My Trip (Grandma Z)

Grandma always writes a letter after visiting us, and it never fails to make us smile 😊

Dear Sibs & Kids,

I returned home from Meg’s last evening.  What a busy and blessed week!!  I arrived the day before Owen’s birth.  I was SO thankful that Meg’s little twins needed no time to “warm up” to me; they really know and remember me.  They even know my car!!  We gave it to Meg and Stephen when they last visited NH.  When Stephen came home from work on the first day or so, the twins saw it and exclaimed, “Grandma’s home!!” 

Unfortunately, as the twins remember more, Grandma remembers less☹  On my first day there I totally forgot to change their diapers until we were getting into the car to visit Mama and meet Owen in the mid-afternoon.   And it didn’t once occur to me to bathe them during the whole 3 days that Meg was in the hospital.  Oh well, at least I didn’t forget to love them, swing them, play monster trucks, go for walks, read to them, and snuggle a lot.

Reading to them was a very unique experience.  I really didn’t have to do anything; they are very active “listeners”.  Each page prompts a barrage of questions before I read a word.  “Pooh is stuck in a hole?  Because he ate too much honey?  What’s that?”  (I answer: "a ground hog, I think", but am corrected)  “No, it’s a gopher.  Is Christopher Robin wearing shoes?..........”

They asked to sleep with me in the basement.  I thought that would be so sweet and began to tell them that they could if Mama said it was OK.  Siobhan looked up with panic in her eyes, “No Grandma.  You don’t want to do that!!!”  It turns out that the twins’ expression of comfort is to pinch the arms of anyone they sleep with.  Siobhan and Shaila wake up covered with scratches and bruises. 

The first morning, I came upstairs as I heard everyone stirring in the kitchen.  One of the twins came into my lap, but didn’t say a word.  That seemed strange after so much chatter the previous day.  One of the kids assured me that the twins don’t talk for the first hour or so in the day.  No one knows why, but they both remain dead silent until they mutually decide the silent period is over.  That evening I also learned that the prayer before dinner has to be kept short because both twins hold their breath during the entire prayer.

The twins’ questions overflow into every area of life.  Concerning Owen’s birth, they explained to me, “The doctor is going to cut mama’s stomach so baby Owen can come out, and he won’t have any teeth.”  Their response to meeting Owen for the first time was to ask Daddy, “Where’s the other one?”  Naturally, they thought that babies all come in pairs – like they did.

It was a blessing to have time with each of the kids.  Siobhan and Ethan are the busiest with college and work, but they manage to meet a lot of needs at home too.  Ethan drives siblings to sports practice, and (as usual) often has someone on his hip.  Siobhan whizzes around the kitchen and laundry room like a productive cyclone.  It was almost impossible to help a bit in those areas.  Aidan introduced me to a “Farm version of Monopoly”.  Very fun.  He also let me listen to his memory work which included an entire chapter of Hebrews.  I think he is memorizing the whole book.  Connor and I also practiced memory work for competitions he participates in.  I’m looking forward to seeing one of his basketball games in the spring.  Shaila and I made beautiful vanilla “bath bombs” – a birthday gift she got and made for her mom.  I also watched one of her soccer games; she is a dynamite goalie!  Brandan and I played dozens of Mancala games.  We are very evenly matched! 

Last, but not least is little Owen – sweet as can be and loved by all.  He is so patient as he is passed from one sibling to the other until he finally just must return to “home base” which is (of course) Megan.  It was hard to see how uncomfortable she was with incision pain and those awful headaches.   But after about 2 days at home, she was feeling well enough to take a (slow) walk with all of us.  Her organizational skills were stretched to the max to keep all of us on track and assure that we were all at the right place at the right time.  She’s amazing (as we all know).

Much love to each of you

Mom

Alabama Update from Grandma Z

~Grandma's Visit~

I spent Thursday – Monday with Meg and family in beautiful Alabama.  The temperature was in the 70’s when I arrived and remained gorgeous for the entire visit except for one impressive but brief rain storm when we were all inside anyway.

