Baby girl took her first trip this past week. It was a very exciting trip. We hired our first mothers helper the night before we left so we could focus on packing. He was super sweet though it was his first time caring for an infant so I was helping him a lot. I think in time he will make an excellent babysitter. I was teaching him how to make bottles and she started to fuss- he rushed back to the living room to quiet her before he would finish learning how to make the bottle.
Baby girls sister's birthday was just days after we got back from our trip so I hurried to get a gift in the mail to her. I sent a frame that was an album with pictures of the three siblings together. I mailed it directly to their house but put the agency address on as the return address- It seemed weird and sneaky but it doesn't make sense for me to pay for shipping twice especially since I have their contact information. I also wanted to make sure the package made it in time.
Baby girl was a super star on her first flight, we then boarded the second flight. As we boarded the flight I texted the Bmom in response to a text she had sent me a few days prior just checking in. As I sent my text DH went to shut off his phone and received a text from the agency in PA saying the court terminated parental rights. For some reason I thought the TPR hearing was the next day so it was surprising news that it had happened! (She was a superstar on all flights :) - Someone asked us if we gave her Benadryl which we had not!)
We stayed with my sister and her husband. As no one wanted to stay away from baby girl we had six adults, an infant, and two crazy lab mixes in her two bedroom apt (with one bathroom!!) It went smoother then expected in large part because baby girl sleeps all night. My parents had so much fun with their first granddaughter. My dad played games with her and my mom couldnt stop singing. We had an open house for friends to meet her as well.
I think the most special part of the trip was her meeting my Grandmother. As I have written about before my grand mother has dementia. She also has ALWAYS wanted Great-grandchildren. Baby girl was her third and as of this past week now has four soon to be five Great-Grandchildren. Unfortunately she doesnt remember this and lives in the moment. She no longer can name the relationships or provide the names of her visitors but can recall those that she loves. If I give her my name and tell her I'm her Grand-daughter for a fleeting moment she identifies who I am. It was too complicated for her to understand that baby girl was my daughter and thus her great-granddaughter. She did seem to identify though that I was baby girls mother because she referred questions about her sleep to me.
We visited her twice. The first time DH and I stopped by on our way to our party. She was curled up in a fetal position and did not show much interest in our visit. She did show brief moments of interest in Baby Girl but did not want to hold/touch her. She was far sicker then she had been at our last visit in August.
Our second visit started out similarly. Baby girl then spit up all over her outfit and needed to be changed. As I changed her I held her up to show my grandmother her cute rolls in her legs. She reached out for the baby. It seemed as soon as my grandmothers hand touched the warm soft skin of Baby Girl she awoke. When baby girl squealed her eyes got big and my grandmother laughed, and when baby girl lost her balance as I held her she smiled as I caught her. My grandmother held her and the two seemed to melt together. My Grandmother asked me how baby girl was sleeping which is the first question I recall in almost two years.
As we got ready to leave she told my mother "I wanted to die, but I wanted to see the baby first." The day baby girl was born I read "Two Kinds of Love" over the phone, that was before we knew baby girl had been born. Once we were in Phili I called my Grandmother to tell her that we were going to visit in April. Since that phone call my aunt has been telling her we were coming and put our first family picture on her bedstand. Maybe she had the ability to understand that I was coming and I'm glad she held on if thats the case because I always told my grandmother I'd have children she could meet- and I was able to uphold my promise. I will feel sad when she passes on and I dont think it will be long, but I'm so thankful for the visit and thankful that she held on.
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