Just a Moment

I have never been so happy as to hear my grandbaby downstairs screaming her head off as her mother wraps her in her blanket for the afternoon nap. I listen to the banter her momma says as she wraps her daughter in her nice warm blanket like a burrito. Nap time will bring about a bit of silence and a bit of happiness for a few hours.

I have been a grandmother for four years now. I gaze upon each child looking for little hints of her in them. The one screaming downstairs has her temper and her cuteness. My daughter gave my grandson the abandonment of danger attitude. Both babies have been a blessing in this old ladies' life. I feel blessed to gain the title.

As I write, my oldest grandbaby is watching his favorite space video snuggled with me under the warm blankets. He loves the kids' show called Cosmo Planet. My four year old grandson knows all the planets and where they are in the order of the solar system. I wish he was verbal so he could awe me with the facts he has learned from his space show. Music is a part of the teaching tool of such programs. When he hears the music, he acts out the song in his own interpretation. I often wonder if I will be watching him on stage one day. If that happens, I will be a proud grandma out in the audience.

When I am here, I have a little shadow where ever I go. Just when I think he is busy, I try and go to have some "alone time". Not a moment later, I will hear his sweet voice yelling, "Nookii, Nookii were you!" I need a shower but I think I will have to wait for little man to go down for a nap. He doesn't need to see that information. I am almost certain he would insist on bathing with me, so, I will have to wait for him to settle in for an afternoon nap. Perhaps then, I can be free of my little shadow for a spell.

I am not use to so much attention. By 1pm, grandma needed a nap. Playing is so strenuous for the aged one. However, the 4 year old bounced from the bed to the floor until Grandma was just watching with the eyes of amazement. Where do they get all that energy? I can't imagine how I am going to make it through the day. I needed rest and little man "tried" to shut down for a nap. With no success, I work to see his dark beautiful eyes looking up at his grandma. Nothing like waking up to the attention of your favorite male.

As I slowly opened my eyes after a snorting snore, I found myself being admired by my grandson. His eyes are midnight dark and one can feel the weight of his stare as I woke up. Our eyes met and I smiled at his loving stare. Obviously, he wasn't sleepy but he waited for me to wake. How sweet he let me sleep for an hour.

His little hand reached up to touch my face as he said, "Nookii sleepy?"

After a yawn and stretch I said, "Yes, my baby, I was tired. Did you sleep?"

"Too Loud." he said in his broken annunciation.

Well, I guess, I kept him awake with my snoring. Poor little guy. I wonder how long I slept sawing logs in my dreams. To keep him awake, it must have been louder than thunder. He usually sleeps really well but not today thanks to grandma's snores.

Shrill baby screams rang through the stairwell alerting the two of us that little sister was awake. I look at my grandson and he slithers out of bed and runs to close the bedroom door, With a slam, the door closed and my grandbaby covered his ears with an angry expression. He listened at the door for a moment then nodded that the noise had lessened.

The little man has been so patient through his sister's arrival. He is quiet. She is not. He loves to watch educational videos and she renders his world filled with noise. He has a limit. Like everyone does. Her crying causes great stress and worsens as his night draws long. To assist him, Nookii has shown him that his bedroom is the place to go to get some peace from his sister's wailing. Finding a bit of peace in his room will help him to escape the pressures of being a big brother. There are times when his patience wanes and I am trying to show him how to find some peace.

Hunger outweighs the need for silence. We creep down the stairs to find little sis and mom staring at us. We send out general greetings to the pair as we pass by and we hear little sis voice her displeasure that we didn't stay. Oh well, I can't make everyone happy. Perhaps, if I feed her, she will forgive me for ignoring her screams. If I feed her, maybe her mother can enjoy some silence as well.

Little man is autistic and has the condition called "food avoidance syndrome". He will only eat certain food. He is easy to cook for, but my daughter and grandbaby not so much. I really didn't hunger for chicken nuggets and fries. I want something more. At moments like these, I wish I had a magic wand to just make the juicy hamburger appear. That wasn't going to happen so chicken soup and grill cheese sandwiches would have to do. I know that this simple meal wouldn't be avoided by the masses.

With a plan in mind, I look down at the dark eyes closely watching me. How do I keep this daredevil safe as he "helps" me with this chore. As I open the kitchen cabinet, I groaned at the can of soup set on a shelf way above my head. No matter how I try, I can't reach it. To my surprise, little man pulled at a step ladder from behind a shelf. His little body struggled to tug it out of its hiding place. I watched for a moment because I am a firm believer of "letting them do" the task they choose to do. I just watched to see how he was going to achieve his goal of helping his grandma. With a sharp tug, he freed the stepladder and looked at me with wide surprised eyes.

With a smile, I thanked him for his help and opened the ladder to use. One step then two, my short frame finally reached the can of soup. I crawled down and turned him to and said, "Up there" as I signaled him to climb up to countertop height. His little eyes watched every move I made. Bread, cheese, butter, and pans were laid out in front of us. His eyes widened as I opened and emptied the can of soup into the pan. I reached over and turned on the water and offered the can to him and said, "One can of water please." He excitedly smiled and he put the can under the water until it overflowed. I quickly turn off the water and took the can and told him to get down so we could move the ladder to the stove. He climbed back up and poured the water into the pan. I thanked him for his help with loving grandma eyes.

Soon I made browned grilled cheese sandwiches appear on a plate and ladled warm soup into the bowls. I placed them on the table and called the girls to come and eat. Little Lady was placed into her highchair even though she was still wailing and the rest of us sighed and wondered if this wasn't going to be a peaceful meal. I shrugged at little man and placed the soup and sandwich in front of him. I know he won't eat the soup but I was hoping he would enjoy the cheese fill bread.

I turned towards my daughter and grandbaby and said, "Dip a piece of sandwich in the soup and give it to her. Let's see what she will do."

Little Ladies' eyes watched her mother prepare her treat. After the juicy morsel was placed on her tray, she grabbed it and scarfed it down. She is a good eater but this morsel of bread was consumed in seconds. With a smile, her mother gave her a bit more and soon, the little lady was silently eating her second bite slower and with smiling eyes. In the corner of my eye, I indirectly watched me grandson dip his sandwich into the soup. I signaled to my daughter to look at her son. She watched him with wide eyes to see if he would eat it. He did but spit it out. Too mushy. He doesn't like mushy food. However, the little lady enjoyed the whole meal.

As I sat there eating my meal with my grandbabies and daughter, all I could do is smile. My granddaughter is so like her mother and my grandson is a lot like me. You wouldn't know that I too have trouble with different foods but I have found ways to adjust. In time, with experiments, he too will adjust. I just took in the moment and loved the meal we shared together.