My Very Favorite Boy

My Day at College

on the way to daycare

I'm spending the day at San Jose State University.  My daughter is graduating at the end of the month with a degree in Sociology.  Then it's off to graduate school.  I came with her today; we dropped the baby off at daycare (he was loving it), toured campus a bit, she went to class.

I toured the Student Union (interesting for an old pro like me in Student Affairs) and was looking at the new SU in progress.  They say it will be done by semester's end.  No way.  There's at least six months' work still to go from the looks of that puppy.  I know.  I've been there.

Now I'm hanging out in their spectacular library.  Wi-Fi and charger stations everyone, but the internet connection is pretty darned slow, which is surprising considering the school's size and modernity. 

I bought this necklace at a student art show.  The circles are ceramic.  I purchased a graduation gift for my girl at the bookstore.

I watched hip hop dancers doing amazing moves in the quad.  They must also be gymnists -- some of the moves looked like they were on a pummel horse.  My body used to be a whole lot younger, but I don't ever think I had moves like that!

Rock climbing, oh sure, but not this stuff.

For graduate school my daughter is going to my alma mater.  That will be strange, as I left it (both after graduation and retirement) with feelings of resentment for the way the institution functions (or the lack of function).  I had dinner last night with a former colleague that I hadn't seen in 4 years, and from what describes, the joint is getting crazier by the year.  I jumped ship just in time.

When we pick up the kid from daycare they are having a little art show.  I see if I can snap a picture of his painting.  (Later: here it is!)

some day worth millions

I'm enjoying this day of walking, exploring, reading and daydreaming. 

Perfect hot day for ice cream!  He got brain freeze - really!

He Makes Me Feel Okay

This lil' guy made my Christmas morning.  Still a little young to get the whole Christmas thing (him, not me) but old enough to get the tearing of the gift wrap.  He liked the little bus inside with the people you can pull out and put back in.  After he tasted and chewed every one.  And, of course, the larger boxes had their own playful magic. 

And what could be better for a Christmas breakfast than Cheerios?  Followed up with pancakes that daddy made.  And sausage.  Oh, and a bit of sweets.



If you've lost that loving feeling for Christmas, may I suggest finding a child to spend the morning with next year?  It's pretty grand.

Bath Time

Well, this little guy sure made my 6 hour round trip to Santa Cruz worth it.  After meeting with the attorney, I got the best antidote by spending a few hours with my daughter and grandson.

Nothing like a little one to put your priorities right.  He was so happy to see me, and after his dinner he spent his time trying to break through the baby gates that surround their Christmas tree.  We were able to divert him for awhile with various toys, books, and games that involved me holding him upside down, which he LOVES.   Peek-a-boos work too, for awhile.  His tree lust could not be denied, however, and his mom had to firmly tell him no.  A little lying on the ground kicking his feet and crying let us know that he was a most dissatisfied customer.

Luckily, his dad came home and the little chap lit up and was happy.  Then it was bath time, all fun and games and hair washing.  Then off to bed.

I'm so proud of my kids - they are doing such a great job of parenting him.  My daughter will be in graduate school in a year, and I swear I don't know where she finds the energy.  I feel positively slothful compared to them.

My Boy

Oh joy!  I'm seeing my grandson for the first time in 3 months, and since he's started walking.  The minute they got out of the car he started chopping up the sidewalk.  No holding hands for this little one, he wants to be moving, and mom and dad are just too slow.

He's a power-walker for sure.  And when he takes a spill, he folds his little body like a pill bug and rolls with it.  Then he's up again before you know it.

He's still delighted by this mode of transportation.  (So much better than rolling or crawling.) He laughs as he walks, and holds out his hands to feel the wind.  It is inspiring to see someone so danged happy.

We walked all around the block, following him where he wanted to go.  Pulling him away from the street when he ventured too close.

A commuter train was coming at one point, the barriers closing and the bells clanging and the lights flashing.  We thought he'd get a kick out of it, but no, when he came to our corner (for the first time) he turned left and headed for home like a horse getting back to the barn for feeding time.

He's "all boy" as the GF says.

A boy on a mission, a boy on the move.  A boy that swells my heart with fierce love and goodness.

Gosh, I love having a grandson.

Wordless Wednesday

First Steps

Grandson Eden took his first steps today and his mom captured it with video on her iphone.  You'll have to excuse the bad picture quality - I can't upload the video to the blog somehow.

What impresses me is how often he goes down on his bottom and gets right back up again to take more steps.  He is clearly pleased with this new mode of transportation -- his mouth is wide open in a big smile.

Momma reports that now he is very tired.  He's turned a very big corner in his development!

