In honor of their first great grands 13th birthday I will write about the relationship they have with him, my son. At 7:09pm on July 19th my son came blazing into the world. My whole entire family was at the hospital. He was the first grandchild and first great grandchild and everyone was excited to meet him. My family came up a whole month early because I was convinced I would have him early. 2 weeks post my due date we finally check in the hospital to be induced.
My husband and mom were in the delivery room with me and my sister had her ear glued to the door so she could hear if he screamed. 30 minutes after he was born my family was holding him in his arms. My grandparents were in awe. They could not believe they got to hold him so soon. I remember Paw-Paw commenting on how much he looked like me as a newborn. He even did the one eye open, one eye closed thing that I did.
The first 9 months of my son’s life we lived in North Carolina and my family lived in Florida. It was brutal for them and me as well. It was hard being a new mom without my mom and my grandparents around. There were many days I would call home, crying. I was homesick. A series of unfortunate events occurred in North Carolina and I felt like God was calling me home. We moved back to Florida to get a break and rebuild. It worked out perfect because little did we know at the time that my mom was only going to live 2 more years.
Nana and Paw-Paw were just obsessed with my son as they were with me. Nana and my son formed a strong bond from the beginning. I swear his first word was Nana! She would always want to be on the phone with him. She would tell me to put the phone to his ear so she could tell him how much she loved him.
When he learned to talk the phone conversations got longer. If I tried to take him off the phone with her he would pitch a fit. It was quite hysterical. I was greatly blessed to have them in such good health that he could go to their house and spend the night. After my mom died he was such a source of joy to them. He could lift their spirits and keep the life in them.
The great grands were the next generation of children who would be blessed with great grandparents there at every stage of their life. Such a blessing and a miracle.
Watching Nana’s health decline has been hard on my son. At first it was hard for him to understand how the stroke took her personality away. Nana was always a chatty Cathy. Nana was one of his first best friends, just like she is mine. We have multiple conversations about her health. I tell him that each day we have left with her on earth is a blessing. That we cannot take for granted. So many times, he has had to see his Nana leave the house on a stretcher with me crying. So many nights he hasn’t slept and was waiting for me to get back from the hospital to get an update. My son has such a big heart and it kills me to see it broken.
I thank God that he is old enough now that he should have wonderful memories of his great grandparents. He was only 2 years old when my mom died and he has no memories of her. Just through stories that we tell him of her. I pray that he notices all the love and care my sister and I give our grandparents. If there is one thing I would like to teach my son is compassion for others and selfless care. I think he is learning. Every now and then he will make coffee and bring it to them for me. He helps with their laundry sometimes and is great at helping me to remember to give them their pills.
So tonight, my sister and her family will come over for burgers and ice cream cake. We will get Nana out of bed and into her wheelchair to sit at the head of the dining room table. Surrounded by her grandchildren and great grandchildren and we will put another memory in our memory banks.
Daily Elder Care 