First off, I must give kudos to both of my married daughters for providing me with plenty of opportunities to see their family routines in action. Why is that so important? For times like this - and at Christmas (when Little Man #2 was born) - when I am called in to assist with "Grammie" duties.
It is my joy and my pleasure to be able to spend this week with my first Little Man while his mommy and daddy are attending a destination wedding in a much warmer climate. Fortunately, we happen to be close to Uncle A and Aunt C and my other "littles" - allowing us to have some good "cousin" time and enjoying the wonderful influence that his Godparents have upon his life. (Yep, Uncle A and Aunt C have that uncanny knack of being able to convince him to do things that usually are met with that toddler "No!").
What am I learning about my Little Man this week? Well, let's just say that Mommy and Daddy were awfully wise to gift him with three things before they left: a soft baby doll, a toy laptop, and a "toy" broom and dustpan set. "Baby" has supplanted "Monkey" as the go-to toy for all things needing comforting. Baby does everything with Little Man - sleeps with him, gets dragged around by him, waits for him on the rocking horse as he eats breakfast, lunch, and dinner - however, when Little Man decides that he wants to clean the kitchen floor with his broom, then Grammie must watch over Baby. If Little Man is upset about anything, then Baby is called upon and is lavished with hugs.
The laptop is adorable. Grammie teaches online classes - and Little Man sits at his play table and works on his little laptop. It is too precious for words! When his cousins were over, it was the coveted toy that everyone wanted time with and we really had to work hard on "sharing". And, the broom set. Well, that kitchen floor has got to be one of the cleanest ones around because it gets swept about 20 times per day!
Little Man knows where the picture books are that have photos of Mommy and Daddy - he will go get those off of the shelf when he needs to feel close to them. We have added saying "Good night" to their photos in the living room to the nightly bedtime routine. He points out "Mama" and "Da-da" and waves to them. We include them in our prayers and I remind him that they will be home in a few days but that Grammie will be here for him in the meantime.
He is definitely a self-sufficient little do-er. He welcomes play-time, dance-time, and reading time with me but he does just fine on his own. He carries on all kinds of conversations - engaged in imaginative play - babbling in his little toddler-speak. Toys may get dragged out - and spread all over - but they are just as easily put back away. He has no problems about helping clean up.
Typically, he saves story time for just before nap-time and bedtime but, every now and then, he'll pull out a book and just want some cuddle time. And, when we both need just a little break - Blue's Clues! Honestly, I could rave about my Little Man for pages. The only difficulty that I truly have is figuring out what he will actually eat at lunch and dinner. (He's pretty consistent about breakfast!). I guess that could be the subject of an entire post.
Anyway, thanks to my daughters and their beautiful families, this Grammie certainly feels much love and happiness and truly blessed!
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