THE BEST DAY!

Today was the kind of day that I live for as a mom and grandma.  Allison found a hammock type motion bed on Craigslist that sounded like a great option for Charley…..my granddaughter doesn’t like to lay flat. J Unfortunately the bed was in the town of Seaside near Monterey, about 100 miles away.

It was a great deal so Darrin decided to drive down this morning and pick it up. Of course I jumped at the chance to ride along when he asked. My time with just Darrin has been severely curtailed lately. We’ve always shared long conversations over lunch….but since Charley’s arrival there hasn’t been time for that indulgence. That made today even more special since we not only had lunch but spent close to four hours in the car just talking away and solving all the world’s problems!

Upon arriving back in Hayward, Charley had just awakened and was ready for her lunch. When she finished, Allison handed her to me and took advantage of the opportunity to take care of herself with a long, hot shower.

This was the most that Charley and I have interacted so far. I felt like we were actually playing together….as much as a two month old “plays” anyway. She was looking at me and even smiled at me once – she is just learning social smiling. The ceiling fan is her absolute favorite thing to stare at….but today she was also taking in the photos on the wall, the TV and the patio.

I have about 20 blurry photos of this wiggly little girl.

What big eyes you have - she looks scared but she wasn't.

She laid on my lap while I told her a story about a beautiful princess named Charley Ellen who was the prettiest girl in Hayward. I showed her all the photos and described them to her as we walked around the condo. We had the football game on TV so I explained a few basics of the game. But the fan was by far her favorite thing – one time I noticed she was staring at it and smiling.

That was when I made up a song for her about the fan…typical grandma stuff. It was sung to the tune of “The Wheels on the Bus”:

“The blades on the fan go round and round,

Round and round, round and round.

The blades on the fan go round and round,

All around the ceiling.”

For almost two hours Charley and I had the best time….she hardly fussed at all before finally falling asleep in my arms. I had a real taste of just how amazing this adventure is going to be. Lots of time with my son and my granddaughter – it doesn’t get any better than this.

A perfect ending to a perfect day - what an angel.