Now that the scary stuff with Owen is over with, I have a little time to reflect on my extended visit with Amelia. As you may know, it was the first time that we met since I have not been able to make it up to Maryland to visit since she was born on my birthday almost two years ago.
Because she did not know me, she fought everything I needed to do for her. Change a diaper? Nope, she ran away. Wipe her nose? Oh, heck no! She ran away. Get dressed? Forget that, you old hag! She ran away. This went on for the first four or five days. After that, she gradually warmed up to me, but by then, it was a game to run away. The difference was that instead of saying “No, Ganny, I don’t want to!” while running away, she laughed while running away. Sigh.
We had some good times, for sure. I discovered that she loves grapes and bananas. That she will ask to watch Despicable Me and “Ming Ming” on TV. That she calls her bottle her BoBo. And that she likes sleeping in her own bed with the door shut. That her “Blankie” must be within eyesight at all times. I also discovered that she does not like having her hair brushed, wearing her glasses, or wearing pants for very long at a time.
By the end of the “Twelve Days of Ganny”, we were good friends. She helped me make a video for Owen. On the last day there, she even came over to my chair and lifted her arms to me to be picked up after she had her bath and was in her jammies. Even with her Mummy and Daddy in the same room. I would say progress was made.
Aww. she’s such a cutie pie! Better not make the time before a next visit so long or you’ll have to start all over!!
Delightful. You’ll be sharing this story with Amelia in the future.
What a scary time that must have been … parents gone for hours at a time, hadn’t seen big brother for days…. You did real good, FabGrandma! She’ll have the pictures you took to remember… and the story to go with them.
I had the experience of having a granddaughter not take to me, and the problem was not that i didn’t get to see her. She just didn’t particularly like me! It was fairly demoralizing to me, since I had bonded quickly with my other grandchildren. She outgrew it before she was a year old, but I do sympathize! So glad you hit it off in the end.
I knew before I got there that she wouldn’t know me. The hardest part of it was that I was having to care for her, and she ran from me for everything. I was worn out!