Jeanne's a Grandmother!

As the older sister, I’ve spent my entire life doing things before my sister. I was the first to ride a bike, to go to school, to swim the length of the pool, to dance in red boots, to lead cheers at ballgames, to learn my way around the University of Illinois campus, to get married, to have a baby, to buy a house, to be eligible for social security. The list goes on and on.

So how on earth can Jeanne be a grandmother?

I’m sure that Jeanne could have done all those things that I did first on her own just fine, but I like to think that following in my footsteps eased her way a little bit, that North Side School and swimming pools and the University of Illinois and motherhood were all a little bit less scary knowing that I was there. I like to think that it was comforting to have a big sister who knew the ropes.

So how can Jeanne be a grandmother?

Despite what social security says, I barely feel old enough to be a grandmother myself. It was only yesterday, it seems like, that I joined the ranks of mothers. My baby sister is much too young to be a grand mother.

So how can Jeanne be a grandmother?

It’s not as though she’s that far ahead of me. My own grandbabies are no longer just the proverbial twinkles in their daddys’ eyes. My first two grandbabies are firmly entrenched in their mommys’ rapidly expanding bellies! And I’m going to meet them soon. But I haven’t met them yet.

How on earth can Jeanne be a grandmother?

While I’m dreaming of tiny bundles of joy and trying to remember my old repertoire of lullablies, Jeanne is cuddling Baby Flynn and singing real songs. She’s deciding if she’s a Grannie or a Grandma, buying itty bitty boy clothes, learning how to work the newest carseats, trying to remember that babies no longer sleep on their stomachs, and falling madly, crazy in love. And she can’t stop smiling!

I can’t believe that Jeanne’s a grandmother!

There’s a whole lot I don’t know about this whole grandmother thing. I’m used to blankets on babies and umbrella strollers. I’ve never swaddled a baby, hooked up a baby monitor, or attached a car seat to a base in a car. And I’ve never watched my own baby be in charge of a much loved infant. It’s all going to be a bit scary. It’s going to be crazy. It’s going to be wonderful. I think it will be comforting to have a sister who knows the ropes.

Yeah!! Jeanne’s a grandmother!