Nana Kay - The Love of Grandchildren

My second grandchild is due to be born any day now. As I await the phone call from my daughter-in-law Amy to announce she is in labour, I write this story about becoming a grandmother or in my case “Nana Kay”. My grandson Rowan was born September 20, 2004 and he shares the same birthday as my friend Debbie.

I did not expect to become a Nana at the young age of 49 but as Rowan’s birth approached, it felt more and more real. I did not want to be called “Grandma, Grandmother or Granny” because it freaked me out and made me feel old. I’m over that now but it took a little getting used to.

Did you know that in the United States, the average age to become a grandmother for the first time is 43? I was already overdue. Who knew?

When the day came for Rowan to arrive, I received the call minutes after he was born. My husband Marc and I arrived at the hospital and I saw my son holding my grandson in the hallway. An amazing feeling overcame me, one that I have never experienced before - even at the birth of my own children. The emotion was instant and overwhelming adoration. For those of you who have not had a grandchild yet, you’ll understand when you do. I did not anticipate feeling like this and it was surprising, almost shocking in its intensity.

As you may know, I am the mother of three sons so I wasn’t surprised that my first grandchild would be a boy. As I’ve said before, I would give up my life in a heartbeat to protect him. He is such a wonderful young person, a delight to have around. This time, we have a little girl on the way and that is exciting for me. I never had the opportunity to buy the cute little outfits and do “girlie things”. I’m sure my boys wouldn’t have appreciated it if I had subjected them to that. On a side note we used to live next to a woman who wanted a girl so badly, that she dressed her third boy in pink. Okay that’s a whole different story.

I’m not the kind of grandmother who babysits a lot. I have my own life too. I am the kind of Nana who will always be there when I‘m needed and plan great birthday parties and bakes elaborate cakes like Barney, the purple dinosaur. That thing took me 8 hours to make.

My daughter-in-law Amy called today to tell me she started to feel some cramping and since she is already two centimeters dilated and due on Tuesday, April 14, today could be the day. April 12 is both my Mother Sarah’s birthday and my BFF, Freyja who passed away three years ago.

There is a lot of sadness in the world these days. I’m grateful that I’ve lived long enough to see my grandchildren and they will remember me. I feel truly blessed to have them in my life. I can’t wait to meet my granddaughter.

So if you are of a mind to, please send positive energy, prayers and good karma to Amy for an easy birth and a healthy baby.