The Great Adventure - A Good Start

Most of you know that I have a new grandbaby - number eight for us. Andrew was born New Year's Eve and I think he just might be a perfect baby. I know, I know I said that about the first seven but truly, this one is a good baby. He only fusses when he's wet or hungry and he's a good car rider - a very important personality trait. My son and his family live about a 2 1/2 hour drive from me and both are educators. I volunteered my babysitting services when my daughter-in-love returned to her first grade class - I know that small babies do better at home with limited contact to the outside world germs and I wanted to give Andrew that opportunity. Now, of course his sisters, who kiss on him all the time and who will undoubtedly get their comeuppance for that when he's a little older, are bringing home all sorts of germs but we can't help that. By the time August rolls around and he has to go to daycare he will be about 8 months old and, hopefully, ready to meet the world on a daily basis.

My son and his family would have loved for me to stay with them while I keep Andrew but at my age I knew I would fare better if I had a place of my own. Sleep is imperative! So my husband brought the camper here for me and we will meet on the weekends, he and I. I expect we'll take turns...he will come here one weekend and I will go home one weekend. This was my first week with the baby, and it wasn't really a full week. I got here about noon on Tuesday and I'll go home on Saturday morning for two weeks before returning to stay until school is out.

It's been a good week. If you discount the fact that I have to get up at 5:45 a.m. to get dressed and out the door by 6:40. It's about a 20 minute drive from my camper to Andrew's house and his parents need to leave by 7:15. For the last 5 years since I retired it has been rare that I got up at this unholy hour, let alone got dressed. It's dark at 5:45. Does that have something to do with the time change or is it always like this? And will that change? As we get closer to summer it will be lighter when I get up...right? The camper thermostat isn't programmable so I have to get up in the cold and turn the heat up. Do you think I might be spoiled? I have cereal in the camper but who wants cold cereal at 6:00 in the morning? And I have to drive right by both Sonic and McDonalds. I've stopped at one of them every morning - that's not good for my weight loss goal even though I only eat half the sausage biscuit. And this young family, like all young families, keep snacks here all the time. Not good. I have no will power. Zero. Zip. Zilch will power.

Yesterday the parents had parent-teacher conferences after school....till 9:15. That meant that I got up at 5:45, got dressed (yuck), drove to their house in the drizzling rain, kept Andrew all day, picked up the girls after school (2 different schools), made a promised visit to Sonic for supper and then to the camper to eat. Eating Sonic supper at the camper is, apparently, an adventure much to be desired. Getting in and out of said camper with a baby, a purse, a diaper bag, food and 2 more children is not.

The two girls are 7 and 3 and they adore their brother. They try hard to be helpful by bringing the pacifier, or my glasses when I can't see to measure the formula, or my phone when it rings and I'm rocking.

They love the camper...I think everything is just their size. The 7 year old can even reach the kitchen sink without a stool so she helped wash the dishes. The fact that they had already been washed and were draining made no difference. I'm sure they needed a second washing!

The 3 year old absolutely had to use the potty as soon as she got there. She didn't need help she said and shoved me out the door. I assumed it was a "minor" bathroom visit. NEVER ASSUME! It was major and she should have asked for help. That's all I have to say about that. She also will no longer be allowed to keep her Sonic cup after she's through drinking. She ate part of it and despite me yelling, "spit it out, spit it out" she calmly chewed and swallowed.

Today Andrew and I made a visit to Walgreens and to Penneys. He was wonderful. That is except for the dirty diaper he made while in Penneys when I'd left the diaper bag in the car. And except for the screaming all the way home because he decided he was hungry. See what I mean? He's nearly perfect!