Many years ago, Husband and I lived the life that Son and my favorite Daughter-in-law are living now. I’d forgotten some things about life with a two-year old toddler and a newborn, but it all came back to me during a weeklong visit with Son and his family.
When a toddler goes to bed at 7:00 p.m., he gets up at 5:30 a.m. When he goes to bed at 8:00, he gets up at 5:30.
Newborn diapers are the size of a standard letter envelope.
Bananas taste better when you hold the whole banana. Why did I ever think my toddler Grand would like a banana cut into slices?
Newborns relax and sleep when they are swaddled tightly in a blanket, and swaddling takes practice. My three-week old Grand squirmed enough to free his arms when I wrapped him, but he stayed tightly cocooned when his mother swaddled him.
Newborns spit up within thirty minutes after being dressed in a clean outfit.
It’s fun to see the big green garage truck stop in front of your house. A city worker dumps the contents of your fifty-gallon trashcan into the back of the truck and then the trash is all gone.
Don’t say ‘outside’ unless you plan to go outside. And don’t say ‘take a walk,’ unless you are ready to go outside right that minute and take your toddler with you.
A walk around the block is an adventure. Yellow flowers, smooth rocks, and Linden tree leaves are treasures.
Choose a book that you truly like to read aloud. After I read the last page of Dr. Seuss’s There’s a Wocket in My Pocket, my toddler Grand immediately said, “Agen!” By the fourth reading, I wished I’d chosen a different book.
When you take a newborn to the grocery store, other shoppers who are close by walk slowly and speak softly.
A towel draped over a kitchen table chair is a perfect hiding place, and a toddler is quiet when he hides.
Peek-a-boo is a laugh out loud game. I covered my face with my hands and said, “Where’s Dan?” My toddler Grand dumped the wooden blocks out of a plastic tub and covered his head. He lifted the tub and giggled when I simply said, “Peek-a-boo!”
Newborns cry when they are hungry or have a dirty diaper or need to burp. And sometimes a newborn cries and only he knows why.
A toddler can be one second away from a melt down, especially when he is tired or hungry.
It’s makes you happy when you serve a second helping of your home-cooked spaghetti to a toddler, and he pumps his fists and says “Oh, yeah!”
A wooden train set can entertain a toddler for at least twenty minutes, several times a day. Eight train cars can be lined up in many different ways.
When a newborn sleeps in your arms, you should sit perfectly still and savor every moment.
It’s okay to go to bed before dark. The toddler in his room. The grandmother in hers.
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Filed under: Family, Grandchildren | Tagged: Grandchildren, Grandparents, toddler and newborn |
Susan Writes 
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