It had been 4 months since my last visit and the twins had changed the most.  My first somewhat alarming moment with them happened on the afternoon that I arrived.  They were facing each other just inches apart and one was pulling down the lower eye lid of the other, as if he were about to remove a foreign object.  “That can’t be good”, I thought.  But Megan was unphased.  She assured me, “Oh they’re just checking to see whether they have blood in their eyes”, she assured me.

I quickly learned that each of the twins routinely ask everyone in the family whether they have blood in their eyes.  The expected response is to assure them that yes, you do indeed have blood in your eyes and then to pull down a lower lid of one eye to expose the capillaries as proof.

It is almost like a greeting.  Some people greet one another by asking, “Are you well?” or “Have you eaten?”  The twins greet one another by asking, “Do you have blood in your eyes?”  Most mornings I would be met by this greeting, “Do you have blood in your eyes, Grandma?”  It became second nature to assure them by pulling down my eyelid and returning the greeting, “Do you have blood in your eyes?”

The second sweet greeting that I received first thing in the morning (when I had to emerge from my basement suite to use the bathroom) was, “You play monster trucks with me, Grandma?”  Of course, I was delighted to be asked.  I was even more delighted when I learned that monster trucks can easily be played sitting on the living room floor with a cup of hot chai in one hand.  It actually required very little effort to push one truck into another resulting in a horrific crash and great delight by all.

Meg planned such beautiful times for me which included Ethan’s graduation (as well as Brandan’s from Kindergarten and Aidan’s from middle school into HS), the twins’ 3^rd birthdays, and a special time alone with each of the kids.  [Mom, I don’t know of anyone who makes special plans better than you always have, but Megan has certainly picked up your “mantle” and wears it beautifully.]

I had time with Siobhan at a little tea shop.  We chatted and sipped and connected in a way that would be impossible in their busy household.  She is doing such a great job, working at Chick Filet (she’s been offered the opportunity to do their catering), and taking classes to finish prerequisites for her nursing program at UAH (University of AL, Huntsville) in the fall.

Ethan and I took about a 2 mile hike on a beautiful “mountain” trail.  It wasn’t very elevated but it was a rugged one with lots of rocks and opportunity to chat along the way.  Ethan had just finished his last HS class when I arrived and is also going to UAH in their honors college and plans to enter a pre-med program.  He is working at Chick Filet at the moment, but is applying for work at a local kennel this Saturday. 

Aidan taught me an incredibly challenging board game.  It was called something like Oregon Trail???  It was a “Life on steroids" type game.  Very fun!!  We also had a bit of a game of Badminton.  It was similar to our game of ping pong where I thought I was really holding my own until he pulled out a “speed of light” return, delivered with a little smirk that made me realize he had been humoring me all along.

Connor and I also had a lovely walk.  He effortlessly “floated” along on his hover board.  It is the most amazing thing to see.  He can spin on a dime, turn, go forward or backward, up or down hills.  I don’t think he burns a single calorie on an hour-long walk!!  But he showed me new parts of his neighborhood and we chatted about all sorts of stuff.

Shaila and I are very evenly matched in ping pong.  I think our record volley was 14, but we will break that when I go back this fall  She also swam with me in their pool.  We tried to have our sewing time together, but couldn’t quite get the sewing machine to work.  (I’m not very good with manuals.)  But I brought her quilt-in-progress home with me and we will finish the top when she comes this August.

Brandan is also my “ping-pong buddy”.  Our record is an amazing 9!!  We played every chance we got, swam in the pool, and sat together whenever we weren’t playing.  If Brandan disappeared for more than 10 minutes, he would come back with a BEAUTIFUL craft project that he had made for me.  He is SO artsy-craftsy!!

Megan and I also had walks together and little chats whenever we could (rarely uninterrupted, but very precious).  She looks great and does such a beautiful job of managing her household!!  She let me in on the name of this new little son, but I won’t tell.  She knew I would torment the kids until I found out, so she just let them tell me

That’s all for now.  I have to get packing (quite literally).  We are moving into our new apartment (in Adam and Steph's home) next Saturday!! 

Love you all so very much

Mom (Con)