I Love You To The Moon and Back

What is it about the moon?  I have always loved the moon.  Especially, here in Tucson.  It seems so much bigger.  I think it is the way the mountains are here.  The moon rises over the Rincon Mountains and it wraps its arms around me and pulls me toward it every time.  When I get the opportunity to see it peek out from the mountains as it rises, it takes my breath away.

In the past couple of years, I have been using the moon to help me feel closer to Sojo when we are apart.  I tell her that whenever she misses us, to look at the moon and know that we cannot be that far apart because we are all under the same moon.  And, we tell her we love her to the moon and back.  The night before we leave them or they leave us, I like to take her outside and look at the moon.  It makes me feel better to know that we are all under the same moon.  I makes me feel like maybe we aren't that far apart.  I hope someday that it does the same for her.

The moon has become special with Augie too.  Just a month (and one day) ago, we went to the hospital to wait for Augie's birth.  As we were walking from the parking lot to the hospital, I looked up and there was that moon again.  Full and bright...seemingly leading the way.  I was in awe of it, as I always am.  I thought of the wonder of it all and knew that it paled compared to the awe and wonder of what was about to happen inside that hospital.  So, the moon has become a special piece of the world for another grandchild.  Augie was one month old yesterday and this moon of ours is high in the sky again, full and glowing.  I think it will become something special for Augie as he grows and we tell him the story of seeing the full moon rising the night of his birth.

I think God gave me the moon just for my grandchildren and me.  Okay, so maybe not...maybe it is there for everyone.  Yet, I think it has a special meaning for me that everyone else may not know.  It is special for me, because I cannot look at the moon without thinking about my grandchildren and how blessed we are to have each of them in our lives.  They are our greatest blessing.  Each time I look at the moon I am reminded of the blessing they are in my life and I am filled with gratitude. Sojo and Augie...I love you both to the moon and back and I look forward to all the days and adventures we will have in the future. 

On My Own

Well, yesterday I was able to have Augie all to myself for about an hour and a half.  His Mommy had to go to the doctor and his Papa was working.   Enter...Nana to the rescue.

I have to admit I was a bit nervous. . Yes, even after giving birth to and raising three children, I was wondering if I could handle this job.  After all, he is brand new (just over 3 weeks) and I have not done this new baby thing in over 34 years.  We did just fine.  Of course, he was in complete control and I did everything he asked for.  Rock, hold, snuggle, sing, rock some more, walk around some, change his diaper, feed him and then I started the whole routine over again.  That's the way it goes.

The rocking and holding and walking and snuggling was the easy part. It was that holding and getting the diaper stuff and bottle ready that I thought might be tricky.  Well, it actually went easier than I thought.  I thought maybe I had forgotten how to hold with one arm and get everything ready with the other.  Miraculously, it all came back to me.  I got the bottle ready with one arm/hand and held Augie with the other.  While the bottle was warming, I took him in one arm and got the diaper routine ready.  He loves to have his diaper off and lay on the changing table. He turns his head and looks around every time.  I don't know what it is about it, but he loves it.  It is a bright room with beautiful afternoon lighting.  Maybe that is it or maybe it is having his bottom free from the restraints of a diaper that he loves.  We were headed out the door to get the bottle when I heard the sound of something in the diaper area. Oops...back to the changing table we went for another diaper change.  Then, off to the kitchen for that bottle.  He seemed pretty content in my arms while drinking his bottle that his Mommy had ready for him.  I know he prefers her skin to skin, but the bottle is a great substitute when she isn't handy.  He gave 3 "big boy burps" during this event and was wide awake the entire time.  I thought I would put him down on his "boppy"for a minute and take a picture and then Mommy came to the door and was ready to have him in her arms again. She misses him so much when she is away from him.  I totally understand that. 

So, I think Augie and I did okay alone yesterday.  I think we are ready to go solo now.  Mommy has physical therapy twice a week for a back issue and in another few weeks she will be working one day a week.  Those will be Augie and Nana days.  I am so happy to be able to do this for Augie and help his Mommy and Daddy feel better about leaving him.  I know it must be hard for them.  They are so appreciative and I think I should be the one thanking them.  First for having confidence in me to take care of this precious little life and second for giving me this special time to be with my grandson.  His Granda is looking forward to retiring (again) soon and spending time with him too.  What a gift this little guy is.  How blessed we are.  I can't wait for our next day together Augie.

Big Boy Pants

We went for our "every few day Augie fix",  the other day.  Ron was going to help Sean with a house project and I had to tag along to make sure everything went right.  Right!  I tagged along, just to get to hold that little one in my arms and gaze at him...drinking in his goodness.  I know nothing about plumbing anyway, nor do I want to.  I think I got the better end of the deal, but I know Ron enjoyed just spending time with his son. 

