Apr. 04, 2005 ~ Grandmotheritis
I've got a serious case of grandmotheritis. A co-worker stopped by my office today and told me what she needed to have in the next newsletter. When she was done, she said, "And other than that, I don't have anything new."
With a quick grin and lightning-fast reflexes, I said, "I do!" and picked up the framed 5 by 7 of Little Precious One and turned it so Co-worker could see it. After ooohhing and ahhhing appropriately, she asked, "And where was she born?"
**"North Carolina."
She actually gasped. "Oh, you poor thing. I feel so sorry for you!"
"Hey, I spent the entire weekend feeling sorry for myself!"
"How far away is that?"
"Really far. And I'm not there."
Co-worker is a new grandmother herself and very much understands how I feel. It's a crazy roller-coaster ride. Bursting into tears if someone even looks at me wrong. Forgetting where I put everything. Forgetting why I came into a room. Crying because I'm happy. Crying because I'm not happy at all. A friend called yesterday morning from an airplane, in, just guess... NORTH CAROLINA. She had flown out to visit her daughter there, and just wanted to see if there was any grandbaby news. "Say hi to my babies for me!" I said. And was both happy and sad. Yesterday at Wally-World I calmly put a jug of fabric softener in someone else's cart. We all got a good laugh out of that. Well, Husband had been right there, and I didn't know he had moved, and I thought that was our cart! Today I forgot to put on sunscreen, and deodorant, and I'm just lucky I remembered to wear real clothes to work.
Our financial administrator was grumbling at work this morning about the count being wrong for the offering. It was way off, not even close.
"Who counted it?" I asked.
"Your husband!" he replied.
"Oh, well THAT explains it! It's just Grandfatheritis!"
Both of these "-itises" strike soon after the birth of a grandchild. They affect your brain, your heart and your soul. You can't think clearly, your heart is overflowing, and your soul longs to hold that little bundle in your arms.
I've talked with Son and Son's wife every day since Little One was born. He has sent pictures every day. He said he will keep doing that, and we're going to get a web cam, so we can see Little One in action. Life before the Internet must have been incredibly painful for long-distance grandparents. But we are already talking about our first visit to see Sweetness. See? My brain is so muddled that I can't even settle on an online name for her!
** Note to North Carolina friends: Your state is absolutely beautiful, wonderful, and a great place to live. It's just that it's about a million miles away from here. Or that's what it feels like.
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