Mimi Monlogues: Charlie: One Month Later!

Charlie reached a milestone today: One month old! Alyssa and I realized we both had the same thoughts regarding how Charlie's "look" is evolving. We've both decided - independent of one another yet!! - that when Charlie is sleeping, he is a dead ringer for his mom (and the way SHE looked at Charlie's age). But when he is awake, Charlie is looking a whole lot like his daddy. Now how does he accomplish that? We haven't a clue...but he certainly does.

Today when I arrived at the Wagner's, camera in hand, Charlie and his daddy were hangin' out on the couch - I won't post a picture here because perhaps Alyssa will because I think it's awfully darned cute, but since she is back to blogging (did you notice the absence for a few days? More on that later), I wanted to give her first option to post that cutie-pie picture. (Now you HAVE to post that picture, Alyssa, are you listening?????) :)

So back at Casa Wagner Ranch, it was time for a feeding so we hiked the stairway to the nursery where Charlie's mommy launched into the changing routine, which was definitely interfering with Charlie and his zzzzzz's. (Charlie is such a guy...he can sleep through a bomb blast!) But at last the baby blues were beginning to open - but no crying. Alyssa said he's not thrilled with changes of diapers nor clothing. But he was a good boy. Probably knew he was a month old and beyond that baby crying stuff.

But some stretching prevailed and he came through like a trooper.

And after a bit more of the paparazzi blasting away, it was finally Mimi's turn to hold him for a time. He is definitely a snuggle bunny. And Charlie, to commerate his advanced age, did a really neat thing today. As I was holding him, he found his mother. His blue eyes lasered in on her and then, as she moved, he proceeded to follow her with his eyes - even to the point of turning his head. Yes, Charlie, you are simply brilliant!

And what has this first month brought? Well. I am tremendously enjoying watching my beautiful, sleep-deprived, hormonally-challenged second born daughter discover what it's like being a mommy. How things she used to enjoy (such as her fun blog) temporarily slipped by the wayside as she tried to concentrate on not going entirely bonkers. Like how a baby on the INSIDE is SOOOOOO much different than a baby on the OUTSIDE. The insights to her thinking... how last week she remarked that she didn't think Charlie likes her. This is because she feels she can't calm him down when he's fussy, and how it seems to her that everybody ELSE can. That sometimes with Charlie she "likes him better" when she has a little break (who hasn't said - or at least THOUGHT - that at least a gazillion times!). And that she never realized how easy dogs were to care for compared to babies.

Yes, Alyssa is getting the picture of what it's like becoming a mom. The light is dawning. And as her older sister, Ashley, has said many a time - "NO ONE can prepare you for what being a parent is really like - you can't understand it until you experience it."

Ashley went through this whirlwind of emotions, too, during her first month with Gracie. The nervousness (terror), the guilt, the exhaustion and, yes, the crazy pure love a mother feels toward her child. She summarized it perfectly when I flew down to Southern California during Gracie's second week on earth. I went to give her a hand when she was on her last nerve. She told me when I arrived, "I just want to say thank you. And I'm sorry." Sorry for what? That's right: the exhaustion, the terror, the guilt and the crazy pure love she knew I'd already experienced before her.

And when I went back to Long Beach the next time - when she had been a mommy for a few more weeks, with a little more experience under her belt, I witnessed a small miracle. My frightened, nervous young daughter with a brand new baby had changed. She had become a mom.

That's where Alyssa stands right now. I saw it in her eyes today. My anxious, confused daughter who, four short weeks ago, held her crying infant, pat-pat-patting him nervously, helplessly on his tiny back, is getting ready for her own small miracle. Alyssa is about to become a mom.

Mimi Monologues: NOW What?!!!

This morning Ashley called and now GRACIE ELIZABETH has a fever! Oh,good heavens. The better news is Gracie still is "normal" in most other ways, just a little bit more quiet than usual. So her mommy is keeping her snuggy and warm today and Gracie has, thus far, not reported that anything is hurting her - a.k.a. "ouchies." Soon she will, hopefully, be back to silly old Gracie (refer to Gracie the Fishface above) and her fever will be allllllllll GONE!
More bath time pictures at Mimi's house - and because who can resist a chubby little baby leg, here is Miss Emily's cute little "gams" post-bath in her snuggy towel.


Get - and STAY - well, young ladies!

Mimi Monologues: Dreams of my MVP

I was about to begin this post by saying Alyssa and I have devised a kind of routine for my visiting Charlie, my new grandson, but then it seemed "routine" might be too strong a label for a series of visits that only began three weeks ago today! That's the day Charlie brought his new mommy and daddy home from the hospital - not very long ago at all.

