Grampa and Gramma took a drive...

Grampa and Gramma took a drive – a long drive – and boy, was it worth it!

Hi all! It’s been a while again since I wrote, and there are reasons for that. First of all, the last post I made was right after our new grandson, Jake, was born. Before saying any more about him, I needed to see for myself all of the miracles and wonders that were Jake. I can now honestly say that I have seen, I have held, I have laughed and cried, I have enjoyed each and every minute of my time with him; and I’m fully ready to tell you a thing or two about him and our trip – if you’re interested.

Todd and I left home early on Saturday morning, August 1. We had to forego the Helping Hands Midwest picnic this year in Ohio because we had a very special baby to meet. South of Chicago, we got on I-80 and it took us all the way east to Pennsylvania, where we exited 80, and began our trek into some of (what I believe) our country’s most beautiful scenery. The quaint towns in valleys, the green trees and hills, the views – it’s all just lovely. Fifteen hours later, after having made a few stops (I think there were five brief ones) we pulled into our daughter and son-in-law’s driveway. Not too bad for a coupla fifty-somethin’s, considering we endured quite a few orange barrels along the way. Allow me to just say that there was one crazy piece of roadwork that made me feel like we were on Disney’s very own “Space Mountain.” The other feeling I got from that same experience was similar to how it might feel to travel down a luge – in the dark. Eek! Glad Todd was driving! (not kidding… he’s a very good driver!)

It was so good to see Megan and Joe. They’d been through so much of life since we’d seen them back in early May (the baby shower weekend). Joe seems to really enjoy his new role of ‘dad.’ She’s doing just great – two weeks post-surgery. She was up and about and feeling pretty darn good. She’d already gotten news that she could drive and everything.

Then she presented me with Baby Jacob. Oh my… He was sleeping, so I couldn’t immediately see his eyes, but I’ll tell you what I told her. Jacob is one of the three most beautiful babies I’ve ever seen (Tony and Megan are the other two). Now I’m not putting the three into any exact order at this time – I’m just saying that new baby is mighty fine! I passed him on to Todd and he enjoyed the experience too. I’ll speak for both of us when I say that there were so many times we all just sat and stared at Jake – not like awkward silence or anything – but I’d say more of like an “awe”some silence, you know? I once heard it said that the “smallest thing in a room will gather the most attention.” The author offered up examples like a puppy or kitten, and of course a baby. I’d have to say that I completely agree. That seven-pound boy certainly had all of our attention last week… and he didn’t even have to try.

The next day, first thing in the morning, Megan offered suggestions of what we all might do together that day. I was so surprised! I truly thought that she’d just want a break – a breather. Maybe some extra sleep, or just some new hands to care for baby… but no – they were rarin’ to do whatever. So we piled into their car – Jake in his new carseat (stroller combo) and we went to the “Elephant’s Trunk” event, taking place less than a mile from their home. We all walked around, commenting and joking, about the (some) precious, (some) antiquey, (some) junky merchandise offerings. Jake just three-wheeled around (some strollers now have 3 wheels for better maneuvering) and slept. We all had a great time.

We spent quite a bit of our week on the kids’ back deck in the shade. I loved being able to give the baby his bottles and burp him, getting all kinds of time to stare into his gorgeous deep blue(?) grey(?) eyes. I loved his tiny feet and holding his teeny tiny hand. He made me laugh so much! His little facial expressions were so cute! And that silly desperate breathing thing babies do when they want the bottle returned to their lips – The “enough with the digestion – let’s get this show on the road” sort of thing. It was a complete joy.

The baby is gaining weight and growing like a weed. I swear one night while we were there, he actually grew. The little bed he’d spent time in during the day, suddenly seemed smaller. Crazy!

Todd helped the kids out by doing a few projects for them, while Joe went back to work. That’s his way – he likes to do things like that. I did some dishes and some laundry, maybe a little sweeping – but mostly wanted to be on hand for whatever Megan needed. While Joe was at work, we also took a nice drive out to Litchfield and had some ice-cream, we went on a picnic at a lake (Candlewood) near their home, and had dinner one night in a restaurant. We offered that if the kids wanted to go out, we could watch the baby for a couple of hours; but they weren’t ready for that yet. Sooo… we grilled a steak dinner instead.

 

One really neat thing was that while we were at Megan & Joe’s, Tony and Lesleigh were also in Connecticut, playing some gigs and staying with “Helping Hands/Lucky Fin Project” friends. A surprise party for our daughter-in-law’s 30^th birthday was on the agenda at the family’s house for Friday night. It was up to Megan whether or not we attended because of Jacob and his needs/schedule. But she and Joe seemed excited that Jake would get to go to his first party. So Joe drove the distance to the event, and Jake was a total trooper! Lesleigh was very surprised – I don’t think she suspected a thing. What fun! What a thrill it was to witness "Uncle Tony" and "Aunt Lesleigh" meet Jake for the first time. They seemed quite taken with him. I also got to meet some new friends from Helping Hands, and some others who’ve been so supportive of the kids. The truth is that the six of us (our family) had not all been in the same room with each other since April of 2013. I feel very blessed that our number is now seven, and that we all got together again! (tears) We took some awesome pictures too… 

Karen, Stacey, Barb, Me, Nicole, Alex, Nick, Tony, Myla

Saturday morning, our departure day, came waaaaay too fast. But… that’s the nature of this long-distance beast that we’re dealing with. I took a moment with Jacob – kissed his sweet lil soft head and told him, “Gramma loves you, Jakey…” I won’t lie – it was hard and I had a few tears. Skype is wonderful technology and all, but I know it will pale in comparison to the real Jacob deal. Plans will soon be in the works as to how we all might see each other again. It helps to know that today (Monday) Tony and Lesleigh are heading to Megan’s to spend some days with her little family. After that, Joe’s mom and dad are going. It’s always helpful to me to know that somebody who loves the kids is nearby. After that…? Well, like I said, we’ll have to see what happens.

Our trip home was uneventful. More road construction, of course, and we stayed a night in Ohio, just to break up the ride. It felt good to get home. I’m very much a person that… if I can’t be where I want to be (on vacation or whatever) then I want to get home. Some may disagree with me, and that’s okay. That’s the beauty of life.

And so… Todd went back to work today, and what did I do? Well… if I can’t BE with the baby, then I may as well BLOG about the baby – am I right???

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers for our family. Things are going well, they really are. Grandparenthood is all it’s cracked up to be. Todd and I don’t have to make any of the big decisions anymore, we just need to be there and help when needed. We can do that, and are happy to do that. Personally, I can’t wait to see all that lies ahead.

Till next time,

Gramma Katie

 

Katie Kolberg Memmel is the author of “Five Fingers, Ten Toes – A Mother’s Story of Raising a Child Born with a Limb Difference.” For more information, visit her website at www.katiekolbergmemmel.com