Daughter Erin has discovered that as new grandson is under one (5 1/2 months) she can form a support bubble. So she’s invited me round for a playdate tomorrow. It will be so good to spend time indoors with them.
My sister's been in a granny-bubble with Rosie right from the start, so she's as happy as a sandboy.
My niece C (Rosie's mum) had an e-mail today from something called Sensory Sessions (I understand it's something for pre-toddlers) inviting them to a Christmas party, and she thought the cute little chap dressed as an elf on the e-mail looked familiar. She was right - he was none other than Archie the Adorable, whose picture they'd taken last Christmas.
Well, he is spectacularly cute!
My great-nephew the supermodel - I was telling his dad they won't be able to get him out of bed for less than £10,000 now!
My grandson is also spectacularly cute! He was wary of me to start with. He kept turning down the corners of his mouth, but by the end of my visit I’d got him smiling and chuckling. To the next time.
Christmas Cuteness Overload Alert - yesterday we went to Clearwell Caves with all the family, socially distanced and masked, to meet Father Christmas and wonder at all the truly fantastic decorations.
Afterwards, TIG#1, who will be 5 on Boxing Day, asked his mum if Santa had enough elves or if he could always use some more? He also asked if next year she would let him help to wrap the presents so he could practise to wrap really well, so he could be one of Santa's elves?
May have to tell him that even if being an elf gets quicker results than being a palaeontologist, elfing is a very seasonal occupation...
The smallest Tauri grandchild turns four today. The last twelve months have been explosive development for her, going from large baby to a small, articulate woman who is good company. It must be the best year of our lives while so much changes and grows. I wonder if we ever learn so easily again?
When I went back to work when Miss S was 18 months old, my mother The Dowager looked after her one day a week, for which I was immensely grateful. Now that I have the opportunity to look after my own grandchildren at that age, I realise that the benefit is very far from being all one way!
They are exhausting, however well-behaved, but it's so rewarding for me to get to know them
Mum and Dad looked after my nephew a couple of days a week. There were some trees at the back of the section were tigers lived ( in suburban NZ) and he protected her from being eaten.
I hope this isn't advertising - I have no commercial interest in it - but Master S recommended a children's book called 'Oi Frog!'
It is hilarious, full of rhymes and funny illustrations, TIG#2 (2 in August) loves having it read to him, and TIG#1, 5-and-a-half in June, equally loves reading it to him.
I just looked it up. Its on You Tube and I can see why it would appeal. It's great to have books that an older child can read to a younger sibling, I read "Green Eggs and Ham" so often to my younger brother that I knew it off by heart.
Yes, Boogie - in our house we almost always count 'one shoe, two shoe, red shoe, blue shoe' or whatever the item might be.
'Oh the things you can think' , known in our house as 'The Finks'. One night after their bath, Miss S ran off down the corridor stark naked - 'Miss S, where are you going?'
Anuka is 18 months old now and saying lots of words - really clearly, no syllables left off - in English and Georgian. Today we were on the video chat and she said her first German word, unprompted “Tschüss” (Bye).
We loved the Frog and Toad stories by Arnold Lobel. How someone could write such profound stories with such a simple and limited vocabulary is beyond me. The one about not eating all the cookies and having will power really resonated with me. ‘You can keep your will power I’m going home to bake a cake.’
Well, I finally got to meet the newest grandbaby last week. I fully expected to be cried at, he being 7months old and ripe for the 'wary of strangers' stage, but he was just as friendly as his brother had been at that age, in spite of this one having had little contact with people outside their household.
Possibly my glasses were sufficiently distracting - funny how they fascinate babies!
The 4yr old was a delight. Lots of reading went on, by me and by him. I was very impressed with his reading ability, and by his skill at a memory card game. He has grown up so much in this last year or so.
The weather was atrocious, so no visit to the beach, and about 5minutes in the garden before being driven back inside by another shower.
It would have been nice to get all the family together while they were here, but that would have been three households, and the weather put paid to those plans so indoor visiting had to be done in shifts. In spite of that we had a delightful few days together.
We are hoping another visit can be arranged during the summer, but accommodation round here is already well booked up so keeping fingers crossed
I am enjoying all your stories. My kids (13 and 16) got to spend last weekend plus-a-bit with my Mum and Dad (87 and, a little younger!) (and me and the missus) for the first time in nearly a year, and my sis and her kids came over for a sit in the garden. Mum is a little frailer - but really, we are all very lucky in so many ways. It was a nice time. I am very grateful we are all getting on, and no-one has forgotten too much just yet.
I had a hug from my three eldest grandchildren today. It was lovely, but the hug from my second grandson was an odd experience!
The last time we hugged was two years ago, when he was 14, and about an inch taller than me. Now, just three months shy of his 17th birthday, he had to bend over to hug me, and I realised that I was now the recipient of the hug and he the giver!
In the space of two years he has grown a good 6", and is now the tallest in the family, dwarfing his elder brother, his father and both grandfathers.
