Share Six: April 2022: Joy

This month Kathrine of Cobert Photography chose the theme {Joy}. Kathrine is going to some personal struggles right now, and my prayers are with her and her family as they walk each day.

When I was 17 my mom turned 50. As an arrogant teenager I really thought my mom was old. How little did I know. I have by-passed 50, and rapidly approaching the big 60 and I don’t feel old. I lie, there are days when I feel old, but not everyday.

My mom loved being a grandmother. She transitioned into the role with glee. I couldn’t imagine being a grandmother. Did that make me old? I hoped not. Amy was adamant that she did not want children, and Cameron’s and Kathryn are not able to have children. So I figured I would never become a grandmother.

To some degree I grieved that thought. I wanted to be a grandmother, just not old lol. Little did I know what {Joy} it being a grandmother would actually be.

This little man came into our lives at a time when life was so unsettled. We were dealing with Richard’s melanoma diagnosis, Amy’s high risk pregnancy, Amy buying a house, Hoo dying, my brother having a melanoma diagnosis, my sister in law being diagnosed with Colon cancer, and me having covid. It seemed like once a month something stressful was happening. I am an emotional eater, this is not pretty.

In September I was already worrying about Luka’s arrival. I was with Amy as much as I could be. I was on the phone the whole day she was in labor. It was a long day going well into the evening. And finally at 10:50pm he was born. Amy had me on facetime within minutes of him being born. He was so beautiful. My heart was relieved and filled with joy.

Where sorrow had been sitting on every aspect of our lives, this little boy brought such joy.

When I looked at Luka all I could see was Cameron, my son. I was amazed at how the genes had transferred from one generation to another. He is definitely our side of the family. More recently I have begun to see Amy in his face. She had a lot more hair but even the coloring is hers.

One of the fun things we get to do with him now that he has got a bit older is water time. He loves his swim time in the jacuzzi. He is so cute to watch as he is already instinctively kicking his legs. I will also take him out of his floatie and hold him under his body and let him kick as well. My goal is to teach him to swim as soon as possible.

At some point when he started drooling, I bought a pack of “My First” bibs. So recently we took him along to the St Patrick’s Day Parade so that he could wear his bib and enjoy that wee bit of heritage that comes from my maternal grandmothers side of the family. My great great grandparents originated in Ireland, moved to York, England, and then my great grandfather took his family to South Africa. Where our downline continued. Luka is our first generation American.

Amy is a great mother to Luka. She does all sorts of activities with him. She is constantly encouraging him. I told her today that she is really good with him, and she said he makes it easy. He really does. What has been a real joy for me is how much she trusts me to look after him. It is tough being a working mother and unfortunately I am a working grandmother. Truthfully, I think when you become a grandmother you should stop working and just enjoy baby life. Luka, right now, gets to spend Friday with me as that is the one day I do not work. While it can be stressful when he is crying, the moments when he is smiling and laughing brings such overwhelming love to my heart. His little giggles are infectious. I recall one day laughing with him so much I was crying.

His personality is a delight. He is such a happy baby. He has discovered his fingers, and at this time everything goes to his mouth. He has discovered that he can sit up, problem is that he is not totally steady. When he is in his stroller, he can hold on. He loves to be pushed around while he is sitting up. To help with the sit up time, we are working on the core. He love pulling himself up to a sitting position.

Tummy time is fun. He is learning to roll over, and I noticed on Friday, that he is starting to lift his tiny butt and push with his feet. The downside of this move is that his face goes forward to the floor. But one push at a time. This last week he found his voice and he is now very vocal. Sometimes I am not sure if it is a happy or mad vocalization but he sure is letting us know.

This little boy is my heart. He has lifted the sorrow of last year and has really helped to ease the pain. He brings me so much joy. If being a grandmother means I am getting old, I am more than happy to be old. I want to spend as much time as possible with this little guy. Fortunately he only lives 30 minutes away.

This is a circle blog and as I mentioned, we have some very talented ladies in the group. The sneak peaks are stunning and I cannot wait to see the rest. Take some time to follow the links and see what they have for you this month. My incredibly talented friend Kathrine of Cobert Photography up next is up next. I can’t wait to see what she has to share. You can see more of her work by clicking on her Facebook and  Instagram pages. Definitely check out her incredible art.

Come and share your images  Facebook and Instagram tagging #sharesix_joy

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