More Grandparents

They came, they saw, they conquered!  Bebe and Pete finally got a chance to see Louisa in all her non-Skype glory.  I imagine that the real thing is better than the internet, but until I have to go on the road and see for myself, I'm only interested in the real thing.  Before I continue, I acknowledge the greeting of Louisa and Sissy who clearly have already mastered the synchronicity of loving sisters.  "Girls... I salute you!"

Poor Teensy missed the synchronized sisters performance

It's pretty crazy how quickly it comes back for grandparents.  Wendy Tuttle would be the exception.  It never left her.  She could have caught Louisa on the way out and that little girl would have stopped crying and started cooing with the umbilical cord still attached.  However, my parents needed a little time to get up to grandparent-speed.  When I speak of grandparent-speed, I'm not talking about driving 35 in a 55.  That may come to Bebe and Pete eventually, but I can safely say that Grandparents-Magee are still lawful and functional drivers.  (They may even be in the top third of Portland drivers which isn't actually that hard.  You simply need to be able to drive in snow and ice, not rubber neck and not stop abruptly in the middle of the road at the sight of a pedestrian.) No, grandparent-speed would be an ability to soothe, rock, bounce, change and enjoy your grandchild. As the pictures below will show you, Bubba and Zaida are cruising pleasantly at grandparent-speed.

Grandad and Louisa after a bout on the ball

Grandma and Louisa just after she patted her head and
rubbed her stomach 37 times in a row to prove a point

Bebe even managed to get Louisa on her play mat, reach up for the synthetic, partially-stuffed sand dollars, toucans and bananas and amuse herself for minutes on end.  This is actually quite a feat since neither Char nor I was able to get her do anything other than burst into tears when placed on this brightly-colored, nylon monstrosity.  And my dad, well when not talking to her about the Mendel and liberal politics, he bounced up and down like a pogo stick, sending Louisa into contented bliss. Have we mentioned that at times the only way we can get Louisa to settle down is by bouncing on one of those gymnastics ball?  Well Pete learned pretty quickly that it is Louisa's safe place, or maybe she's adventurous and it is her decidedly unsafe place and that's the way she likes it?  This raises another parenting dilemma, safety over adventurousness.  Goodness, what's a dad to think?  Do I want her adventurous, willing to go head-to-head with Indiana Jones over a pit of asps?  Or do I want her safe and snug, never venturing out into the Portland rain and mildly afraid of her own shadow?  I know the answer is the former but I'm sure every dad can understand if I opt for the latter.. for the time being.  The good news is that I don't think she'll be able to wield a bullwhip while pooping.  Bowel movements appear to be hard enough on their own judging by the look on her face.  So I'm gonna say (and hope) that bouncing is the extent of Louisa's ambition... for now.