Heidi Turns Ten!

Hey, how did all this happen? Can it really be that I have been a grandmother for ten years? The candles and these two pictures say that yes, we have had a beautiful granddaughter for ten years now. Heidi turned 10 on May 2, and was here for her birthday.

My digital pictures do not go back to Heidi's birth, but I picked out a few pictures of her from the beginning of my digital/computer days.

I am posing here with Heidi last year on Thanksgiving.

Heidi is the first one on the left with Kirsten, Laura, Shane, and Abby

Yes, our grandchildren swing in trees on occasion!

Heidi, proudly going to her first piano recital. She did great! Unfortunately, her teacher got old and can no longer teach, so Heidi is enjoying playing the flute now.

Heidi helping me cook in my kitchen. She is standing on a stool, which is not in the picture! Now at 10 years old she can even cook meals at home to help her folks.

And, of course, this proud Grandma must teach her grandchildren about sewing. This is a large tote bag that Heidi made here at about age 7.

I couldn't figure out how to turn this picture after I uploaded it!! This was taken when Heidi was six.
And this was the sweet little girl at age 4 or 5.

Yes, it is wonderful being a grandma. We are now looking for our 6th grandchild, a boy, in August. Our hearts have expanded with love for each one.

When Heidi was born, my sister Ruth sent me a card to congratulate me on my new status. I have taped it into the album of the first baby pictures of Heidi because it was so special to me.

The Magic of Grandparents

There is a special kind of love

within a grandparent's heart

That helps grandparents understand

their grandkids from the start.

It starts the day a grandchild's born,

then magically it grows...

Soon, anything a grandchild needs,

a grandparent somehow knows!

That's why grandkids love grandparents

and why they think it's grand

To be a part of the magic

only grandparents understand!

Heidi was born on May 2, 1999, on the very date that she was due! (Later I would hound Jill that finally she did something when she was supposed to!) Jill had had false labor a couple of times in the last couple of weeks prior.

We went to Franklin special meetings that day, and had company for supper--Dan Helenek, Charles Kramer, and Karen Cleveland. We kept waiting for a call, and nothing came. I decided to call them before we went to bed to see if anything was happening yet, and, NO ANSWER! I called Marilyn, Leigh's mother, and she told me that yes, Leigh and Jill had gone to the hospital.

Jill had given me phone numbers for her midwife and the clinic in the hospital, so I decided to try the hospital number to see if they had indeed admitted her this time.

The hospital put my call through and I heard someone say, "Pick up the phone, Jill, it's for you". I can't remember what I said, but she said, "Hello, Grandma!" Here she was, talking on the phone just a few minutes after Heidi had been born! She has the time record from our phone bill and could tell you how close after Heidi's birth that I had called! Wow, wow, wow!! We did not know ahead of time that it was a girl, so that was part of the thrill, too.

I arranged to go up the next morning. It is a 3 1/2 hour trip. Ken had just started a new job, and did not get up to see Heidi until the next Saturday. I wanted to get some pink roses for Jill and Heidi, but when I got to the florist, they said the pink ones weren't very nice and wanted to substitute some peach ones instead. I would have preferred nice pink ones, but I suppose they made it right somehow. Off I went, and often on that trip, I said to myself, "Go, granny, go!"

I had arranged to go to Marilyn's house, and she was to take me to the hospital, since I really didn't know the way. Being so excited, I was sure glad to have her drive the last leg of the journey. She had already been there in the morning, I think.

I remember starting to tear up as soon as I saw the sign over the door that said
"First Impressions Birthing Center" and then went in to find my brand-new granddaughter, Heidi. Such a myriad of wonderful emotions came over me!

I spent a few days with Jill when they got home from the hospital, and how wonderful it was to have a share in Jill's first experience of motherhood. Heidi was born on a Sunday night, and was in Bible study on Wednesday night, and did fine!

It is good to bring back some of these grand memories, and share them! And this is our dear Heidi, taken the day after her 10th birthday!