Wowie.  I know we've all (or almost all) have done it, but what a thrill.  Those milestones, whatever they may be, are cause for celebration.

I see a lot of chasing after a small child in his parents' future....

Happy Birthday, Grandson

Here's the little peanut a year ago today.  And here's the little goober just recently - can you believe how time has flown?

Can we get it together in this damned old world so that all the little grandchildren can grow up safe, healthy and happy?  A Bubbie can dream.

Wordless Wednesday

When Babies Go Bad

One Year Later

So much going on...I've thought of posting but then realized my writing would be full of  ADD with Hyperactivity type ramblings:  "And this!  And then THIS!  Oh, and that!  What about THAT?"

When I first moved to Sacramento I posed the question, "Will I love urban life or just be overwhelmed by it?"  Well, I love it.  Sometimes I am overwhelmed, but then I hop in the car and head to the mountains, or the seashore, or back to Santa Cruz to visit the grand baby.  Who, by the way, is delightful and almost a year old.  I cannot believe how the time has flown.

The other day someone told me I was driving like a granny, then I said, "I AM a granny!"  So there.

You know, it's not like I haven't experienced watching a baby grow before, but I have to say it is an amazing to process to see how we humans grow and evolve and learn new skills.  I see how much effort it takes, how he sleeps so soundly and so suddenly, and how he gulps and inhales his milk as if his little life depended upon it.  And I guess it does.

I took the 5:30 shift the other morning, changed his nappies and gave him a bottle.  Then he was up and running for an hour.  And then he wasn't.  He fell asleep on the floor all of a sudden.  I picked him up and put him into his bed.  He slept another few hours.

His parents are doing such a wonderful job with him -- no t.v. for the time being.  They know this will change in the future, but for now, he has a chance for his brain to develop without the numbing effects of sound, light and chaos from a glowing screen.  I love to watch his daddy come home and immediately start playing with him on the floor.  They are like two star-crossed lovers who have missed each other terribly.  The intensity of their feelings for one another is a thing to behold. 

I began this post not knowing where I was going with my thoughts, my words.  I guess I found where I wanted to be. 

Wordless Wednesday

Baby Love

This lil' guy rocks my world.  I've just spent two days with him and his ma, running errands, eating, napping, changing diapers (his, not his ma's).

Eight months old now, he is trying desperately to crawl.  When on his belly he gets up on his hands and knees but doesn't really know what to do with it all.  So he rocks forwards and back.  Getting the mechanics down.  Then he goes back on his belly and gets so damned mad that he can't get to where he wants to go!  So he rolls there on his side.

My initial instinct is to try and help him get where he's going, or to hand him a toy.  Luckily, I catch myself and let him work it out.  That's how we learn, right?  Okay, sometimes I grab a toy for him because he's getting so upset.  But not often.

He's loving things like kitchen spoons and measuring cups, and even a small whisk.  It all goes into his mouth of course, and he massages his aching gums that are sprouting six teeth with more on the way.

I like to think he recognizes me now, but who knows what goes on in the brains of babies?  I do know I can make him laugh and smile and reach for me (that's my favorite).  I can rock him to sleep and he'll take a nap on my reclining body.  Oh, that's the best feeling.

I was a tad depressed this morning when I woke up - who knows, a bad dreaming maybe.  I felt like I was slogging through psychological jello as I went about my morning routine.  Then I spent the day with this little guy.  I am ending the day feeling content and well-loved.

Babies

Hanging out with my grandson is awesome.  It's hard work, but still awesome.  (What am I?  A teenager?)  I'm having all kinds of flashbacks to when my daughter was a tiny babe.  Which of course leads me to ponder the generations....and so, here, my friends, is my paternal grandmother as an infant. Just look at those eyes, will you?  And that mouth?  Is she the cutest thing ever?

Alice Nadine Tilley, photographed by her Auntie Lou, 1910

Nadine, as she was called, was born in Marshall County, Kansas.  She wound up in San Diego CA, living a life much more sophisticated than her humble origins would have predicted.  She died on Christmas eve in 1997, from pneumonia.  I still miss her.  She was a beautiful baby, and a beautiful woman.

One Serious Baby

He laughs and smiles for his mom and dad, but not much for me on this day.  I was hanging out with him while his folks had an actual date.  The first time they'd left their son home with someone.  I was honored.

I had also forgotten how much work babies are.  Wowie.  This little guy napped while I walked him in a stroller, but the minute the motion stopped, he was not a happy camper.  So...I carried him around the house to let him gaze upon all manner of things: Christmas tree lights, paintings, shiny kitchen appliances.  Way cool stuff for 4 month-old minds.