a child as sweet as candy

This is the one.


Believe it or not, this is the first time we've ever spent time alone together. For two days, he got to come to Grandma's all by himself. He's a bit tiny and quiet with a smile that shows both the bottom and top teeth, and gorgeous curly eyelashes.

In the space of long hours together, he was chatty and he's funny. He has a wry little sense of humor and excellent comic timing. The gestures, the pause, the point where he makes eye contact--he's a natural.


He also let me rock him to sleep for his naps, and I held him a long time, enjoying the warm weight of him on my chest, breathing in the scent of his hair, oh my goodness.

Today at lunch everyone else was done and he still had most of his pizza left, so I brought him from the kitchen to the dining room so he could be near us and still take his time. Shortly he brought his whole plate to the living room couch, and then switched it to the coffee table, then carried it around some more. The dogs were perplexed and highly interested.

Don't even think about it, you idiots. That's l.c.'s lunch. He turned to Sidney and hollered, "Go 'way!" You tell them.

In the afternoon, Julia, l.c., and I took ice cream sandwiches and drove over to where Jay was painting Kirsten's house. He came down from the ladder and we sat in the yard. l.c. sucked on his ice cream sandwich until he'd sucked most of the ice cream out, and then Jay helped him rinse his tiny hands in the hose.

Being grandparents with this man, seriously...the incredible tenderness...we were skinny, overly-long haired teenagers together, and all these years have passed, and who knew life held this for us? Nobody talks about this, the perfection of now, his white whiskers, impossibly beautiful shoulders, and his gentle, gentle heart.

We sat there a long time in the perfect, bright September sun, watching this most lovely grandson run around the yard with Julia.

When he ran to us to point at an airplane, it reminded me of his big brother and how he used to jump up and down and wave at every airplane whether John was traveling or not that day, "Hi, Dad! That's my dad up there! Hi Dad!"

some kids said this red couch was "the best thing that's happened to our family in a long time." yeah. it's excellent for naps, that's the truth.

Anyway, I was sad to see him go this afternoon and told John he should come and stay with me for a day all the time. Often. I want him. Time for bed. Sleep tight. love, Val