  I got such a kick out of Augie in his "big boy pants".  I had only seen him in little baby onesies.  He had just had his bath and since it is officially fall here in the desert, it is actually not HOT anymore and little fleece pants were just perfect.  I just had to smile as he laid there looking so grown up already.  I can see how quickly time is going to fly, because every time I see him, he seems to have grown and changed dramatically.  He is barely 2 weeks old and so many changes already. 

 

  I love the way the sunlight is shinning on his sleeping face.  So precious.

 

He is finally opening his eyes more.  Well, I am sure his parents get more of this than we do...especially, in the middle of the night.  But, he is usually sleeping when we are there.  This was a rare peek at the little guy.  He looks like he might even be smiling at us.  Soon, he will recognize us and begin to smile when we see him.  Soon, he will know we are his Nana and Granda and know that seeing him is the greatest highlight of our day.   

 

 

HAPPY 6TH BIRTHDAY SOJO

  I had to snitch this picture from her mother, since we were not there for her birthday.  I think it is the cutest picture of her ever.  I love her disheveled hair and the missing tooth and the pure joy of her smile. I love the pj bottoms and the t-shirt falling off her shoulder.  It captures the essence of this child perfectly.  She is one funky and fun little girl.  I love this girl.

  

It has been hard for us this year, not being with her for her birthday.  We flew to Shanghai, China for her first birthday.  I made a last minute trip to Bangkok, Thailand for her 2nd birthday.  We made another trip to Bangkok for her 3rd birthday.  We missed #4.  We made another trip to Bangkok for #5 and had such fun at her Magician Birthday Party and traveling around Thailand together.  So, missing another birthday has been hard. But, we do have these pictures and memories packed inside our hearts.  We will treasure them all and look forward to another October in another year when God willing and the creeks don't rise, we will be able to once more travel across the seas to be there in person to celebrate the life of this beautiful little girl.  We will be able to see her smile, giggle and laugh and simply enjoy all the things that make a birthday special.  Until then, we offer prayers of thanksgiving for this little girl's life and how it is woven into ours.  Blessings and much love across the miles sweet Sojo!  Love you to the moon and back, Popo and Gong Gong.

Birthday #1   Birthday #2

 Birthday #3  Birthday #4

  Birthday #5

 

What fun to take a birthday walk through the years today....

 

 

Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You

There is a song titled, "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You", that I have always loved and it seems quite appropriate for little Augie, because I simply cannot take my eyes off of him.  I know this was written as a different kind of love song, but I have made it my love song to him, with a few words moved around.

 

 

 

You're just too good to be true
Can't take my eyes off of you
You are like heaven to touch
I wanna hold you so much
At long last you have arrived
And I thank God you're alive
You're just too good to be true
Can't take my eyes off of you

 

 

 

 

Honestly, I cannot take my eyes off of this little one.  He is so beautiful, he takes my breath away.  When I am with him, I take a gazillion pictures so I have them to continue to look at when I am not with him.  I take a couple of his parents, but really...it is all about him right now. 

 

He is changing so quickly.  Yesterday, was the first time he had his eyes open much when we were with him.  He is so sweet as his little eyes work so hard to focus.  You just know he is trying to see what is out here in this world.  He hears noises and responds if they are loud and he is startled by it.  Though, I am sure he hears everything that is being said to him.  I love singing this little song to him and thinking about how he may ask me to sing it to him someday.

 

I really have a hard time finding words to describe what is going on in my head and heart right now.  It is so BIG, I can't seem to wrap my head around it long enough to grab the words.  My heart is full and overflowing.  This is a gift that is beyond measure.  Being a grandparent is truly a reward of the greatest kind.

 

For a long time, I wondered if I would ever become a grandparent, and now here I am filled to the brim with love for two of them.  Truly, I am blessed beyond measure.

 

Augie is a week old today...well, he will be at 11:36 tonight.  This morning his grandfather and I had a Mass said for him.  As I heard Fr. Nicholas say, "this Mass is being said in thanksgiving for the birth of Augie Russell, by his grandparents Ron and Helen Russell", I was overwhelmed with joy and thanksgiving...tears welled up and I knew at that moment how truly blessed my life is.  Gratitude is all I could feel.  Augie, I thank God for the gift of your life to this world.

 

 



 

About Last Summer

In my prior blog, I had attempted to put a list of the top10  best things about last summer.  I am wordy, to say the least and only made 5 on my first try.  When I went back to put the other 5, that's when the problems came with inserted pictures and saving the files. So...here I am again, attempting once more to go back and get the best of the best about last summer.

