Holiday happenings

Well, this was probably the best Christmas in the last 4. We did not have any personal drama to mar the festiviites. Our granddaughter was with us for Christimas morning for the first time. She had a great time seeing what Santa brought and
opening gifts, then we went to my mom's and after lunch did it all over again. She loved passing out the gifts and "helping" us open our, and of course opening hers. One of her favorites is a furry pink pig that is "real: you squeeze his back and he oinks and stretches and grunts etc. He will act intermittently for a little while after he is squeezed which adds to his real ness. His name is Pookey. He has been wrapped up in a blanket and carted all over. He has a tiny baby bottle for when he is hungry. She also got a Dora talking kitchen which she loves. We have cooked and eaten all sorts of things. It is her new house. Some of her babies are there too. I put one of her small chairs in front of it and I am going to find something to use for a table other that the floor. She stayed in her pj's the whole day. She was happy, got hyper when she missed her nap. Eventually settled down and slept like a log.

holiday plans

The best laid plans often go awry. I had so many ideas to do with my granddaugher this December. I did get to make some cookies with her and we made some ornaments for the tree. but that has been it. My reindeer pieces remain in the bag from the store. The pretzels for dipping have not yet been bought. She drew 2 Christmas cards for me tonight. They'll never get finished. Maybe she's too young for me to plan so much stuff. Maybe I am too old. or too tired.

She currently is asleep in her own bed.First time in many moons. Many moons. This is weird not having her sucked up against me in our double bed. I need her to sleep in her own bed. She needs to sleep in her own bed. But,,,what does this mean, that she is growing up, that I am allowing her to break away and have some independence...that she will be a tiny bit less co dependent...egad woman, what are you thingking.

Branching out

We have had a first. For the first time since obtaining custody of our grand daughter, we arranged for a "sitter" and went out. Now, it was not just any sitter mind you. It was the best one around, a dear relative of mine who is young and energetic. When she was a youngster, this relative was with us often. Or at least I remember it as often. I hope it was often. They were significant moments for me. She is now grown, married, a professional. She tugs at my heart. I am totally comfortable with her and any decision she might make. I keep saying I am going to make time for more of a relationship between her and my grand daughter. If I don't hurry up, my grand daughter will be the one who is grown, marriied and a professional. TIme flies by at an alarming rate and as you get older it just goes faster.

Today the grand daughter went to the other MawMaw's and the plan was for her to spend the night unless she just could not stand the idea of not being here. This is a big step for the child as she went through a stage where she went no where else but with us or her mother. We did not hear from them so we assume that all went well. Her other MawMaw is trying very hard to include her in their lives, not that we don't try also. There are only so many hours in a day and days in a week. Other MawMaw has an 11 year old son who is active in sports, a husband who runs a successful business, a daughter who is nutso, a mother and father, a grandmother who is Alzheimering in a nice nursing home, a great aunt who just died last week, their two homes with many years of accumulated stuff to empty and close, and a one year old grand daughter who is the half-sister to ours.

It was a big step for us too. We don't mind her going there at all. Because of her fear of being left, we have stayed while she visited many times. This time the plan was a drop off and go. It worked fine. We stopped at the store on the way home, I took a nap, fixed lunch and made coffee afterward, then worked in the girl's room until I couldn't stand it any more. I almost cleared off her bed. Hey, it's been a while and she is going to start sleeping in her own bed in her room next to ours, not with us.

parade antics

WHen you take a 4 year old to a parade, what do you get? At first a scared, shy little person who is afraid that the motorcycles will make a loud pop and make you jump. Then you get a brave little girl who is right up there with her 11 year old uncle hollering and jumping for stuff. Then you get a groovin chickie who has purple beads wrapped around both wrists (handcuff style, if you will) who is hollering, Hey I'm over here, throw me some candy" and dancing like I don't know what to the drummers in the marching bands and any body's float music. She turned into Hanna Montana and was making sure everybody knew it up on the back of other PawPaw'sw truck. She was not ready to go home when it was over. But she didnot fuss or cry, she was a happy camper till bedtime. meaning she went to sleep without any fuss. She had a ball.

The woman is nuts

My Gran'baby MaMa is nuts. Just in case you didn't know. After the church party last night, while we were taking Gran'baby out to her mom's for a little one on one, I thought it was odd that when we got there, her car was no where to be seen. I said, What are you doing, hiding from soneone? She said no. I said "Is it easier to get in the house from the back door?" She said, "I don't have a key to the front door". HMMM odd.

Today, I actually needed her to keep the Gran'baby this evening while I went to the office supper so that PawPaw wouldn't have to do it by himself. till I got back. When I called the MaMa to verify the arrangement she said"Did you talk to my parents last night/" I said what do you mean. She said "I'll call you back". Of course she did not call me back.

Later, I called the MaMa's mama, Ms. B. Well, I did not realize they had tried to call me. I didn't check the answering machine and my cell phone had died. I got an earful today. Ms. B has had all she can deal with and says she will no longer participate in any supervised visitation, and no unsupervised visitation will take place. Period. Until the Mama can show that she is participating in the aftercare plan that has been set up for her for almost one year.

She said it was ugly all day, but it got very ugly after we left with the Granbaby to go to the church party. Ms. B said that the Mama was an A-hole to them all day. When we were there I noticed that the Mama was a little on edge. There was a little bit going on with her three kids, Ms. B's other child, her uncle, her mom and dad and the two of us, the TV, a present for the baby, competition between the two girls, our hyper Granbaby getting ready for the party, etc. We left at ten till 5, by 6:15 there was screaming, broken baby food jar in the driveway, a phsyical altercation between the Mama and her dad, accusations, a crying 7 year old hiding behind a door saying "Why does my Mama have to act like this?"

She left the baby behind when the other PawPaw said give me her stuff. And she took off. Later the other PawPaw brought her the rest of her stuff from the store building and got the babys things. They tried to call us to alert us that things were not good.

She acted "normal" like nothing was wrong. Was all about the Granbaby etc. Today when I tried to talk to her about it, she said as ususal, that her phone was going out. At ten til 5 she was "on her way to pick up the Granbaby from Day school" At ten til 6, Ms. B called to say that no one had picked her up. at 5 til 6 the Mama picked her up and proceeded to call me and tell me that she was sick and that she didn't have any medicine for her and she was going to come pick ours up. At 8:30 she still had not come, so I called to see what was up. A friend was coming to pick it up and bring it to her. I don't know whether to believe her or not that the child is ill. She says she will take her to the doctor tomorrow. We will see.

She just told me the other day that the judge sentenced her to anger managment classes after the Halloween incident. She still hasn't done the drug treatment and counseling she was supposed to do after the hospital. Now here we are with another incident that she is blaming someone else for. This has to be the last straw, but there has to be a way to protect the Granbaby from any more hurt at the same time. She will be the one who cries for her mama.

I need to talk to my lawyer. I need more money. This needs to go to court for something official before something else happens.