Meeting Great-Grandfather

When you're a mother, it can be easy to lose a part of yourself--temporarily or permanently, the woman you were before Baby is no longer there because you are henceforth woman with a child. Everything is about your child, especially in the early months. That's why I found myself dropping most of my extra commitments last year, from book clubs to skin care regimens. But, because you are  losing this piece of who you were, it's important to hold on to some small pieces of your past, and some small things that make you happy outside of being a mom. I let myself go to one writing group meeting a month, and I treat myself to coffee almost every day. I also made sure that nothing would stop me from traveling to Texas for my grandfather's 90th birthday. Even though I knew traveling with an almost 8-month-old might be difficult, I was going to get him to meet his great-grandfather. I was going to get professional photos of them together. I was going to speak and eat cake at my grandfather's party, and not leave without saying bye to him on his actual birthday, the day after the party, when we had to fly back home.

I'm so happy and lucky and blessed that I did get to do it all. I wrote about Baby's first flight already, and he was such a trooper, it couldn't have gone more smoothly. When we arrived at the Texas airport on January 30, my grandfather was waiting for us just past the gate. I waved and rushed forward with Baby, ahead of the rest of my family. I remembered doing this on a previous visit, running first into my grandfather's arms when we arrived to see him. But this time I had even more reason to see him quickly. Baby had been waiting almost 8 months to meet his only living great-grandfather. And my grandfather had been waiting almost 8 months to meet his first and only grandchild (so far). I held Baby in one arm and fished my phone out of my pocket with the other to capture a once-in-a-lifetime meeting on film. I did it! My grandfather's face lit up at the sight of my son, and he pulled us both into his arms. I asked him if he wanted to hold Baby (my grandfather is a strong 90-year-old who lives in a house--not a nursing home--walks without a cane, and thankfully has no major medical issues). He scooped Baby up and I could see his face dance between proud smiles and emotional tears. It was probably the greatest moment of my year (even if it was right at the beginning of the year). We introduced Baby to my grandfather's wife as well, and let her carry him while the rest of the family caught up to greet and chatter excitedly as we made our way toward baggage claim.

My grandfather lives in a small town, so the airport, his house, and the hotel we were staying at were all about 5 minutes away from each other. The hotel's ballroom was also where my grandfather's party was going to be, which made things a lot easier for new parents traveling with a baby for the first time. But I don't think they picked the hotel just for us. This was where we always stayed when visiting my grandfather. My grandparents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in one of their conference rooms. We came down to visit the summer after I graduated college, and one of their hotel rooms was the last place I saw my grandmother alive. It held a special place in our memories even as it changed decor, companies, and even its name over time. And aside from one Mexican restaurant dinner we would have during the trip, it would be where we spent the entirety of our stay.

Our rooms were still being prepared when we arrived, so we all sat in a private curtained room area to chat while we waited. Baby got to meet my grandfather's brother and sister-in-law (great-great uncle and aunt) who took to him immediately (and social boy that he is, he took to them as well).We went to dinner and, after a quick nap in the car, got to introduce Baby to one of my uncles, his great-uncle, who reminds me of my own brother. Their hug upon meeting was priceless.

The next day was spent exploring the hotel--and enjoying their in-house breakfast, and getting to meet my aunt, uncle, and second cousin while Hubby went out shopping with my dad and brothers. The evening brought more visits with my great aunt (who actually flew in to meet Baby at home a few weeks prior) and an evening of relaxing (and speech writing) before the big party the next day.

Party day was all about prepping for the afternoon--and poor Baby was a little fussier than usual, needing some time to calm down and nap during all the excitement. But he still managed to show up to our family portrait session with a few smiles and got to meet another great uncle. We ended up getting all the group pictures we wanted before it was time to celebrate my grandfather officially.

I had been a little worried about how long Baby would be able to last at the party (and how long I would even be able to stay) since it started at 6pm and we'd been putting Baby to bed around 7pm most nights. But with the time difference, 6pm was more like 4pm, and Baby managed to stay up, alert, and not fussy until about 10pm at night! Which meant I was able to stay long enough to eat, have cake, give a speech, and even see the mariachis play before retreating to our hotel room and putting our son down for the evening.

Our flight was the next day, afternoon, which meant we were leaving before the rest of the family, but also meant we could take Baby home during the day (instead of during his sleep time at night) and have an extra day at home to rest before going back to work. We said our goodbyes to my grandfather at breakfast and, though I got a little sick to my stomach during the night, left in good moods as we hurried to the airport and bid my parents farewell. They would get to stay and visit a little longer, and while our Texas trip was over, I knew that our event photos from the professional photographer I hired would be coming in a week or two, so we could relive the visit all over again.

My speech for my grandfather is typed below for posterity, and I'm just so happy that I could keep this part of myself--the part that puts all family first--even with a baby. My grandfather has a rich history himself, but also reminds me of my own childhood--holiday celebrations, babysitting, early mornings spent together, and more that Baby is getting to experience now.

I hope there will be more visits in the future as Baby gets older. But no matter what happens, our family has this very special visit and memory to treasure. And that's a part of me that I will never lose.