Birthday Weekend

I turned 59 this past weekend. Not so very young. But not so very old either. I am a bit stiff when I get up from sitting for a while, and I have a wish list of age-related things I would like to change about my appearance. But the stiffness is a minor issue, and the people in my life look at me past skin deep. 

At 59, I feel more relaxed. Yes, I still have multiple to do lists through which I work diligently. But, I think I’m finally at the point where I’m willing to admit I’m retired. My days are filled with things like tennis, and writing, and short naps, and walks (or slow runs). And I’m getting better about not feeling guilty about it.

I’m also finally in a position where I can pick up and go. I don’t have the albatross of a big house with a big yard weighing me down. I no longer have children or parents that need my care (a bit of a double-edged sword). 

And, as you know, I’m a grandmother. What could make 59 better than that?

So this past weekend, I dropped my to do lists and picked up and went to New Jersey to spend my 59^th birthday with Caleb.

He is now three months old. What a difference since I last saw him in person. Back then, we had concerns he was not putting on enough weight. That is no longer a concern. And there is nothing better than a baby’s face lighting up with a smile at the sight of you.

Over the course of the long weekend (we arrived late Thursday night and left late Monday afternoon), I enjoyed getting to know him all over again. 

With infants, it’s all about their schedule – figuring it out as it constantly evolves and working around it. This is Caleb’s current day time schedule:

• Wake up.
• Babble, gurgle, smile, chortle, wave arms, and kick legs for about 15 minutes.
• Fuss or cry (sometimes loudly) for 2 minutes.
• Guzzle bottle.
• Babble, gurgle, smile, chortle, wave arms, and kick legs for about an hour.
• Fuss or cry (sometimes loudly) for 2 minutes.
• Sleep for 45 minutes to an hour or so.
• Repeat until bedtime.

The following activities are sprinkled throughout that schedule at various points:

• Blowing out his diaper.
• Listening to Dad, Mom, and Grampy sing Disney, Raffi, and made up songs that include his full name to him.
• Tummy time.
• Being moved from one baby type device to another including play mats (one upstairs, one downstairs), a DockATot, a rocker, a frog seat (new), a boppy, his crib under a Mozart/Beethovan mobile, and Grandma’s lap.

Tummy time is something new for me. When my kids were infants, we put them to sleep on their stomachs, and, therefore, they always got “tummy time”. Now the new protocol is to put babies on their backs when they go to sleep. So you need to set aside time for them be on their tummies to practice lifting their heads and their bodies and learning to roll over. They do not like tummy time.

The adults also had their daily schedule. Their favorite part of the schedule was porch time. Every day, late in the afternoon when it had cooled off, we would go outside to sit on the patio (the potential future site of a three season porch) to enjoy a charcuterie board and a beverage or two. We liked porch time about as much as Caleb disliked tummy time.

We also went to a winery on my actual birthday where we enjoyed various charcuterie boards and wine prior to porch time. So we might have a problem. I swear one of the reasons that Chris enjoys our visits so much is because it gives him an excuse to have a glass of wine or whatever Nicole is mixing up.

And just so that I don’t disappoint people, I will briefly list some other tasks I completed in addition to holding Caleb and nibbling on his cheeks:

• Washed the patio cushions, and, when that did not have the results we were looking for, I spray painted one of the cushions. (In hindsight, maybe not something I would recommend.)
• Reorganized a kitchen cabinet. (They added some new dishes.)
• Put some garden fencing up around the base of the shed to stop Leo from chasing squirrels underneath it. 
• Installed some smoke detectors since the house was shy a few according to current codes.
• Participated in a mini demo of the kitchen. (The new fridge got delivered but did not fit under the kitchen cabinet. So we took down the kitchen cabinet which left an unpainted wall behind it and an exposed and damaged cabinet to the left to of it.)

After salvaging what I could from the now extra cabinet so they could do repairs on the now damaged cabinet, we piled in the car and headed out. 

There was a silver lining to the fridge not fitting:  With the fridge pulled away from the wall while we worked on the cabinet, we discovered the water line to the fridge was leaking. Who knows what kind of damage that would have caused if we hadn’t discovered it early on. And I got to go into a crawl space for the first time ever!

And because I am missing Heather terribly, I am including a pic of what she was up to this weekend. I am proud to say she excels at picking up and going.

So, I am 59 now. Moving forward, I’ll do my best to

• relax,
• pick up and go,
• revel in being a grandmother,
• and keep my to do lists under control (unless I am having fun with them).