And yesterday I decided on this visit it was time for a photo shoot update since my favorite grandson(!) was 3 weeks and 3 days old already! As I often do, I found Mr. C. sleeping away - although he was awake for a few more minutes than usual to visit with Mimi. And he may have been a LITTLE bit fussier than usual - meaning he said "Waaaa" approximately twice... :)




It wasn't long, though, before Charlie was "lights out" once again. And it's pretty darned hard to lay that precious sleeping baby down, but I decided to take the opportunity to catch the late afternoon sun (and it had been a LONG TIME since we had seen the sun!) as it slanted in through the shutters onto Charlie's chubby little cheek.


The sound of my camera's shutter may have disturbed this MVP (yes, he is - it says so on his outfit). Charlie stirs and stretches his little arms.

Post stretch I caught Charlie looking almost as he must have when he dwelled inside his mommy's tummy. But the startling thing about this photo was the positioning of his left forefinger across his mouth. That's a mannerism his Poppy, Mr. H., adopts when he's thinking. Ok, probably JUST A COINCIDENCE but I hope you'll forgive me if I just say...WOW

How cute is it when babies smile when they're sleeping. I wonder if they dream, and if they do, of what???????

...and a little yawn....still sound asleep.....

Charlie was running through a myriad of facial expressions as he slept peacefully on...

...yes, quite peaceful. I wonder what next...

Oh, yeah. Blowing bubbles with the tip of the tongue present. He must have learned to blow raspberries from his cousin, Emily Mae...

...and this smile HAS to mean that something pretty funny is tickling Charlie here. Or maybe he was remembering that hot little girl baby he saw from afar at the hospital. Maybe....

So my "routine" visit with Charlie came to a close as his mommy woke him up for a little head wash (he is experiencing a bit of allergy on his little scalp) and then a feeding. That's our young routine - I arrive after Charlie has his dinner (lunch, breakfast...or...) and we hang out so his mommy can get something done. Sometimes that "something" is just chatting with Mimi - and of course that's a pretty nice routine that I could happily get quite used to...

Emily, you're a rock star!

Today was a big day for Miss Emily Mae. This morning she finally busted that 3-day fever (see posting below), AND she must have felt SO GOOD being fever free, she TOOK HER FIRST STEP today, too! (No, not in the bathtub - I just like this picture.) And she is just 9 months old...there is something about the second child. They see what the first one is doing and they want it SO BAD!

Look out, Mommy & Daddy - this girl is off and running.

That's BETTER, Emi-wee!!!

They say being a grandmother is the best thing ever. Nothing like it. Pure joy. And it IS. Except.

On Friday, Emily (or Emi-wee as Gracie calls her baby sister) developed a fever. On Saturday night Ashley called to relay their concern. We talked a bit and I suggested she check in with Emily's doctor, which they did. They got good advice, and that should have been that. But of course it wasn't - at least in Mimi's neck of the woods.

Because when you're a Mimi and you live 400 miles away from two of your precious little ones, there is that thing called WORRY. And worry I do. I am a champ. In fact, if they had a Worriers' Olympics, I'd be winning the gold medal. Every week or two!

Now I worry, not because Ashley and Jim aren't wonderful parents. They are. But I haven't yet learned how to be once removed when a little one in my familial line-up isn't 100% healthy. Sure, I worried about my girls, too - still do, of course, although I am secure in knowing they weathered the storms of childhood and came out the other side intact and thriving. But a 9-month old sweetheart that's one of the loves of MY little girl's life (because they are always your little ones even when they are almost 34 years old for Pete's sake!) is another thing entirely.

This morning (and believe me, I called early for this news) Ashley lit up my world when she told me Emily's fever had broken. Wow. It was windy, blustery and raining like gangbusters outside, but in my heart it was sunny.

Now I talked to myself a lot over the last couple of days: Emily is strong and healthy, babies are built to survive and throw off the bad stuff, etc. etc. etc. But H1N1 is a different kind of animal, so I worried. Because Gracie and Emily HAD their H1N1 flu shots, but it was from a batch that was recalled for being ineffective. Dang. That doesn't seem fair.

But, bottom line, little Emily is a fighter from the looks of it and whatever caused her to run a fever for the better part of three days, her body did what it was supposed to do and cast it off. Now. Maybe I will learn to do what I am supposed to do and quit with the world class worrying. Because being a grandparent is pure joy. Right? Well, yes,it is. Ninety-nine point nine, nine, nine, nine, nine...percent of the time. Except. There ARE those little exceptions!

Column: We just won't abide a rude attitude!

It all got to be just too much. By the year's end we had witnessed so many acts of rudeness and bad taste in the public spotlight that the "Civility Project" simply had to be addressed. And the goofiness in the world of politics as well as those we can always count on - and many who surprised us - in the celebrity world left me just no choice...I had to write a column.

