...across the room for my family...

As I was tidying up my kitchen this morning I wondered what I should take off the counters before Christmas to make room for all the extras that always end up on the counter during family gatherings. Then the thought hit me that "this Christmas there will be no baby bottles, formula, soothers, or the DREADED SIPPY CUPS cluttering up my kitchen counter! Our grandchildren have all been there, done that, and they are all GROWN UP! This will all change again for next Christmas (and I can't wait to have a baby around again) but for this year things will be different. I think I feel the same way about my grandchildren as I did about my children. I loved the wee baby stage. They are so adorable and make complete idiots of the adults (remember cooing at the babies to make them coo back, cheering when they poop and laughing at their garbled baby talk?). Then there's the stage when they'll sit alone in the middle of the floor and never go anywhere! There is so much freedom in the very brief stage before they crawl all over the place and end up under the couch fast asleep like one of ours did! The walking and talking stage is always a real highlight even though they wear out the adults as they walk where they shouldn't and talk endlessly, asking questions and making comments about everything in sight. Our grandbabies are ages 3, 5, 7, and 9 so there are lots of conversations on every level and lots of surprise observations from inquisitive little minds! If I had to choose one particular stage of development I just couldn't do it. I love them all. I cannot wait for my house to be filled with noises from these special little ones in my life and I can't wait for the adults to try to get in some semblance of real conversation above all the "noise"!

I'm counting the days!