On Cloud Nine

Good Monday morning friends. I'm going to save my weekend recap post for Tuesday because today is a grandson's birthday, and you know the drill. 

In case you don't know the drill it's this-all my grands get a letter here when their birthday rolls around, and today is one of those days. 

Dear Mancub, 

Today you are nine. With every candle added to the cake you become a little more man, a little less cub, but you'll  always be the Mancub to me. The one who made me Nana and changed the way I see the world and my role in it. 

Nine years ago today we got the news that you'd arrived. It was a bit comical in hindsight, but on that day we worried your Auntie M to no end as she had been trying and trying and trying to reach us, but could not. We worried her so much in fact, that she was getting ready to phone a friend or possibly the police to drive out to our house to make sure we were still breathing. 

We were. Actually we were sleeping peacefully until your other grandmother phoned about 7 AM, her voice filled with excitement, asking how we could possibly be asleep at a time like this??? She told us she'd been awake since she got the call at 3AM!!

Uh. We didn't know? We're still not exactly sure what happened but my phone was right beside me, sitting on the nightstand with the ringer on and the volume all the way up, and your Pawpaw's phone was right beside him, sitting on his nightstand with the ringer on and the volume all the way up,  yet we slept on, oblivious. 

Apparently Auntie M (who was out in Washington hanging with your momma) had first phoned when your mom and dad went to the hospital, then several times after, then sent a number of texts, and left a couple voice mails too, but we heard nada. Nothing. Not a peep. We had 11 missed calls when we finally looked at our phones. 

We can't explain it still and to this day I say this was God's way of keeping our hearts and minds at peace while your momma was in labor with you. Once we finally woke up and WOKE UP you were nearly here. 

God is good. Hold fast to the truth of that all the days of your life. He shows His goodness in ways both large and small and often in ways we didn't expect, and for that we are so grateful. 

This year Nana and Pawpaw took you out for a celebratory birthday dinner. Just you. Your little brother and sister let us know they would love to come too, but we wanted to have some special time with just you. Don't worry, they'll get their turn, but you're the oldest so you get to go first. 

We went to a fancy place we love, and spoiled you a little with ice cold shrimp cocktail, a platter of your favorite Calamari, and a steak you declared was the best you've ever eaten. The restaurant staff signed a birthday card and left it on the table for you and there was a super sparkly candle on a fudgy brownie for dessert. 

You loved it all. We gave you your gift and told you lots of things we love about you (which by the way, is pretty much everything) and we know this will be a tradition we want to carry forward in the years ahead. 

On the drive to the restaurant I asked you some questions and wrote down your responses, and I know it will be fun to see how your answers change from year to year. 

And they will. Because you're growing up. 

We love having a front row seat to the boy you are and the man you'll one day be. You're smart. You're kind. You're sensitive to the feelings of those around you. You're curious. You're handsome. You're clever. You're the very best parts of your mom and dad and we know God has a plan for your life we can't wait to see unfold. 

Keep reading all the books, keep memorizing God's word, keep solving puzzles and building cool things, keep knocking baseballs out of the park. Keep loving your family, and caring about the feelings of those whose paths cross yours. Keep talking to Jesus and keep being you. The remarkable Mancub God made you to be. 

Know today and always your Nana loves you deep and wide xo 

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths. " Proverbs 3:5-6

Give Me Five

If you're looking for this week's Hodgepodge questions you'll find them one post down. 

Linking this post today with Joanne's Talking About it Tuesday. 

Penning another letter to my grandson who celebrates a birthday today. His birthday hits five days after his baby sister's, two days before Halloween, and a week before what will no doubt be a tumultuous election day. I never want him to feel lost in the shuffle. 

Dear Max, 

Officially five today! That might be Nana's favorite age. I was thinking about your blog name and how it suits you, but also how your real name does too. Sweet William. Nana added the sweet, but it's the phrase that always comes to mind when I think of you. 

Which is every single day. 

There's a flower I love called Sweet William and did you know flowers have meaning? Out of curiosity I looked this one up, and guess what? It also suits. 

The flower known as Sweet William has multiple meanings including gallantry and masculinity. You, my newly minted five year old, are all boy. You love to wrestle, play 'futbol', baseball, ride your bike, drive the boat fast, pretend you're a knight, a Jedi, a ninja, a superhero. You love to climb and run and throw and jump. 

