The current baby in my life

The little girl we babysat moved on to day care/preschool.  She needed to have moved on at least a year earlier, although she wasn't anxious to leave us.  But I couldn't teach her anything, and she was bored.  She loved us dearly, but two old, tired people don't present much of a challenge.  We still fill in if her grandma can't watch her in the evenings after day care, and I'm fairly certain that if we asked either of her parents, they would bring her over for a visit.  We had her at the very best time of our lives:  We were missing babies, and we poured the love to her as she grew.  She was a tiny thing, so it was easy to carry her when she was a baby.  She was our entertainment!  It was so much fun to watch her first steps, hear her first words, see her whistle when she was only a year old.  We were constantly amazed at things she said and did.  Thank goodness we have many pictures and videos of our time with her.  Cliff had more trouble giving her up that I did.  Toward the end, he was actually keeping her occupied more than I, but I just knew she needed something we couldn't give her, and I loved her enough that it eased the pain of saying "it's over".  Cliff agrees now, but he didn't like it at the time.   

Now we have an eight-month-old great-granddaughter.  We don't see her often, especially lately.  But her mom called needing a babysitter for the afternoon yesterday, and I said, "Bring her on".  We've only seen the child once in the last couple of months, on Thanksgiving Day,  I wondered if she'd even feel comfortable with us.  She has spent lots of time with her mama, and is so attached to her, what if she cried and wouldn't stop when mom left?  Oh, I had misgivings:  I can't carry a baby around much any more and walk the floor with them.  This little girl is much larger than Cora was... our families have always produced large babies!

This was taken shortly after her mom left, so she looks a little apprehensive

Well, she didn't cry when her mom left, although I noticed a moment of panic in her eyes; but she was easily distracted.  It was fun to make her smile and laugh.  She's eight months old.  She isn't walking yet, of course, except to hold onto something for support and walk around furniture in that way.  She crawls very well. 

I had misgivings about how my dog, Gabe, would react to her.  Cora was four years old when we got him, and ran everywhere she went.  He considered this a challenge and chased at her feet all the time, sometimes nipping at her and even tearing her clothes!  I've always thought he just considered her another puppy and acted accordingly.  I finally taught him to get a toy in his mouth if he wanted to run along with her so his mouth would be occupied, and that approach worked.  The kid would take off running, Gabe would look around for his chew-toy, grab it, and then run with her.  But this is a baby.  I had no idea what he'd do, and figured as a last resort, I'd put him in the kennel. 

Well, I need not have worried.  He seemed to sense that this was someone he shouldn't play roughly with.  The first time she was on the floor crawling, he got his toy and tried to get her to grab it.  Then she'd reach and he'd back up quickly, as if to say, "Oh no, you can't."  I really wish I'd been able to make a video of that first time, because it was hilarious.  Later on I did one, but by this time the child was getting tired and a little fussy and had figured out she had no chance of getting hold of that toy anyhow.  


She cried after me each time I left the room, and didn't trust Cliff at all until she'd been here a few hours.  So when I went to the kitchen to finish up dinner she crawled after me fussing.  When she got to me, she pulled up, holding onto my leg, and tried to climb up my leg as if I were a tree, still fussing (a very obvious fake-crying whine).  And that's how she behaved every time I got more than six feet away from her.

Our daughter, her grandma, came by when she got off work to help us entertain the kid until her mom got off work, although Natalie was already on her way.  Baby was glad to see her grandma, but kept gravitating back to me.  I guess she likes me!  

I would never take on another child to watch full-time, but I enjoy having one around occasionally.  Babies light up the world, don't they?  

Sincerely,
Donna