Such happy news, congratulations @VaBluebird !
Congrats, @VaBluebird!
Congratulations @VaBluebird!!
?Congratulations, @VaBluebird!? Enjoy every minute with your sweet granddaughter.
Finally, some happy news! Congratulations, @VaBluebird. I hope you get some sweet baby snuggles soon!
So I returned home Friday evening - H says stores open Monday but continuing with only daycare centers with less than 12 to a room. DD said she is calling her daycare Director on Monday to see when they will reopen. On Monday DD is asking to get off work for Friday - I have to get a day in of my job to stay on payroll (one day in 30).
I wish the stores had opened by today, as I have things to do with Kohl’s - returns and reorder but have to return/reorder same item with different size at same time for saving on shipping. Easy to do from home, but store in DD’s city is inconvenient. Also have some Kohl’s cash that I like to use looking at store’s children’s clearance items; can also order from store Kiosk with free ship.
I have been a mainstay for the Gkids’ clothes mainly from Kohl’s. Also had Gap and Old Navy for kids and DD (Gap had some great tops and dresses for DD/breast feeding and purchased quite a bit during sales last fall/winter). DD is 5’9" and the Gap dresses were long enough (something other maternity lines are not).
Also a mainstay for the children’s toys and books - either from what we had stored from DDs and new items. I have kept an eye out for great books for them - at this point the heavy card books are used heavily by GD - the very small ones and the larger ones. My sister got GD a Sophie the Giraffe book Sophie and Friends that she pulls out every day. So of course I now know the names of all of Sophie’s friends 
The few items we gave for GD’s 2nd birthday were a hit.
SIL, with no child care experiences, is continuing his understanding of the importance of these things (toys and books). When GD was very young, they had almost no toys for her - and I quickly remedied that situation with a few from Target’s baby section. They have seen from friends other things that they have acquired - jumping/bouncing seat that hooks up to a door frame (GD didn’t like, but GS uses it 2-3 X a day), seat with plastic tray/toys all around (GD only likes now from the outside; again GS is in it every day), etc.
Maybe Sunday back to DD/SIL’s will be the last trip due to C19 closings.
I have been doing WFH and staying self-isolated to a large degree. The only time I’ve been out of the car to shop for anything was to get geraniums at my largely deserted garden center a few weeks ago with one other customer and both of us were masked, as was the owner. Basically same thing with D & SIL, so I got in the car and headed to Nashville yesterday to meet 7 week old granddaughter. D said I was first person baby has interacted with since coming home other than her parents and pediatrician/staff. She is so sweet when she is happy, which is about 2/3 of the time.
It was wonderful to have baby snuggles and to spend time with D & SIL. We took a walk this morning before I drove home and it was wonderful to have some variety in a walking route. Other than the walk, my trip was my driveway to their driveway, so no exposure to anything or anyone else. I did miss the trip I always make to Trader Joe’s when I go to Nashville, but not worth the risk right now. I have to go back in July to stay for a bit when D goes back to work before she can take baby to daycare (assuming it has re-opened by August 10th), so maybe TJ’s then.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms and grandmothers here!
@2VU0609, Baby snuggles are the best!
Adding my wishes to all you moms and grandmothers ~
? ? Happy Mother’s Day! ? ?
So 19 month old GD went to visit her other grandmother today. They shared air hugs 30 feet apart. So sweet. Then they got back in the car and when they got home, she told my son “now call GaGa”. She was so happy today! We talked to her twice in one day.
Went over to see D and SIL and GD this afternoon. Usually we just hang out away from each other, and 17-month-old GD has accepted that, well, it’s weird, but, okay. But today she spontaneously walked straight to where I was sitting. I looked up at D–who said, they’d been isolating for two weeks, and we have, so I was able to pick up and hug GD for the first time in months, and it was heaven on earth! So yeah, best Mother’s Day, ever. She sat on my lap and then played with my H, and I swear her attitude was like great–sanity has finally prevailed.
I am going to see my kids and grandkids next week and I have mixed feelings; My son is switching practices and hospitals next month, so has two weeks off. My DIL, daughter and SIL, have all been working from home while taking care of their daughters who are now 10 months and 19 months. They all have stayed home and have not been out, like I have for the passed two months; they are all ready for a break! My son called today and said they were looking at an airbnb a few hours away from them, 5.5 hours from me, and 9 hours from my daughter. Since our 40th anniversary trip with the kids never got planned, they ask that we come to the house with them. While I know they want to spend some time with us, they will be the most excited to have another set of hands and eyes on the little girls 
I want to go, but feel apprehensive about going. My husband and son are in the clinics or hospitals most days, and while I have been exposed to my husband, and my DIL and one granddaughter have been exposed to my son, I worry about my daughter’s family. I think we are all fine, but you never know. There is no way I can stay in the same house and not hug and kiss those two!!
