Zuzu pictures are like greeting cards from Bermuda

When Rod and I met in 1985, it was prior to email.  After I left Bermuda, having met him and fallen totally over heels in love, our first cards to each other crossed in the mail.  For the next 18 months we both wrote 1 card a day to each other.  At first, I would read every card every night.  That became unwieldy when I received more than 20 cards, so I would read just the most recent ones.  Occasionally, when I was really missing him, I would read them all.

Similarly the same feeling is happening with Zuzu pictures.  My wonderful son and his wife are supplying me with daily texts of photos of Sarah Hazel Swartzbaugh.  The first day of her life I spent many hours looking at recent pictures.  In fact, at George and Judy's house the night of her birth, 5  devices were being looked at with pictures of Zuzu (her nickname).

I have been putting the pictures in a Picasa Web Album and when I get bored, curious, angry, happy, content, depressed, etc, I pull up that album.  She is now 16 days old, so the album is getting BIG.  I know the novelty of having a granddaughter will wear off, but my delight of looking at the most recent picture will not and I will occasionally go back when she is 20 and look at the entire album.

Technology has changed in the last 28 years, but not the delight at reading/watching communication from/of loved ones.

Mémère

Polaroid gave me some important things.  Two of those are Bethany's name and my grand mother name.  I worked with someone who's daughter was named Bethany.  We worked together on a Holiday party.  I heard the name that day and pretty much was sold on the name over any other one we talked about.  Fortunately Rod agreed, because this event was before I met him.

Mémère comes from my friend Kris (Priscilla).  She was a Mémère when I worked with her and she was a damn good one.  She is of French Canadian descent and this is what they call the grandmother.  It has such a wonderful sound and of all the names I contemplated it seems to work for me.  I knew almost since I heard Kris use that name that if I were ever to become a grandmother, that was the name I wanted my grandchildren to call me.  Truth be told, she will call me whatever she chooses, but if the parents refer to me by Mémère, we stand a better chance.

She is only 6 days old and I have described the name and it's pronunciation to many people so here is how it is pronounced,  MEH May.  A lot of people try to pronounce mere like the French say mother but there is no R.

It is interesting, this naming of the grandmother.  We called my grandmother Mama, but our first cousins called her Dody and everyone else called her Miss Jo.  It was very confusing as a child.  We called our other grandmother Grandma Katie.  I often wondered why we did not call Mama, Grandma Jo or Grandma Josephine.  We called my one grandfather, Grandpa, because the other one died before we were born.  That made more sense.

So who knows if Mémère will stick but I really like the sound of it and the anticipation of Sarah Hazel Swartzbaugh calling me that one day, melts my heart once more.

Typing this post also helped me find out how to type accents acute and grave ; )

Grandparenthood - Just call me Memere

Many people described being a grand parent as the most wonderful experience.  They did not use a lot of detailed description but there was that look in their eyes that indicated it was unique, unusual and indescribable.

Last Sunday morning, my mobile dinged, indicating a text, at 5:30 am.  They were on their way to the hospital.  I have been sleeping next to my mobile for a week just in case they texted in the middle of the night.

We were up and awake already so we stayed up to watch the sunrise at Coniston.  The anticipation was similar to our own labor but obviously not as intense.  We distracted ourselves with a ride up the Hero Islands over the bridge to Rousse's Point NY and back on the ferry to Mike and Pegs' and a dinner visit with cousins Linda and Becky.  We contemplated going to Montreal but did not want to be that far away.  As it turns out, we could have made that trip.

We then drove to Burlington and just caught George and Judy coming back from the airport.  We had Old fashioneds with them at the Hotel Vermont and then we were invited to stay the night with them, in case there was a text in the middle of the night.  Nothing overnight.

We spent Monday distracting ourselves again with shopping and Starbucks and long walks.  We made lunch and in the middle of lunch we got the text "She's here".

My wonderful family can describe better my excitement but I was shaking so much I could not even compose the text to let my Mom and siblings know.  I continued the message to them "Crick just texted me "She's here"".  We texted back, can we visit, and 20 minutes later we were in the elevator of the hospital.  I almost got on Fox TV as we were joined in the elevator by a hospital executive and the news crew.  "We are new grand parents!"  I blurted out.  I had also told most of Church Street that I was about to be a grand mother.

As we entered the room, I will never forget the sight of my son holding his new daughter.  Meg was exhausted and also looked lovingly at her husband holding their daughter.  I have only held my two children in the first hour of their life so it was such an honor to be there. I got to hold her for a few minutes before handing her back to those capable hands of her father when she got fussy.

We have had two other visits since then including one with Bethany who drove up from Boston on Monday night.  She was going to wait, but when we were there for the first time, her niece whimpered and she heard that.  There was no stopping her from coming up as soon as she could.

We get daily texted pictures from Crick who has a permanent smile on his face as he watches Meg hold their daughter or he holds her himself.

This newly expanded family is settling into their new life with this little one.  We are adjusting to having another dimension to our lives, this unconditional love and legacy of family,  AND the birth of our grand daughter.  The magnetic pull from Vermont which was already pretty strong just got stronger.  I now understand that look in grandparent's eyes.  I am starting to understand that this is a very different relationship that any I have had with anyone before.

If you wonder why I am Memere, that is the topic of another post.