Now. For the past two weeks I had struggled with "The Column" link on my blog in that the inner workings of the blog "Posting" maneuvers had left me unable to "cut" my column from the newspaper's online version and "paste" it onto my blog, forcing me to leave you a URL to advance to the column's online copy. Today I tried something new - and scary. I messed with the "Html" button - the scariest four letters I know. But - guess what! Something worked. Maybe the "blogs gods" thought I was a pro and performed. Who knows. But amidst all the random letters and symbols that Html displays were what appeared to be the script of my column. I even added an image, which produced spasms on the page in the form of more letters and symbols. But enough of all that. For NOW at least, it works!

To read about Rudeness and the Civility Project (and maybe even take the pledge!), simply click on "The Column" link above. Thank you very much. (and wasn't that civil?)

The Girls of Wal-Mart

Now I don't want you to be jealous...but I am about to share photos of my two TRENDY DAUGHTERS. Each of these pictures was taken shortly after they gave birth to their first offspring and were home from the hospital. To say they were a little OVER-WHELMED...well, that might be a teeny bit of an understatement. Thus, when Daughter #1, Ashley Clare, sashayed into the living room of her condo one morning post-shower and was wearing this lovely little number, I did a double-take.

GONE was the pulled-together, classy look that Ashley went for. Here, instead, was this sad, little "New Mommy Chic" outfit, which I, in a gesture of total love and compassion, made her change out of RIGHT THAT VERY INSTANT!THEREFORE, why was I surprised when Daughter #2, Alyssa Jane, opened her front door one day last week when Baby Charlie was perhaps one week old and I found her in THIS!!!!

"Oh, hahaha," she laughed in explanation. "I'm not wearing any pants because I just spilled water on them." SURE you did, Missy, you are just going for that famous chic look that your sister was all over a couple of years ago...You can't fool me. Nope! I got your number, kiddo!

And of course you know why, don't you? Because it was the same look I donned a few special times on the occasion of my dear daughters' births. I guess my mother had the good sense to keep her trap shut. Of course it didn't hurt that she lived a couple of states away and couldn't see how far I'd fallen :)

Mimi Monologues: Hello, Charlie! (and more fun with the Stromberg Sisters)

Welcome, Charles (Charlie) Hammond Wagner.

..........A Little Love Story............

Charlie arrived 3 hours, 16 minutes past his due date (not bad for a guy, right?). Born at 3:16am on the chilly, early morning of December 29, 2009, he barely made it as a tax deduction for his proud daddy, Rob. Alyssa gave birth via c-section at Good Samaritan Hospital where she had been born 29 years, 6 months, 3 weeks and 1 day earlier! But who's counting...


In the first few hours of Charlie's first day on earth, paternal grandparents, Lou and Corinne, visited Charlie for the very first time, and maternal grandpa (Poppy)
...and maternal grandma (Mimi)...

...visited our first-born grandSON for the very first time. Blessed with two daughters of our own and two sweet baby grandDAUGHTERS, Charlie was the first male born into my family in over 50 years!

We think we caught a glimpse of one pretty blue eye, but Charlie was happy to just keep on napping. After all, he'd just been through quite a transition a few hours before!

Charlie was 19 inches long (same as his Mimi) and weighed 7 lbs. 14 oz. AND.......

Charlie arrived into a family with two little cousins ready and REALLY EXCITED to meet him! But because of the H1N1 (a.k.a. swine flu) outbreak, hospital regulations wouldn't allow his cousins Gracie and Emily to visit him at the hospital. And with it being Christmas time and all, it was soooooooo hard for these two little girls to wait four whole days!

So they amused themselves at Mimi and Poppy's house. Emily better get her eyes checked. You REALLY don't have to hold the mirror THAT close, Emily!

Before they drove up to Morgan Hill, Mommy & Daddy took them to see Santa Claus - and they were VERY good...

But as good as Gracie and Emily were, they still couldn't visit Charlie for a few more days...

SO...Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Gracie and Emily's mommy had brought some fun things for them to do and the funnest thing of all was COOKIE DECORATING IN MIMI'S KITCHEN!!! YAY!!!!

There were so many colors and decorations to choose from...

...and lots of fun Christmas shaped cookies to decorate...

...Emily had just gotten up from her nap and was a little groggy and unsure of all this cookie decorating business. But Gracie had LEAPED into action!!

Mommy helped with some of the icing and the writing and Gracie learned about pouring sweet sugars and sprinkles onto the frosted cookie tops. Mimi's kitchen was looking a lot like that of Mrs. Claus...

...and in the beginning, Gracie very neatly worked with the sugars and the sprinkles...

...working on those cookies to get them to look sooooooooo pretty!! But...

...all of a sudden, things started to get a little...well, messy...

...'cause sometimes a cookie decorator just HAS to see what all those pretty colored sugars and sprinkles TASTE like....right? Right!!...