You have the biggest vocabulary and the best accent of any five year old I know. 

You want to do whatever big brother is doing, but these days you're finding your own way too. You have opinions lol. You're exceptionally bright, articulate, curious, and funny. And since you've recently moved into your fifth house in as many years I guess I should add resilient to your list of strengths too. 

You wear your emotions on your sleeve and your mama has helped you learn to ask yourself if something is a big problem or a little problem before you react. I find myself doing the same and it helps. 

We're never too old to learn little man. 

Pawpaw and I had so much fun visiting you in your Cambridge home last month. We loved hearing your thoughts on all the new things you've experienced...mushy peas, double decker buses, an International school, Saturday mornings on the pitch and more. 

Your birthday lands just a few days before the US election, and let's just say it hasn't been pretty. While it's hard not to wonder what our nation will look like when you're a young man I want to tell you something  Nana knows for certain.

This world may be full of conflict and confusion, but God in His infinite wisdom created you for such a time as this. You are a part of God's divine plan and He made you all the wonderful things you are-strong, smart, curious, and resilient-traits that will serve you well as you grow from boy to man.  

I pray you always seek His will for your life and know how fully and completely you are loved by Him. 

By your Nana too. Deep and wide my sweet William. 

xo~Nana~xo

"Stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Let all that you do be done in love." 

1 Corinthians 16:13-14

Stuck In The Middle With You

Today my second born grandson turns four years old, and this fabulous little boy needs a letter from his Nana. 

Dear Max,

It's your birthday! Today you're four and I cannot wait for you to be celebrated big by your family and friends. Your birthday is number five in a family of five, and it's not easy to be the caboose on the family birthday train. 

You were right there beside your big brother when he had his extended celebration(s) this summer. Then earlier this week your sweet little sis had her first birthday, and you were there cheering her on, still waiting your turn. 

And now it's here.You honestly didn't seem to mind the wait and I think that's because there's something very special about you (many things actually), but one big thing is this- 

You my sweet boy are the one in the middle. The middle child. The younger brother and the older brother too. But not the oldest brother. And not the baby either.

A lot has been written about the middle child phenomenon, but Nana is going to tell you a few things she knows first hand, because guess what? Nana is also a middle child. If you were sitting beside me right now we could fist bump. 

I'm a little sister and a big sister too. But not the biggest sister. And not the baby either. 

I'm like you, only not quite as smart. You're so smart Max, and you have the vocabulary of someone much older. In fact sometimes we forget how old you are because you have so many words and you know how to use them. 

You're always working things out, the hows and the whys, but also context, tone, and nuance. It's pretty remarkable. You wear your emotions right there on the surface too, and sometimes they spill out all over the place, occasionally in the form of mad tears, but more often in the form of the biggest best hug anyone could ever want or need. 

You moved this year, your third house in four years. There are grown adults who've lived in fewer places, and you Max have settled in so well to this new home, new neighborhood, and your new place in the middle of your family. 

Did you know middles are good at lots of things? Waiting for one. We come into this world never knowing what it's like not to have to share or wait a turn. We become good at negotiating and keeping the peace. We're often introspective. We form strong bonds and learn to go with the flow. We want fairness and we're trustworthy friends. 

Who wouldn't want to be a middle child? You're surrounded by love on all sides, and that is a marvelous thing. 

You played on a soccer team this fall and I think you liked it. You work your own Lego projects now, have become skilled at riding your bike, love trips to the zoo, bugs and lizards and playing outside, books books and more books, and most of all your big brother and your baby sister. You have opinions and big feelings and the absolute best smile in the whole wide world. 

Happy birthday 'baby wheel'. You keep us laughing, on our toes, and feeling ever so grateful for the gift of you. Keep bringing the fun, keep learning more and more about this big beautiful world and the One who made it, and who made us too. Know always your Nana loves you deep and wide xoxo 

"Stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Let all that you do be done in love." 

1 Corinthians 16:13-14

Baby You're A Firework

Today this brilliant boy turns three years old. 

I try to write my grands a letter here every year on their birthday, which means today is his day. 