 

Number Six -- The Annual Snapshot at the Airport 

This is always our very first picture of the season. Always, a picture in front of the lovely desert landscape at the airport.  There is no movement toward the car with all that luggage, until this picture has been taken.  It is a lovely way to document our excitement and joy and how Sojo has grown.

 

 

 

Number Seven --The Labyrinth

 

Sojo is the only 5 year old that I know, who knows about the labyrinth. She walked her first one when she was about 1 1/2 years old. It was a lovely one we found nestled in the woods at a park on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State.  We have one in our yard and she walks it every year.  I am not saying she understands all the ways in which a person can use it, but she knows it is something that you walk and reflect on.  This was the first year she actually stayed on the path.  She is usually jumping the rocks...which is absolutely fine.  We all meditate and pray in different ways. 

 

 

 

Number Eight -- 3 D Movies

 

Why on earth don't the movie theatres have at least two sizes of glasses...one for kids and one for adults? Especially, when it is a movie for kids. Sojo didn't seem to mind though.  She seemed to enjoy the movie.  Maybe the scary bear wouldn't have been quite so scary, if he hadn't been in 3 D.  In spite of this, I think she looks darn cute in those glasses.

 

 

 

 

Number Nine -- Oh, You Crazy Cake

 

Sojo has a lot of food allergies, so trying to find a special treat for her.  I remembered a cake that my mother used to make that didn't have any dairy, eggs or peanuts...it is called Crazy Cake.  It is sometimes also called Depression Cake because it was popular during the Great Depression when rich foods like dairy and eggs were hard to find and afford.  It could also be called Depression Cake because you put three depressions in the dry ingredients you have put into the cake pan.  I personally like just plain ole Crazy Cake.  Sojo is pouring the water over all of it before she mixes it up. I like it with a bit of frosting, but Sojo likes it plain.  I love that this is a cake that I made with my mother and with my kids and now Sojo.

 

 

Number Ten -- The Artist

 

Sojo has become quite the artist. Whether she is using crayons, water colors, colored pencils or modeling clay, she is really quite good.  Especially, when it comes to things like drawing people and Angry Birds.  Here she simply took clay and spelled her name.  That was before she made every Angry Bird there is, using all the colors that each Angry Bird needs to make it unique.

 

 

Number Eleven -- Two of My Favorite Girls

 

I know, I went over my 10 best things, but hey, who could leave this one out. Two of my very favorite girls with smiles that melt my heart. This is the reason I love summer.

 

 My least favorite thing about the summer is that it always ends and that means a trip to the airport to send them off to wherever it is they are off to.  No picture of us around the cacti this time.  No celebration.  It is a time for goodbyes and well wishes for the time we are apart.  Until the next time, it is blogs, emails and Skype calls.  We watch them walk away and start counting the days until we meet again.  Yes, we even count our blessings when we say goodbye.  We are blessed that we have summer every single year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



I Am Back & Let Me Introduce You To...

Well, short story is, I hadn't blogged in a long time...forgot my password...was too lazy to go find it...got a new password and then...well, I don't know what happened, but I can't seem to access my old blogs the way I did and can't find others and it is a royal mess.  So, I am going to start fresh and see if eblogger works for me.  I have so much to blog about and have missed writing so much. I need to get back to it for myself, but even more so to document my life as a grandparent again. The blogs are there somewhere and I will find them, but for now...here I go with the big news...I will catch up with summer later.

Let me introduce you to Augustus Oliver Russell, aka, Augie....weighing in at 8 pounds and 5 ounces and 20 and 1/2 inches, with a nice full head of dark hair...beautiful baby boy.

Augie came into this world late last Friday night under a full moon high above.  As his grandfather and I walked into the hospital, we looked at the moon and as we were feeling a sense of wonderment about that moon rising over the Rincon Mountains, we knew that the wonder about to happen inside would be beyond anything we could imagine. 

As we sat waiting for his birth, I reflected on the first moment we laid eyes on Sojo and how we had anticipated that moment.  I thought about the plane ride to Seattle and the drive from the airport and being told she was asleep, but we could take a peak.  Waiting again, felt much the same. The anticipation, the excitement, the clock that had hands that didn't seem to move. And then, that moment when we got a text that he was born.  The feelings that welled up inside were just too much and the tears filled my eyes and overflowed.  The joy, the relief, the joy, the release, the joy, the joy, the joy, all over again.  Blessed Beyond Measure seems fitting for this new blog. We are so thankful for this new life that has entered our family and our lives.  We are so thankful to have two beautiful grandchildren.  One across the world and one right here in Tucson.  We are so blessed to be here to watch each of them grow...one via Skype and blogs and summer visits...the other right here in Tucson.  Good Golly Molly, I love this gig.