Turning Sixty

There are just some things we can't stop and having birthday's is one of them. Time marches on, sometimes too slowly like when waiting for our first grandchild to be born, or too quickly when said grandchild starts to grow.

This year my dear husband turns sixty! It's hard to believe how fast the years have gone by. I'd like to put the brakes on for awhile and slow down time. We have a lot ahead of us, renovating our farmhouse in Prince Edward Island so we will need to be strong and healthy. It's so easy to start thinking: "If only".. If only we could have purchased our dream place on the island twenty years ago, or if only we could have met twenty-five years ago instead of fourteen. If only we could win the lottery!! Yes, there are a lot of "if only's" to think upon but we are where we are meant to be, as it was all the events prior to this time that set the stage for where we are now. Get's confusing doesn't it?

We have so much to be grateful for, we now have our retirement place to dream about and plan for, we have our first grandchild, baby Claire and we only live an hour's drive away from her. My husband has two healthy, grown adult children, as do I. We have hobbies that we enjoy, a warm house to live in, plenty of clothes to wear and food to eat. Friends to go dancing with on Friday nights and with computers and email, we are well connected with family living many miles away.

My husband doesn't want a birthday bash, but I have other ideas. It won't be a huge event as we have a small house but in August the weather is usually wonderful so we can eat and mingle outside. It just seems like such a special day that I can't let it pass without some hoopla...and making his favorite chocolate cake for the occasion.

I couldn't begin to write about all the adventures my hubby has packed into nearly sixty years already but being a prolific reader with a fondness for science fiction I can put into print he wouldn't be disappointed if he was ever "beamed up"..but I've told him over and over I'm not going with him..nor would I appreciate him looking me up if he comes back! He likes to tease me when we are out walking at night by saying "beam me up Scottie, beam me up!"..it's at that point I walk quickly over to the other side of the road..I'm not taking any chances!!

All kidding aside, how lovely to have spent nearly fourteen years together and to look forward to celebrating this milestone together this August. I look forward to many more special occasions and celebrations together as we travel down the laneway of life together, perhaps him on one side of the road and me on the other :)

Our Nine Month Wait Is Over

My husband and I are very excited. We are nearly floating off the ground with happiness. We have just become grandparents for the very first time. We have an addition to our family, a beautiful new baby girl. My husband's daughter and her husband who were married in Cuba last year, another exciting event and a trip we very much enjoyed presented us with our wee treasure this past Monday in late afternoon. That tremendous news put a sparkle into our dreary winter day.

It's been a long time since I've held such a precious bundle in my arms. I have two nephews who live quite a few miles from us that have had babies in recent years but I wasn't able to hold them after birth. My neighbours next door have had three new grandchildren and I've watched envious at times, the fun they have had with their new babies also now growing up and running around. So when my husband decided we would venture down to the hospital an hour's drive from our home that very same evening it didn't take me long to get organized.

I had to turn off the stove where I was cooking potatoes and turnips for supper. Have him carve up one of the two chickens I had just finished roasting and delve into making sandwiches. I even made a couple for the new father as we had talked to him on his cell phone and he was quite pleased to know food was on it's way. We drove as quickly as was safe and arrived at the hospital around seven-thirty p.m. Up we went in the elevator to the fourth floor and pushed the buzzer to be let into the maternity area. Down the winding hall we walked, getting more excited by the minute. Which room was hers?

We heard some babies weak little cries but our baby was sleeping soundly. What a beauty she is. Such a lovely pink complexion, the tiniest eye lashes laying on rosy cheeks, even a lovely head of hair. Maybe not enough for a bow yet, but it will grow..I thought as I saw her for the first time of the miracle of life, how as I did over forty years ago carry a baby for nine months, then this wonder, this miracle appears with ten fingers and ten toes all so perfect.

I thought of the word "swaddling" as I saw how our little princess was all wrapped up like a package in white cotton blankets. Underneath all that wrapping was a pink outfit, the color suiting her perfectly. She yawned, she blew a few bubbles, once we thought we were in for a sympathy cry as the babies around her were stretching their lungs, but our dear one just twisted up her face a bit and blithely slept on.

What a treat to hold her close to my chest, kiss her tiny head and wonder at all the great times that lay ahead. How we will grin and giggle over her every expression, taking picture after picture, filling an album before she reaches her first birthday. I've already pictured her in my mind feeding the fish in our pond. We are waiting on a name, several have been mentioned as we are also anxious to see her open her eyes and let us see another side of her personality.

Wonderous times lay ahead, being a grandparent is a joy I didn't know I'd get to experience and now that it's here I know what my friends were talking about when they said: "you'll just love it, there's nothing like it!" My husband is so looking forward to the day we can have her here for a whole day, just to ourselves. Today the snow is swirling down, the wind is howling, making the snow fly around in blizzard conditions. But I'm inside, warm and comfortable, dreaming of this new blessing which has grown our family. Anticipating the moment I can kiss those little hands and hold her once again, perhaps telling her stories of my garden and letting her know I won't get upset if she picks all the heads off my tulips so she can give "mommy" a pretty bouquet next spring. Lots of fun and adventures ahead, we can hardly wait!