For three weeks I was Nanny Nana for Jayden. I so enjoyed my time with her and Colt. I am so thankful that I could be there with her after the arrival of her son. How fortunate I am not to have a full time job where I would have to schedule vacation time and may have only been able to stay for a short time. I am thankful Jayden wanted me there and allowed me to be part of Colt's first days. I am thankful I had a great place to stay and that Noah's parents were so accommodating and made me feel at home. It was a lot of laundry, cleaning, babysitting, but it was also a lot of quiet time. I had quiet time, lots of chats and time with Jayden, baby cuddling, holding and feeding Colt, and reading and resting with a cat that loved to be by my side. It couldn't have been much better.
Colt was changing right before my eyes, going from a teeny little guy to filling out and getting longer. He was so precious and perfect in every way. He slept and slept. We had to work to get him to be awake.
I never gave up trying to learn how to crochet. It was tedious and I would have to start over so often. I did make a few nice rows and decided it was a cat scarf. I am determined to make something for Colt. It was so hard the last couple days. I was about to head back to Iowa knowing how fast little ones change at this stage. The next time I would hold Colt he would change so much. Jayden and I always look forward to the next get together and we know that in February Mark and I would be visiting after a trip to FL.
I gave my goodbye hugs and cuddles and kissed that sweet baby goodbye. I also read Colt the little Grandma book before I left. E and B drove me to the airport. They wanted to take me out to lunch first, but we barely had extra time. I was overweight with my luggage. Bale had given me 3 lbs of pecans to take home. It was too heavy for my luggage to I had to carry them around on my backpack. Every time I leave Abilene, I sit in the seat near the gate looking straight out on the wide open terrain and think about my coming and going. I am thankful for air travel, but I am sad we will not get to be together as long or as often as we would like. I fear that in time, we will get together less and less often. I really pray that is not the case. I am so very happy for my sweet girl to have a life that she is loving, a home that is almost ready to move in, a husband that loves her, and a perfect new little son. Praise God!
No matter how much you prepare for it, the gut punch comes.
The jolt to your insides knowing it's going to be a while until you see them again.
It doesn't matter
if they walk away, drive away or fly away.
It doesn't matter if they are 18, 28 or 48.
It doesn't matter if you can video message, digital message or text message.
There's just something about being in the same place, the same house, the same room.
Where you can reach across the table or across the couch cushions and give whatever touch is comfortable.
A hug. A stroke of the hair. A pat on the back.
Where you can chat until the wee hours about nothing and everything, eating snacks without a care in the world that you'll pay for in the morning or when you step on your scale.
Where you can hear their footsteps, smell their particular "flavor" as you walk into the bathroom and perhaps sneak a glance in their general direction soaking in the view of their profile.
As they turn and give a wave, going off to live their best life once again, you remember all that's good and right, even if only for a moment.
You love them beyond anything you ever thought imaginable.
You already miss everything about them, even the mess they made in the kitchen at 2 am.
You have given them the wings to fly away. Or walk. Or drive.
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