New Man In My Life

On February 27th, a new man entered my life. He may only be a little over 8 lbs at the moment, but my heart's filled to overflowing. How do grand kids do that? My friends told me that it would happen, but still I wondered. Would it really be all they said it would be? Yep. From the moment Connor was born, I realized, Wow, I have a new little person to love, to pray over, to spend time with, to enjoy.

His poor parents are so sleep deprived. Very sleep deprived.  It's been five weeks of getting up every couple of hours in the night. Still, they soldier on. That's all you can do with a newborn. It's one day - one night - at a time. I assure my daughter that time will fly by fast. ("Savor each moment," I say.) When you're in the trenches of sleepless nights, it doesn't feel fast. In fact, there doesn't seem to be a light at the end of the long, dark tunnel.

I spent the day with her today. Didn't do much, other than offer moral support. Her husband is back to work, and she's cooped up at home with the sometimes-fussy, often-demanding little man. So we ventured out. Went to the bank, then took a chance at RC Willey. She was in the market for a new ottoman, so we thought, what the heck? Since Connor slept for an hour in the stroller, we even hit the appliance section as well. Then he was hungry. I kept her company while she nursed him in the car. Even though he ate, he screamed all the way home. Babies are so unpredictable. Thankfully, we all survived.

That was my Monday with my grand baby. This past month, I've gotten to enjoy several similar days. Holding the baby here and there, pacifying him while mommy takes a shower, or while daddy does the dishes. Don and I even watched him last week while mommy and daddy went out to dinner. We walked around the block, toting the dog and the baby. Definitely a two man job! Don ended up taking Connor out of the stroller for a couple of minutes. What a crab! Still, we had fun.

A friend of mine recently gave  me the book, Extreme Grandparenting, by Tim and Darcy Kimmel. The authors talk about the strategic role that grandparents play in their grandchildren's lives. I've actually seen this first-hand with several of my friends. Whether they are living nearby and coming along side their adult kids, or whether their grand children are living with them, I've seen the impact they've had. I'm so inspired! Psalm 71:17-18 says, "Since my youth, O God,you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come."  The writer of this Psalm is reminding me that this is a great opportunity - a responsibility - to make a difference in the lives of those closest to me, especially my grand baby. I pray that as Connor's grandma, I can fulfill that calling.

At the beginning of the year, I changed my work schedule to four ten-hour days so that I can have every Monday off. The plan is to spend Mondays with Connor when Jackie goes back to work in July. Seems like Mondays are coming in handy now. Lord, help me to be the best grandma I can. Fill me with your love, patience, kindness, goodness, and let all those fruits overflow to the next generation. Thank you for friends who have shown me what grandparenting looks like. Amen.