It s got to the point now where when we eventually meet the latest grandchildren we might need to start of on FaceTime -As Per Usual-then gradually move to in real life/ back to the screen / back to irl……
New grandson celebrated his first birthday yesterday. He is happy, healthy and toddling. Hard to believe that he was so tiny and fragile last June. Daughter Erin and her husband have nurtured him so well, with far less support than can be given in more usual times.
Thank you, he had a good day with lots of presents; he’s a lucky lad.
Had our first full day with him today. He steadfastly resisted napping. I fell back on watching Moana, one of his favourites, and he fell asleep near the end, much later than his scheduled nap. I hope he sleeps tonight or Grandma will be in trouble!
But I had to use my 'get out of jail free' card to veto Nathan, each time I acquired a grandson. It's ingrained in my subconscious as the name of my friend's nephew, described in her own words as 'a violent, drug-dealing thug'.
We just got a brand new great-nephew - Nathaniel Arran. Splendid names!
Congratulations to you and to the parents - and particularly on the choice of first name
Of course, whatever the parents preference, it will be shortened to Nat in due course. I held out for a good few years, but even I refer to Younger Son by the abbreviation now.
Saw #1 grandcat (aged 10) for the first time in 2 years. #daughter has been with me for 8 months after job transfer from Melbourne. Son-out-law will be here in 2 weeks ( from 1 lockdown to another) ; Madame Depussy arrived by air freight today. She is surprisingly unperturbed.
We just got a brand new great-nephew - Nathaniel Arran. Splendid names!
Congratulations to you and to the parents - and particularly on the choice of first name
Of course, whatever the parents preference, it will be shortened to Nat in due course. I held out for a good few years, but even I refer to Younger Son by the abbreviation now.
Thanks for all the kind words from everyone, but our role was quite minor... He's a little Yankee, so we're fairly sure he will be Nate. In fact, our own grandchildren are little Yankees, all having been born in the north-east USA. Possessing no American blood of my own, I find this strange.
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My niece C (Rosie's mum) had an e-mail today from something called Sensory Sessions (I understand it's something for pre-toddlers) inviting them to a Christmas party, and she thought the cute little chap dressed as an elf on the e-mail looked familiar. She was right - he was none other than Archie the Adorable, whose picture they'd taken last Christmas.
Well, he is spectacularly cute!
My great-nephew the supermodel - I was telling his dad they won't be able to get him out of bed for less than £10,000 now!
Afterwards, TIG#1, who will be 5 on Boxing Day, asked his mum if Santa had enough elves or if he could always use some more? He also asked if next year she would let him help to wrap the presents so he could practise to wrap really well, so he could be one of Santa's elves?
May have to tell him that even if being an elf gets quicker results than being a palaeontologist, elfing is a very seasonal occupation...
https://youtu.be/wyZmH7nCd1E
They are exhausting, however well-behaved, but it's so rewarding for me to get to know them
It is hilarious, full of rhymes and funny illustrations, TIG#2 (2 in August) loves having it read to him, and TIG#1, 5-and-a-half in June, equally loves reading it to him.
YMMV of course...
There are others in the series too.
'Oh the things you can think' , known in our house as 'The Finks'. One night after their bath, Miss S ran off down the corridor stark naked - 'Miss S, where are you going?'
'I fetching a Finks!'
💕💕
She can also say ‘Bier’ in German🙂
https://youtu.be/VjY56s6mtYo
PS - she's gorgeous!
Possibly my glasses were sufficiently distracting - funny how they fascinate babies!
The 4yr old was a delight. Lots of reading went on, by me and by him. I was very impressed with his reading ability, and by his skill at a memory card game. He has grown up so much in this last year or so.
The weather was atrocious, so no visit to the beach, and about 5minutes in the garden before being driven back inside by another shower.
It would have been nice to get all the family together while they were here, but that would have been three households, and the weather put paid to those plans so indoor visiting had to be done in shifts. In spite of that we had a delightful few days together.
We are hoping another visit can be arranged during the summer, but accommodation round here is already well booked up so keeping fingers crossed
The last time we hugged was two years ago, when he was 14, and about an inch taller than me. Now, just three months shy of his 17th birthday, he had to bend over to hug me, and I realised that I was now the recipient of the hug and he the giver!
In the space of two years he has grown a good 6", and is now the tallest in the family, dwarfing his elder brother, his father and both grandfathers.
Had our first full day with him today. He steadfastly resisted napping. I fell back on watching Moana, one of his favourites, and he fell asleep near the end, much later than his scheduled nap. I hope he sleeps tonight or Grandma will be in trouble!
But I had to use my 'get out of jail free' card to veto Nathan, each time I acquired a grandson. It's ingrained in my subconscious as the name of my friend's nephew, described in her own words as 'a violent, drug-dealing thug'.
Congratulations to you and to the parents - and particularly on the choice of first name
Of course, whatever the parents preference, it will be shortened to Nat in due course. I held out for a good few years, but even I refer to Younger Son by the abbreviation now.
Thanks for all the kind words from everyone, but our role was quite minor... He's a little Yankee, so we're fairly sure he will be Nate. In fact, our own grandchildren are little Yankees, all having been born in the north-east USA. Possessing no American blood of my own, I find this strange.