I am going to be a grandma come September. I am so looking forward to it. Jennifer and Stepan made a trip here at the beginning of February. Jennifer wanted to go visit her Grandma Karl and a group of us had tickets to see The Exonerated. I met them at Benny's house for our departure to Wichita Falls on Friday afternoon. We were stalling our departure, visiting with Jen's dad, watching the dogs. I knew that Jen had committed to cooking dinner for mom and I did not want to be too late arriving at her house. Finally, we made it back into the house from the backyard. We were just standing around the living room and I thought we were saying our good-byes to Benny. Jennifer turns to me and says; "Look at my new cell phone." I looked at it and thought how nice. Before that thought completed it's course, I realized Jenny is pregnant. I am going to be a grandma! I love that cell phone and all that it symbolizes. Every story has a dark side. Jen made me promise not to say anything to anyone in the family until she had her next doctor's appointment. During this approximately three week period I received calls from Margaret, Leah, and Kathleen. I was good. I didn't tell them. However, I did tell all my co-workers, people at the mall, a lady in the grocery store and I may have mentioned to a telephone solicitor before I slammed the phone down. Jennifer had decided to tell grandma and Matthew. So, when we arrived at their house Friday night she asked me if I would like to tell her. She may have thought that would get the telling need out of my system. So I said yes and asked for the sonigram picture of the baby. I showed it to mom. She looked at it, smiled and said what is it. I told her it was a picture of my new grandchild. Needless, to say, Mother was very happy about the news. We had a lovely visit. Oh, by the way, I am going to be a grandma.
Posted by Rita at March 14, 2004 02:54 PMGreat entry - it must have been really, really hard not to say anything but a telephone solicitor? Being a grandparent is very special.
Posted by: Cynthia at March 14, 2004 06:30 PMI'm sure the solicitor wasn't quite as thrilled as you are about the news, especially after you slammed the phone down, but I certaintly don't blame you. I have a philosophy on solicitors...If I want the product I'll go looking for you to buy it. I hate it when they call the house. You can tell they are reading their pitch which totally gets on my nerves.
If you've read the comments in Jennifer's Journal I made mention of her pregnancy in a round about way. I think it's fantastic that Jenny and Elizabeth will have two little ones 6 months or there abouts in age to grow up and play together. It would really be neat if they both end up with the same gendre. Congratulations Sis! 6 to 8 months from now I know where I can find you...in Austin!!
Posted by: Theresa at March 14, 2004 11:19 PMLOL!LOL! What a great entry, Rita! I do believe that you are now, once and forever, absolved of the label "one who can't keep anything to herself". New babies in the family are such wonderful things.
Posted by: Leah at March 16, 2004 03:17 PMRita, have you considered that at this stage in human development only females* become Mothers, a process traditionally begun with a condition I've heard called Pregnancy that continues long after the Pregnancy does or so I've been told. Women, who become Pregnant, often change lifestyles by ending or reducing the intake of substances that have proven to be harmful in uncontrolled amounts to developing, unborn babies.
{aside} Last week, attending the funeral of the Mother of a member of one of my choirs, I had the good fortune of meeting a young Blond, who could not have been over 8-years-old. Her Mother, using the telephone in the foyer, informed me when my attempts at playing with this person bouncing all over the room were incongruously being ignored, that her daughter, a recent adoptee from Russia, suffered from fetal alcohol syndrome. {Return}
However, given that only women are mothers, a condition begun with pregnancy that continues long after the pregnancy ends and forever and only their mothers are grandmothers^, you are already a grandmother (Is that the theme to "Terms of Endearment" I am hearing; Jack N. was seen in "As Good As it Gets," yesterday?)with all the rights and responsibilities nature places upon you given the present stage of our human development.
* Only males are fathers and their mothers also become grandmothers, if and only if, the conditions described before are begun in another now forgotten process.
^ Grandfathers are heir to some of the same rights and responsibilities