Joe, Megan (Baby S), Me, Todd
Isn’t it crazy the way time can fly? Sometimes it
drags by super slowly; but when it’s moving, WOW, it really moves fast, doesn’t
it? That’s how the past few weeks have seemed here in Waukesha, Wis. - crazy and moving
fast.
About two months ago I spoke with my daughter Megan,
and we penciled in a date for her baby shower: Sunday, May 3, 2015. Since she
lives in Connecticut, early May was at the tail end of the time she’d safely be
able to travel a long distance. I hoped and prayed for good weather so that
flights could take off and land, uninterrupted. (They did…)
Joe’s mom (Bonnie) and I decided to co-host the
event and the planning began. I drafted the invitations, which stated that the
baby is believed to be a male. J We divided them up and sent them out to
our respective family members and friends. Bonnie and I got together to shop
for decorations, favors, and food items. We even sat down together for a lunch.
We shared a few laughs as we plotted out the list of odd jobs we’d split
between the two of us grandmaws.
In the meantime, Tony and Lesleigh came to town for numerous
work commitments, and a little ‘family time.’ It was such fun to see them and
spend time de-briefing about all of the exciting opportunities that they are
working on and working through. I cannot even describe to you the amount of positive
energy these two bring to our now-mostly-quiet nest. There’s always something
crazy going on…
Time snuck up on me, and before I knew what hit,
it was Friday - time to pick up Megan and Joe at the airport. I’d arranged a
brunch for them to see some family members, especially my 92-year old dad. It was fun/interesting for me to sit back and
listen to Megan talk about the various things going on in their lives. It was
sort of a “Fiddler on the Roof” moment – (sing) “Is this the little girl I
carried…?” She seems so happy, and is so well-spoken. I’m shaking my head as I
type, unsure of where the past 26 years have gone exactly… Then Todd and I took
the two of them out for dinner Friday night, where we discussed scenarios of
our upcoming trip to Connecticut (post-baby). The kids spent most of Saturday
with Joe’s family, and finally the day of the shower arrived.
Several of us met at the church hall, where we began
food preparation. Some decorated the space with crepe paper and balloons.
Guests arrived, all so full of joy to see the kids again, and to share the
excitement of showering them with needed items for their growing family. Since
everyone knew the kids were flying in, some shipped larger gifts directly to
their home. For a lil guy, “Baby S” has now got a whooole lotta neat “Shtuff.”
One of the neatest gifts came in the form of a
video. Our daughter-in-law, Lesleigh, had the idea of interviewing “moms” of
all ages and stages, on three basic topics: “What food cravings did you have
while you were expecting? Since you've been parenting, what’s a funny thing you/your
child said? What advice would you like to share with a mama-to-be?” As Les and
Tony toured this spring, she collected film clips of sweet, funny, heart-felt
tid bits from moms, and assembled them into a dear present for Megan and Joe.
Before the gift opening, she showed the finished product to the roomful of
women. There was much laughter, and even a few tears. I think it’s something
Megan will watch many times and enjoy, over the upcoming months and beyond. I'd like to say a public "Thank you" to the lovely ladies who shared their wisdom here. I’ve included
the video, in case you haven’t seen it yet:
Later that evening, Todd and I sat and watched as
Megan and Joe packed up their things and prepared to leave early the next day. It felt a little strange in a way. We knew
that the next phase for us all would now include the baby. Up until then, we’d
had the shower to focus on. Now, the next step – giving birth. Our daughter’s
going to be a mom. We are actually going to be grandparents. Not just a title
or a concept – actual grandparents!
Mother's Day is tomorrow, and I, personally, have been thinking about it
a bit differently this year. Years ago, the focus was my own mom, then added Todd’s
mom. For a long time now it’s been me (the mom) thinking about my own two kids,
and then added in their spouses; but now a whole new generation is ushering in.
Wow, you know? Sometimes I wonder what the world will be like when Baby S (and
all of these new little children) grows up, goes to college, tries to make a
living. ...But that’s a bit far down the road for today, isn’t it?
My guess is that we won’t even be able
to guess how it will be for the “up-and-comings.”
We’ll all just need to do the best we can, and trust that (as most people/parents/grandparents
do) somehow it’ll all work out the way it’s supposed to.
“…God willin', and the creek don’t rise…”
Katie
Kolberg Memmel is the author of “Five Fingers, Ten Toes – A Mother’s Story of
Raising a Child Born with a Limb Difference.” It is available on Amazon, both
as a Kindle download, as well as a paperback. For more information, visit www.katiekolbergmemmel.com
