Pretend Babies and Life Lessons

For a while my now-15-year-old granddaughter has being telling anyone who will listen just how much she wants a baby.  I can't possibly convey how alarming these comments are to me, a woman who already finds herself finishing out the last years of her life raising someone else's children.  I can't live forever.

A few days ago we learned she would soon be bringing home an electronic baby doll as part of a class at school. I've always thought this could be a real eye-opener to a teenager who thinks only of how cute babies are, and doesn't consider the never-ending (and I do mean never ending) work involved in raising children.

The baby was delivered early.  I thought I had a few more weeks until the big day, but due to circumstances beyond my control the baby arrived yesterday.  My family has being trying to find time to drive to the mountains and enjoy the fall scenery for several weeks, and finally we thought this weekend would be a good time.  Not so with the unexpected arrival of our great-grandchild. Already the new mother complains about any attempts we make to get her into the great outdoors; I can't imagine making her go hiking on a chilly Saturday with a newborn in tow. Some things just aren't worth the struggle.

Last night we went out to dinner as we usually do on Friday nights.  (No date nights for hubby and me--it's almost always a party of four, one kids' menu, please.)  I thought maybe the baby would cry all through dinner giving my granddaughter a taste (no pun intended) of trying to eat with one hand while soothing a screaming baby with the other and fending off angry looks from other diners.  That's always been my experience with small children.  But no, my new great-grandson never made a peep throughout the entire meal.  My granddaughter enjoyed her meal without interruption and with the use of both hands.

After dinner we did what we always do to round out a nice, romantic evening with the kids--we went to Costco.

We were quite the sight-- a haggard old couple followed by a teenage mom carrying her baby through the store, and an embarrassed younger sister hanging as far back as possible. A few unpleasant looks were thrown my way by the other patrons who didn't seem to notice this wasn't a real baby. (Being the "mother" of this teenager, I'm sure this unfortunate pregnancy was my fault, just as has been every other bad thing that's ever happened in the history of mankind.)  But the baby never cried or whimpered at all.  My granddaughter's arms got tired after a while, but since she wasn't doing the grocery shopping she had the freedom to find a comfy chair and sit a while.  So far I was seeing nothing that would discourage my granddaughter from jumping into motherhood prematurely. 

This morning when I had so hoped/needed/planned to be enjoying a crisp, autumn day surrounded by God's beautiful handiwork,  but stranded at home with my granddaughter and faux great-grandson, I listened with astonishment as my granddaughter took a leisurely 45 minute shower, using all the hot water that I had planned to use for my own shower, and preventing me from getting started on the 7 loads of laundry I had to do today.  And her baby slept through every single minute!  I haven't had an uninterrupted shower in over 35 years.

I seem to be the only person who has been taught a life lesson this weekend:  even fake babies have a way of interfering with my plans.

Welcome, Sweet Pea

 

 

My daughter, along with her husband and young son, recently welcomed a daughter into the family.  I was so blessed to be asked to be there during such a special time, but since I was staying for ten days after the birth I was a little late getting the congratulatory card to the family.  (Yes, another more punctual person would have prepared it sometime during the nine months prior, but that isn't who I am.)

 

I used the Cricut cartridge New Arrival for the pea pod baby and the words "Sweet Pea".  I used a tiny flower with a liquid pearl center to adorn the baby's head (she's a dainty little girl, after all).  The name was created with the font from Cricut's Baby Steps cartridge.  I used a Martha Stewart border punch to create the lacy strip at the bottom, and then layered some washi tape onto it before adhering the name.

 

Please allow me to introduce baby Adaleigh, who looks so very much like her mother did many years ago:

 

 

 

Needless to say, we have all fallen madly in love with her.

 

Thanks for looking!

 

 



Owl Family Card

It seems like a good time to take a break from whining and post something I created.  Of course I had to dig deep into my archives to find something...

The owl family is from the Cricut Lite cartridge Hoot 'n' Holler.  I made the card for my daughter's first Mother's Day, but it could also work to welcome a new baby.  When choosing colors for the owls, I decided to make Baby a mix of both Mom and Dad just like real life.  (Notice Mom can hardly keep her eyes open--again, just like real life.)

Okay, back to whining.  That's so much easier for me.

Another Shameless Post

I made this card a few months ago to congratulate my daughter and son-in-law on the birth of their son (who is now almost five months old--yes, I'm behind).  I really just wanted to show off the adorable photo of my newborn grandson, which I printed on vellum and added to the inside.

Average Card

Adorable Baby

February Memories

For the past five years, February has been a month filled with sadness for me.  On February 1st, 2007, my mother suffered a brain hemorrhage which took her life two weeks later.  Those were two of the longest, most difficult weeks of my life spent waiting and praying, and ultimately accepting that my world would never be the same.

February 1st, 2012, was another day filled with anxiety and waiting.  But this time I had reason to expect a happy outcome.  My daughter was admitted to the hospital to give birth to her first child, my first grandson.

February 2nd was delivery day.  Or so we hoped.  Because the baby was overdue by nearly two weeks, labor was to be induced at midnight.  The waiting began.

With two school-aged children and an undomesticated husband dependent upon me for their sustenance (and clean clothes),  I was forced to remain 400 miles away from the big event.  There's nothing worse than being so far away from your hospitalized child and not knowing what's going on.  Except, of course, if you are a world-class worrier and you happen to see all the complications unfold right before your eyes.  Luckily, I wasn't there to witness all the medical drama.  I simply sat by the phone waiting and worrying, and with each passing moment I played out terrible scenarios in my mind.   And since my husband seemed to be holding it together quite well, I decided to share these with him.  No reason to suffer alone.

Finally, just about the time my husband seemed poised to go to bed and leave me alone to face my fears, the phone call came. Baby Logan had arrived weighing 7 pounds, 8 ounces, and measuring 20 inches long.  He wasn't the record-setting large baby we were expecting based on the size of my poor daughter's belly and the length of time she spent growing him there.  But he still couldn't make it out the non-surgical way we had hoped.  My daughter gave it her all, but after 20 hours of labor and 2 1/2 hours of pushing with all her might, it was obvious the little guy was demanding a more dramatic entrance.

My daughter had been determined to have a natural birth, but even with all her planning and preparation, that wasn't to be.  Such is life. But mother and baby are doing well, and today they're heading home with the proud father, ready to start this new, exciting chapter in their lives.

February will always hold sad memories for me, but as I look at the sweet face of my new grandson, and hear the pride and love in the voices of his parents, I know it will now be the month that gives me renewed hope and happiness.  I feel certain my mother is watching from Heaven and enjoying the beauty of it all.

My newest obsession.

Isn't he precious?

Welcome Little Star

I made this card to welcome my nephew's first child.   The baby on the moon is from the Cricut Baby Steps cartridge.  I punched the stars with a Martha Stewart Punch All Over the Page, Starry Sky  (looks like I need a little practice lining that one up, or maybe the problem was that it was 2 a.m.)  Although you can't really see it in the picture, I used a shimmery cardstock underneath the patterned paper to give the effect of twinkling stars.  (Again,  photographing at 2 a.m. doesn't produce professional quality pictures.) 

Excuses, excuses.