I'm a Grandma!
Posted: Monday, February 08, 2010
by Janet Schick
One year ago, I became a grandmother for the very first time. A perfect little girl named Ella ran away with my heart.
I never expected that it would be like this, so intense an experience. She lives far away, in California. I am here in Pennsylvania, but I still have managed to see her four times since she was born. More than anything, I don't want to be a stranger to her.
Right up to the minute Becky told me she was pregnant, I didn't feel at all like grandmother material. I got bored easily by endless stories of the terminal cuteness of other people's grandchildren. I just didn't get it at all. Their pictures all seemed to look alike. Their heads were too big, or too bald, or they always had buggy eyes or too-fat cheeks. The repetitions of their latest cute sayings were simply embarrassing. I would smile, chuckle, and beat a path for the door.
And then there came Ella. The second I heard the words "I'm pregnant" over the phone, my mind screamed "I'm going to be a Grandma!" And I was joyful, elated, excited,--not horrified, like I imagined I would be. How quickly things change!
As the nine months passed, I could only offer long distance support to my daughter. Luckily, Becky's pregnancy went smoothly and Jeff was as engaged as a prospective daddy could possibly be. At first, I liked to picture all of the toys I would buy, all of the pretty little baby clothes I could send. Then reality reared it's ugly head as I got a load of the COST of all the toys and all the pretty little dresses--not to mention the price of postage to California! What to do, what to do....?!
Well, first I crocheted a baby afghan, in shades of soft turquoise and pink and yellow. Every stitch had something of me in it, a hug from Grandma to Ella. My mother, after all, had crocheted blankets for each of my children. And I learned to draw little cartoons, funny little pictures that I could send on birthdays or at Christmas--maybe even a little hand drawn book! After all, you can NEVER have too many books...and Ella loves being read to.
I can play the piano pretty well,. Maybe someday I will figure out how to record a CD of Songs for Ella and she can share her grandmas's love of classical music. Maybe she'll want to learn to play them herself! And (a bit of wishful thinking here) maybe she'll inherit my life long love of ballet and want to be a dancer! That is, however, a talent that does NOT run in our family.
I know now that anyone can buy a toy or a pretty pink dress. Toys are quickly forgotten, clothes are outgrown long before they wear out. But I have given my Becky things that she will pass on to Ella. Our love of big, boomy thunderstorm. Our tenderness toward animals. Our independent spirit and hard work ethic.
And, as a grandma, I can give part of myself and part of my parents and their parents, and Ella will know that she is loved by generations and generations gone by.
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Top-level comments on this article: (4 total)Great article, Janet. Welcome to the G-ma Club! My grandson is just over a year old and I love my new title. Of all the stuff I have written, my grandma articles have been my favorite to write. There is just something special about being able to say "I'm a Grandma!" Giddy feelings I didn't know I had come bubbling to the surface. Thanks for sharing your Grandma story.
I can't figure it out. You should see the women go gaga over this kid. I have my own dreams and plans for her too. Great article. I'm very happy too.Can you blame her?? Ella is the best thing ever! She amazes me everyday.
That was a very nice story! I will read it to Ella as soon as she wakes up tomorrow, on her birthday!
Beautiful article Janet.I am on my 3rd grandchild. They are in Arizona and I'm in Georgia. Really hard to deal with sometimes but I get to talk to my oldest one (2) several times a week and hear the youngest ones voice. That helps some but... You are right about the expense of the mail, I also deal with that. Would mail them the moon if I could afford to.Bless you and congratulations!
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