole's?  Watching Nicole and Steve with C was one of the most beautiful memories I will always have. I was able to stay for 10 days and leaving to head back home was so hard. I was back 12 weeks later with my mom so C could meet her "great grandmother" now having my mom hold her great grandchild was another "wow" moment. 

     I may not be around the corner but thanks to technology I can talk text or Facetime Nicole when she has a question concern or great accomplishment to share. Watching her grow, as a parent is such a proud mommy moment for me. She is so intuitive to Cs needs it's quite remarkable. She reads and researches, but trusts her mom gut and you can see the joy in her face when she is with her daughter.  And like most children little miss "C" knows how to play her parents!  I do take a little bit of pleasure when she gets sassy; she is her mother's daughter after all! 

     Last week Nicole & Steve went away for a week and I had the honor, joy and pleasure to have her all to myself for the entire week. Nicole had a book made "When Mommy & Daddy go on a Trip". It talked about them going away and me coming to stay with her and all the things we would do! We read it every night at bed and several times during the day, it was such a great tool for me especially since it had all of our pictures in it.  That has been the greatest gift. We were busy with reading lots and lots of books, music, dancing, Princess Dance Class, finger plays, we made play-doh, gak,(I'm an Early Childhood person so lots of sensory!!) chalk, the water table, pool, splash pad, "Moo" (Chick-fil-A) for lunch, shopping at Trader Joes, Farmers Market...I LOVED each and every activity and it was the fastest week. We Facetimed mommy & daddy everyday and she was so excited when they came home. I'm so blessed that I had that time with her and all the videos I took so I can revisit it any time I want.

     I'm so happy that we have made the distance work, C knows me as well as if I was around the block, I am her Nanny and she is my baby! Looking forward to my next long weekend...

-Kathy 

XOXO