Dear Max, 

Today you are three. And you really are brilliant. You talk like a full grown adult which is one of everyone's favorite things about you. I spent all my working life with children your age and I've never met another who can carry on a conversation the way you can. You use all the pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions and adverbs and you use them correctly. It's both amazing and hilarious to hear a 2-year old say 'please brush my teeth very very gently' and 'I'll be up there shortly'. 

You notice every big and little thing from the planets in the sky ('I see Jupiter!!') to the tiniest butterfly in the field behind your house. I look at you and see the wheels turning as you try to understand all the hows and whys of this world. You ask a lot of questions and you forget nothing. 

You are appropriately nicknamed here on Nana's blog because a wild rumpus is definitely your jam. You are a climber and a bouncer and a jumper and you throw yourself at both the sofa and at life. You ride your scooter like a pro, can tell a Chinook from an Apache, love books, cars-trucks-trains, chicken nuggets, and most of all the color RED. Red is your favorite everything. Just give you all the red. 

Besides being appropriately nicknamed in the blog world, you are also appropriately named in real life. You are a Will with a WILL!!! and personally Nana thinks this is true of many second borns. Just ask me about your Auntie M when she was two turning three-ha! 

Your strong spirit, steely determination, and never-ending curiosity will serve you well as you grow into adulthood. In the meantime we love to see life unfold before you and and around you and to watch you take it all in. 

It's been a very exciting week in your house because this is the week you finally became a big brother. 

I know little miss will love and adore you the same way you love and adore your big brother. 

She will likely follow you around, want to do whatever it is you're doing, and she will laugh at all your jokes because you are funny. 

Happy birthday dear sweet 'Baby Wheel'. You are not so much a baby anymore, but you still make our world spin as big and bright as your favorite red planet in the night sky. 

"Stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Let all that you do be done in love." 
1 Corinthians 16:13-14 

Winds Will Blow

Blogging these days feels tricky. While we like to say everyone is entitled to their opinion it doesn’t actually feel like everyone is entitled to their opinion. At least not opinions that run contrary to the strange new world in which we live.

I like my space here and I especially like the tone. I like that people feel welcome here because they are. Sometimes people who know me in real life ask me to write about current events and I mostly decline because the world is already too noisy and I don't want to add to it. There are exceptions and I guess today might be one of those. 

When I started thinking about my A-Z challenge posts I knew I wanted to write both for and about my grandchildren, and the first thing that popped into my head was today’s letter. Which seemed obvious...

B is for Boys

And then I had all these second thoughts because it feels like we’re off the cliff and falling fast when it comes to talking anything gender. It feels impossible not to stir people up even when you’re not trying to stir people up. 

For the record I am never one to stir people up.  

At the same time, things are happening today that I find confusing, and the speed with which they're happening is truly alarming.  

I raised daughters. And now I have grandsons. When daughter1 announced 'It's A Boy' I remember a huge smile spreading across my face and only feeling a teensy bit panicked on the inside. A boy? What do I do with a boy? Girls are what I know. Tea parties and hair ribbons. American Girl Dolls and lots and lots of words and emotion spilling out and over everywhere. 

I know that's all completely un-pc to say in 2021, but in our house it was also very true. 

I want to write this down. I want my girls and my grands to know they should always hold up what the world is saying next to what God has said, and when those two things don't line up go with God. I know there are very many people today who don't believe in God, don't believe the Bible is full of truth and for our benefit, who don't accept or don't want to accept it holds the answer to every single question the universe might ask, but I do. 

I believe He made us deliberately and, by grand and glorious design, to be different. Somehow we've come to see this as a bad thing, something that needs correcting, when in fact I would say it's a truly marvelous thing. 

Why do we suddenly want the human race to be homogenous? 

I'm not quite sure how we got here, to a place where it's become necessary to completely change our vocabulary, to identify what you think you are, and if you don't watch out. Is our gender really based on what we declare it to be in words, in how we feel in various seasons of our life? Or is it based in how we're made? In the literal fiber of our being...our chromosomes and DNA? 

I have tremendous compassion for young people struggling with truly hard stuff, for children making decisions that will alter their futures in ways they don't even know and can't begin to see or understand. For the pressures and anxiety social media brings into their lives. And I feel so deeply for parents trying to navigate these very sensitive issues with their hurting children. I would also say it helps no one to deny or ignore the most basic science there is. 

