Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Little Boppy Pays A Visit


This little guy came out today for awhile because his mama had a dermatologist appointment. He is such a fun child to hang out with. He's generally agreeable with any suggestions I may have which makes things mighty easy. His brother is pretty laid-back as well, as long as someone is holding him and he gets nursed every five minutes.


He's already laughing! Laughing Levon, happy boy. He is two months old today! Can you believe it? 

August could barely be bothered to notice when his mama and baby brother left. We were working on a puzzle by then. I got the coolest kid puzzle at the Goodwill bookstore last week. It's a Melissa and Doug puzzle and has huge pieces and is all mostly borders. Here it is while August is playing piano, waiting for my attention. 


And here it is, all finished.


He's especially good at tapping the pieces together with his foot but he's also pretty good at making the pieces fit together. 


He played in the boat.


We also played put-marbles-in-an-old-bottle. The Mr. Rat puppet got involved in this game and there was uproarious laughter when Ratty dropped a marble. Turns out that rat paws aren't the best for holding marbles. We also read a whole bunch of books on the porch swing and we fed goats and chickens. Well, I fed goats and chickens. When I offered August the bread to feed the goats and asked if he wanted to do it, he said, "No, you do." He's not real sure about the goats next door and there are dozens of chickens over there which are a little bit scary, even though they are behind a fence. Mostly.
We also gardened, as you can see above.

When Mama and Brother got back, we drove to Monticello and had lunch which is where I took this picture. I know I'm his grandmother, but I think he's such a beautiful boy.


It's so interesting how much I fall in love with each of these grandchildren. It's certainly nothing I ever expected to happen, nor did I foresee feeling so much pride in my daughters as I watch them mother their children. It started when I saw them give birth, both so incredibly strong and capable in doing what I myself thought to be the hardest thing I've ever done in my entire life. And I am also in awe of how well they chose their husbands and how amazing Vergil and Jason are as partners and as fathers. 
And let us not forget that quite frankly, I never thought I'd live this long. I have no idea why I thought that, but when I was a young mother, and even an older mother, the idea of grandchildren was as vague and hazy as mist. 
And yet...
Here they are. Five of them. Each one unique and with characteristics and talents and abilities and personalities completely their own, just as my children were. 
I keep thinking of how yesterday, when I took Owen and Gibson home, little Wiley Cash, the boy that Lily takes care of on Mondays, woke up from his nap and we could hear him. Owen raced to the room where he'd been sleeping and put his ear to the door and when he was sure that Wiley was awake, he opened the door and went right to the Pack-n-Play and lifted Wiley out and said, "Wiley, why are you so cute?" 

I feel so incredibly blessed. Unbelievably so. It's like I tell my husband- I feel like I am dreaming a dream come true that I never dared to dream. 
And yet. Here I am. Here we are. 

And in completely prosaic news, my house smells of cat piss and I think that Jack's doppelganger, a huge gray and white feral un-neutered male, started coming into my house again when it got so cold and he's pissing all over the place, trying to claim territory. Which may be causing Jack to add his pee to the party. This is the cat that my next door neighbor who loves animals more than is even natural, asked Mr. Moon to shoot. 
But at least the horrible smell drove me to finally and at last mop the kitchen which has needed doing forever. I mopped it twice and the mud room got a good swabbing too. 
And now those floors feel like silk on my bare feet (it has warmed up considerably today) but it still smells of cat pee. 
Dammit. 

Well, that's life. The celestial and the ethereal right along with the undeniably nasty and persistent smell of cat piss. 

Life on earth. We are living it. 

Love...Ms. Moon


17 comments:

  1. Isn’t cat pee one of the most terrible smells ever? It’s a punch in the brain.

    August is beautiful and as you know I am not his grandmother. Those eyelashes and blond hair are especially gorgeous.

    You just reminded me that I have a puzzle that has been sitting in the closet for over a year. It’s puzzle doing season.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mr. Moon and I have about a 200 pieces puzzle limit. Even that is stretching it. You should see August's eyelashes in person. They are swoony.
      And yes on the cat pee. Jesus.

      Delete
  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Can you get some Nature's Miracle for Cats? The one for Urine completely gets rid of the smell and prevents re-marking in the same places. I get mine from a pet store or the vet but I think you can also find it online.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I don't know Melissa and Doug, but that is quite a puzzle! As for the cat -- ugh. Cat pee is never fun. I never had male cats so I've never dealt with the marking thing, but I think your hunch is right -- the "invader" is probably encouraging Jack to spray more, too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Melissa and Doug is a toy brand that makes fairly environmentally friendly things. And they're really fun. Creative stuff. You know? Catering to the hipster mom and dad. But I like them.
      Cat pee. Damn.

      Delete
  5. great puzzle! and I can see August in Levon's face.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Can you? I think we're too close to the boys to see it clearly.

      Delete
  6. you have the most wonderful grandchildren and it’s no accident. August’s eyelashes!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. His eyelashes slay me. And he's such a mature little guy. He's like a very true mixture of his mama and his daddy and it's lovely.

      Delete
  7. I love how much you enjoy the grandchildren! I am nearly your age and my own two kids are far from having any of their own, one for medical reasons may never have any children and the other for timing in finding a mate. I keep hoping, though! Oh, well, it is wonderful that you share the journey so I can find comfort in your joys. Darlings, all of them! Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Don't give up hope! You may well have grandbabies yet. In the meanwhile, I will share mine.

      Delete
  8. I love August as you know. I don’t have the patience to do a puzzle with more than five giant pieces but I bet I could do that one. It’s gorgeous. xo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If I had to do one of those 1000 piece jigsaw puzzles or die, I'd just go ahead and die. I can't. I won't. But yes, this one is about my speed. And it is so pretty with all of the nice bugs. And I had a very good time putting it together with that boy. He's extremely worthy of love.

      Delete
  9. Wiley Cash! It is just the best name ever.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Isn't it? And he is the cutest dang thing you've ever seen and his mother's perfect mini-me.

      Delete

Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.