World's Best Grandmas

After Buby was born, I felt so many insanely wonderful things for the first time. But along with them came an awareness of my own mortality. All of a sudden, anything other than living FOREVER was not an option. I have to be here always to love this little boy. But if mamahood teaches you one thing, it's to savor every millisecond with your Buby and take none of it for granted. Because you never know. So I started jotting down random things during Buby's first year that I wanted to share with him someday. My impressions of things. One section is all about family... tidbits about each person near and dear. Of course, I want Buby to know that he has two grandmothers who cherish his every mischievous giggle. And that makes him one lucky Little Dude.

So for Mother's Day, yellow daffodils for Graga and pink peonies for Granny DJ. Here's a hilarious peek and what I wrote to Buby about his grandmas back then.

GRAGA

She loves you. If she knows you’re coming, she’ll make enough comfort food to feed an army (or just Uncle Billy). She rides on Grandpa’s Harley. She loves her job and is the most loyal employee. She is smart. She takes a bath every day. She wakes up when it's still dark out to have morning coffee with Grandpa before he leaves for work. She drinks it black. She has tried to quit smoking so many times. She worked as a waitress for 14 years so she could be home for her kids when they got out of school. She doesn’t like bananas. She will watch “You’ve Got Mail” 100 times and never get sick of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan together. She only likes movies with happy endings. She would be barefoot all the time if she could. She doesn’t like to debate religion or politics. She has a precise memory. She hangs a distracting amount of pictures of her kids and grandkids all over her office. She is clumsy. She has a good sense of humor about her clumsiness. She passes out when she THINKS she's going to get hurt. She is a tad obsessive compulsive. She loves her husband. She loves office supplies even more. Just kidding. She is a good storyteller. She likes a clean house. She's not really an animal person but is always taking them in. She rarely buys anything for herself. She is sentimental. She has a set dinner date with her friends once a month. She can probably beat anyone at Scrabble. She loves to swim. She makes the best pies. And mac & cheese. And lots of other things. She couldn't even boil water when she got married. She is not crafty. Though she likes her baskets... and has a basement full to prove it. She was a young mom of two boys and a girl who all grew up to adore her.

GRANNY DJ

She loves you. She is very much the spoiler. She phones back right after hanging up because she forgot to say something. She will travel by plane, train, and car just to spend a few hours with you. She signs every e-mail and card with “Love You Forever.” She frames almost every photo. She tries to eat healthy. But she stockpiles Frappaccinos. She reads a lot and will send you books to read. She doesn’t always listen. She has a strong faith. She would do anything for her kids. She likes her Dunkin Donuts iced hazelnut coffee. She likes bagels with chive cream cheese but won't eat one with plain cream cheese. She is big on holidays and decorating. And sends care packages. She watches Fox News. She likes to go for walks. She talks during movies. She spreads news faster than anyone. She doesn’t like celebrities or awards shows. She can be tough with strangers but is a sentimental mush with her family. She makes the best homemade applesauce. She believes in the lottery. She was a nurse before she was a flight attendant. She knits. She made you the white, yellow, and green blanket. She is independent. She drives fast. She only takes 2 minutes to get ready in the morning. She can ride horses. She was a young mom and raised two boys who turned into two of the most wonderful men I've ever met.

photos: flickr.com