So, sounds like we are going, and actually my husband can’t go the entire time, so we will drive separately.
Gkid’s daycare (in AL, larger classrooms not open yet) resumes on the 26th. DD/SIL have it worked out to vary their work hours to cover my absence on Friday (I have to put in a day at my job).
My sister and BIL haven’t seen their grandkids in 4 months - they live in Iowa and just have extreme fear, in part because BIL is 82 and borders on hypochondriac. The other two households are very low risk on getting C19 and are within an hour’s drive. Will see how things go as time goes on.
I saw my nearly 1 year old granddaughter today. Boy did I miss her!! My son and DIL drove up (80 miles) for a few hours. They stopped by both sets of great grandparents and had a socially distant visit with them too. She is standing on her own, walking around furniture and taking a step here and there. No consistent words, but does do 4 signs pretty consistently. She (finally) has a consistent sleep and nap schedule. The tentative plan is to try and do this once a month until things get back to normal.
Face time with GD yesterday. She can do somersaults now and proceeded to do about a dozen in a row. Pretty wobbly after that!
Part of our conversations are showing our eyeballs up close in the camera (I’m on an ipad to their iPhone.) Never fails to crack her up—especially when she is pretend poking me in the eye.
Not sure when we will see them face to face; the wedding I was booked at to baby sit is May 24 and has been postponed.
I am here with my kids, spouses and both GDs. While I am so happy to see them all, especially the little ones, I am a bit apprehensive. I actually arrived to the rental before them, so sprayed an entire can of Lysol everywhere! Wiped down surfaces with Clorox wipes, and then went over them again.There was a family here before us, so I think I am more concerned with their health status than my kids.
If any of us get sick, and hopefully that won’t happen due to everyone social distancing prior, I will not be able to forgive myself for agreeing to this trip. The adult kids needed a break, so having us join them, allows for a break from childcare for a bit each day.
The house is plenty big for us not to be on top of each other. There is a huge yard for the 19 month old to run around, as well as a pool. The 10 month old loves her big cousin; they last saw each other Thanksgiving.,
D and SIL are great about sending videos/ FaceTime/photos. I do miss GD. She’s now crawling and standing up. It’s really hard because we have all the time in the world to visit and travel now that we are retired. The clothes from amazon Burts bee and Primary.com are great!
We had another virtual lunch date with GD who regaled us with her retelling of Moana and Frozen 2. The problem for DH is that he couldn’t figure out when she kept switching between the two movies. I, at least, know the main characters’ names, so I could figure out when she switched. She did have to correct me when I asked if she was talking about Frozen. “No, 2”, as she put up 2 fingers.
If Disney is looking for new ideas, they might be interested in my GD’s mash-ups.
10 month old GS is very strong and a butterball; he has been using his arms and a little with one leg to scoot across the floor (he wiggles but mainly pulls himself from his arms). He is now using his knees for a few cycles of crawling, but then gets excited about what he is gearing towards and goes to the other way (he is fast with the old way).
I see changes with 2 year old GD.
When one has so much time with them, can see the incremental changes. The four days next week will be the last of the live in nanny/babysitting gig as their daycare opens June 1. Then when SIL has his next Reserve Weekend I will start the weekends with DD and the GKids. DD and Grandkids will be traveling with H and I in June to see 91 YO MIL and others out of state. 91 YO FIL maybe won’t have visitors yet at skilled care setting, but we can window visit. We will stay as careful as we can and hopefully continue to remain C-19 free.
H hasn’t seen DD1/SIL/GKids since January. He will notice how much the kids have grown.
The grandkids’ day care is charging and extra $25 per child per week for cleaning, and starting a half hour later and closing a half hour earlier for cleaning. I think the charge for each family is OK. I think an extra $200/mo with two kids is a bit much. They certainly don’t need that much money in supplies. Maybe they will pay their staff extra for cleaning, IDK. As soon as GD is potty trained, looking to get her into Montessori.
Today DIL and GD were out for a walk. DIL saw a worm on the sidewalk and pointed it out to GD. She laid down and watched it wiggle into the grass. Thrilled! Such simple pleasures.
@SOSConcern I love Montessori…all 4 kids in the preschool, years in elementary.