Christmas 2011

Lola seemed to enjoy eating the wrapping paper almost as much as getting the presents, and we all enjoyed watching her experience her first Christmas. She saw cousins and uncles and aunts and dogs, as well as all her grandparents, and we showed her off to many friends as well. We are so happy to have Lola and her parents visiting Seattle for the holidays, and we're making the most of the time. She's adorable!

Wishing for a Happier 2012

Would it be too much to as for Peace on Earth and Goodwill towards all humanity? I swear the emotional climate of this country and of the world is crushingly nasty and violent. Whether people are bullying at a personal level or corporately or politically, I really am not sure I've ever seen it this negative and hateful. Fortunately, I occasionally read about someone somewhere who has shown true compassion for a fellow being, but all too often I hear of hate crimes, paranoia, bigotry, cruelty, and amoral behaviors and pronouncements.

Let us hope for some return to sanity in the coming year; it won't begin, probably until the elections are over, but perhaps we'll still see something more akin to goodwill than we've seen this year. I'm not holding my breath, but I'm still hoping.

Lola has developed a love of good literature at an early age. Unfortunately, at the moment her only desire is to literally tear into it, but I am sure she'll be reading voraciously when she discovers the printed word has more than nutritional value. :-)

Tarzan?

At a little over 7 months, Lola is now crawling and getting into everything. Here she appears to be doing her impression of Tarzan trying to scale the dining room table. Note the trendy diaper cover-up. We look forward to having Lola and her parents here for Christmas. Oh...That reminds me...I'd better start child-proofing the house!

Technology

Proof that my granddaughter has been born in the age of technology: her own "iPhone!" Lola enjoys chewing on anything she can grab right now (see previous post), and in this case it is her wooden smart phone. I just wish it wasn't "bat" calling.

Alien Baby!

Lola loves bath time almost as much as chewing on anything she can grab.

Grandma is such a Sweet Name

After spending nearly a week with our sweet granddaughter Lola, I am already fantasizing about the days when she'll start to go beyond cooing and gurgling gleefully and start using words. I have been told that the first grandchild determines your "new name."

Some children come up with rather convoluted tongue-twisters for their grandparents, apparently meshing whatever adult names are thrown around with some form of "grand____." Hence, my sister-in-law is called "Mary-Ma" (not sure of the spelling). Sometimes it's an ethnic name. Those can be fun if they actually show lineage: Mormor, Farmor, Bestafar, Bestamor, etc. (again, forgive any spelling errors).Let's you know whether the grandparent is on mom's or dad's side. Right now we are taking the third common route: calling ourselves "Grandma Jody" and "Grandpa Bill." Whether these names stick or not will ultimately be up to Lola and her parents, but my guess is there is a good chance they will.

Funny thing is, before Lola was born I really didn't relish the moniker "grandma" in any way shape, or form. It wasn't the concept, it was the WORD. Too many connotations that rang of decrepitude in my mind. Funnier still, though, is how I flash that name around constantly now like a badge of achievement or a medal of honor. All it takes is a little dose of reality and a large dose of grandchild to change everything. :-)

Reunions, Part II

This reunion involved meeting up with many of Bill's father's side of the family. A good number of relatives gathered in Depoe Bay, Oregon for a weekend of fun at the beach with plenty of sunshine, conversation, and food. Will and Vanessa brought their pup LittleMissCareyNickels who enjoyed total freedom racing around on the lawn and by the ocean. She even had a pal, Kowe, our niece's dog, to keep her company.

The special treat for all of us was having the newest member of the family there. Meg brought Lola, our three and a half month old granddaughter, all the way out from Brooklyn! It was quite a task since Brett wasn't able to come at this time, so we were really impressed with how well Meg managed on her own. But we expected no less. :-)

Now we feel a bit empty: no baby to gush over or entertain us. We'll only have two months before we get to see Lola again (with both parents), but for now we'll have to contend with memories and Facetime.

Road Trips and Reunions

Bill and I are now on the return phase of a great summer road trip. Purpose? Ostensibly, to attend a family reunion of the descendants of my paternal grandparents, but also to just enjoy the beauty of North America.

The reunion was a smashing success. Our host cousin lives in Traverse City, Michigan, so we all trekked there to attend. Most of my relatives still live in the Midwest, but one brother came from Conn., one first cousin once removed flew in from California and another drove up from Atlanta, so we represented all parts of the US.

Bill and I decided to take the ultimate scenic route to get to Michigan: we drive through the Canadian Rockies and east on the Yellowhead Highway. Gorgeous! We eventually drove through the UP of Michigan and spent three days sharing stories and catching up with all the sibs and cousins.

Last night we relaxed on the carferry as it steamed across Lake Michigan from Luddington, MI to Manitowoc, WI. Fun and it saved us 400 miles of driving!

Bill has naturally been biking anywhere and anytime he can. Although we had a humungous thunder and lightning storm in the wee hours of this morning, it is clear again, so he's biking while I prepare to drive again.

As long as we get home safe and sound, I can call this a big success.

Joyful First Grandchild

Having just returned from 11 days with our new granddaughter Lola in Brooklyn, I can definitely confirm that being a grandmother rocks. Lola Bennett Camper-Lemke, daughter of our daughter, absolutely is the sweetest, cutest baby around, but I'll bet you hear that from all the grandparents. :-) All my cousins told me I'd love being a grandma, but I couldn't quite grasp it. After all, aren't I still a "youngie?" Is that coughing and gagging I hear?

Ok, admittedly I am definitely of age for grandparent status, I just wasn't sure about my maturity, but that proved fine when I cradled Lola in my arms and when I quickly mastered the new diapering techniques for cloth diapers. Whoever invented the "Snappy" is amazing. Everything felt right as if I possessed special grandparent wisdom that comes with 32 years of experience. Best of all, Meg and Brett are wonderful, loving, attentive parents, so Lola is a lucky little girl.

Here are a few pictures of our cutie patootie, so you can see for yourself just how adorable Lola is.