Am I a girl or a boy? 

Intricately and with purpose woven into each one of us before we draw our first breath.  

"For You formed my inward parts; 
You knitted me together in my mother's womb." Psalm 139:13

Sometimes when I blog I imagine my little grandboys all grown up, maybe picking up my blog book and reading what Nana thought about the world in which she lived. I imagine when another 20 years go by, the world they live in as adults will look quite differently than it does today. I want them to know that no matter what man can conceive or be deceived by, God is still and ever the One who spoke the very universe into existence. 

"So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; 
male and female He created them." Genesis 1:27 

I pray every day for my grandsons parents. I pray God grants them wisdom, humor, grace, and patience as they raise these tiny humans into full grown men. I pray they embrace the privilege of parenting in every season, that they never shrink back from having hard conversations, leading by example, and pointing their children to the truth. 

I pray too for these darling boys who love their trains and their planes and wrestling each other to the ground. I pray they grow to be men of courage and conviction. Tender hearted and slow to anger. Strong, generous, and compassionate. 

To be who God created them to be.
Men who stand firm in their faith when the winds of this world blow. 

The Big Reveal

Did I mention I'm going to be a grandmother? Ha! I think so. My first born baby girl is having a baby of her own which hubs and I are still trying to get our heads around. It's a little bit easier now that I've seen her adorable baby bump in person. Oh my word, y'all she is just the cutest!

I warned her before she got here that I would have my hands on her belly an annoying amount of the time she's here, and so far she's tolerating it well. She and her hubs are on the East Coast for a weeklong holiday and since their visits home are few and far between we decided to celebrate Baby M with a shower on Sunday.

I feel like the shower needs it's own post, so I'm going to make this a 2-parter. You're welcome.

Daughter1 and her hubs learned the baby's gender just a couple of days before their trip home, and they were so excited to be able to tell us the news in person. When they told us back in November that we'd be grandparents they had to do it via Facetime, so having real live actual  'face time' for the gender reveal was special.

Also, was gender reveal a thing back in the day? I think not. I didn't even have an ultrasound with my second daughter and I feel like in general most women found out what they were having when the doctor announced, 'It's a ______' in the delivery room.

In 2017 it seems most parents-to-be opt to know boy or girl before the child arrives, and as a grandparent let me just say I'm completely on board. I can't imagine waiting another four months to know!

The two families (plus two of the parents-to-be college friends who were in town for the shower) all went to dinner together on Saturday night. Here are the soon-to-be- parents with their sweet sisters-aka first time aunts. Whoohoo!

Daughter1 is kind of famous in our house for her inability to keep a secret, but she successfully kept this one a full 48 hours and was feeling pretty proud of herself. By the time we got to dinner she was about to bust, so we wasted no time going around the table saying if we thought boy or girl. The 'votes' were 5-3 in favor of a girl.

Daughter1 had decorated these sweet little bags which looked more put together with the tissue and the ribbon when she gave them to us, but I forgot to snap a picture until after. What can I say? I'm going to be a grandmother and who can think about photography when you're about to find out what your little one will be??? Not me!

Once we'd all 'voted' Daughter1 gave each of the two grandmoms-to-be the bags to open-

It's a BOY!

Inside was a sweet BLUE picture frame around a snapshot of the ultrasound. The frame reads 'love at first sight', and that is so true.

Sometimes babies make it difficult for the ultrasound techs to confirm gender, but with our little guy...well there was absolutely no doubt...IT'S A BOY! And he's already a cooperative child-ha! We are out of the box in our house with a baby BOY, but we are over the moon at the thought of a little man to love and spoil.

We all came back to the house afterward to play pool and hang out and talk about the fact that we're having a BOY!! and then my mother-in-law and sister-in-law arrived and we made them vote just in case we blabbed before the shower.

I peeked into one of the guestrooms before heading up to bed and saw this- these girls. Sigh.

For a minute I forgot they weren't eighteen sharing a college dorm. So very glad they broke from their busy and demanding work schedules to drive hours here for an overnight with the mama-to-be, their college friend and roommate. It meant the world to my girl, and to her mama too.

Next up the shower. And coming this summer...a bazillion pictures of the world's brightest and most beautiful baby boy.

I'm allowed to say that you know.
I'm the grandma.