YUMMMMMMMMM....yes, this stuff tastes pretty good..........

....now for a little of that green sugar..............

.....who me? Eating the sugar and sprinkles? Why, NO! Not even a little bit.........

...I have NO idea why my lips are all green...........but maybe you should check out EMI-WEE, Mommy...looks like SHE is having some sugar and sprinkles...but ME? Nope! Not ME!!

Things got awfully quiet in the highchair neighborhood for a little while....good thing Emily has that hand-eye coordination thing down.............

....WOW! WHAT is that taste?? Sure doesn't taste like my strained peaches...or squash....

....Yup! This stuff is GOOD!

....OH, hahahaha, Mommy. You think I'M eating sugar and sprinkles? Nope. Not me. Just Gracie!

WHATEVER this stuff is I just ate tastes so good it makes me want to....

CLAP MY HANDS!! And afterall, that's what "Pattycake" is all about, right? The baker's man? Ok, so I'm not the baker's man exactly but I can play the "Baby and me" part!

....better have a swig of this juice..........all this cookie decorating makes a person THIRSTY! Not to mention that dirty faces and dirty hands means it is...

...BATH TIME!

A hug for baby sister "Emi-wee"

Some sister bonding moments in the tub.... Before it's time to GO MEET COUSIN CHARLIE!!!

Now. For another twist on the birth and bringing home of Charlie: Alyssa has a cute picture frame that may have been a gift (I can't remember now) that says, 'COUSINS' - and she wanted me to take a good picture of Gracie, Emily and Charlie for the 'COUSINS' picture frame. And you would think that would be a fairly simple operation, right? Well, you would think.

So in our collective minds we imagined a lovely portrait sitting with three sweet shiny faces glowing and smiling into the camera. And we all know that life doesn't always follow along with imagination, don't we? We know what happens when Reality intervenes. So what follows is the result of the lovely portrait sitting with the three new cousins!


First picture. Yes, this is a nice, casual cousins portrait with no less than three hands attempting to hold two squiggly, wiggly girls in place...while Charlie sleeps on...

Second picture below...This enforced sitting still situation does nothing to make Emily happy and she begins to have a minor meltdown...

...and Charlie sleeps on..........

Mommy intervenes and removes the now-near-hysterical Emily, Gracie goes in for a little "kootchie-koo" on Charlie's little tummy...but Charlie sleeps on...

And in the next picture of the COUSINS, below, where we just KNOW we'll get a perfect picture for that picture frame, we sense a little conversation taking place:

-Gracie: "Where are you going, Emi-wee?"

-Emily: "I am SO outta here! SEE YA!!!"

-Charlie: "Zzzzzzzzz"

...which now leaves the OLDEST and the YOUNGEST cousins together on the couch, which turns out to be quite a nice snuggle-fest, considering how excited Gracie has been to meet her first real cousin IN PERSON!

...In fact, when Gracie's mommy was holding Charlie for the first time at Rob and Alyssa's house, Gracie greeted her cousin in a most formal way...she said to him, "Hi Charlie! I'm Gracie!!"

...and thus these two cousins were bonded as only cousins can when they are growing up together in what I happen to think (and of course I am absolutely not biased) is a pretty nice family indeed!

And soon enough Emily had calmed down once more and we took the nice COUSINS portrait sitting to the floor. You know, where nobody could get hurt...

...and somehow Mimi didn't remember to bring her nice flash attachment for the camera and the weather was foggy and dreary outside (it's now January don't forget!) - and the day was drawing closer into night - so it was a bit dark inside and Mimi's camera shutter just couldn't move fast enough to capture two active little girls and one sleepy little boy.

...but we tried...

...and we tried some more, so it wasn't for a lack of TRYING that we didn't get maybe the BEST COUSINS picture in all the world, and if you will look closely at the upper left hand corner of the picture above you'll see Gracie and Emily's mommy about to do a "fly-by" although I'm not sure of the reason why...

...and yes - there she goes...through the back of the shot....Where ya going, Mommy???

...and Emily claps and Gracie gets blurry....and Charlie sleeps on..........

....and we ALMOST got a picture where nobody was blurry and so what if nobody remembered to smile at the camera....

...and Gracie tries another "kootchy-koo" and Emily is checking the bouncy seat to see if she might be able to leverage herself into a standing position here....

....and Emily thinks better of the standing up part and Gracie enjoys Charlie's mobile on the top of his bouncy seat...

....while Emily gets up again for a closer look at this new cousin....

...and Gracie and Emily must wonder WHAT ON EARTH this is all about...all these pictures...while Charlie sleeps on....

...and so Gracie and Emily find greener pastures to roam while Auntie and Mommy come in close and and notice how MY daughters smile so pretty for the camera...if only they were COUSINS....

...and Auntie Ashley remembers what it's like to hold a brand new baby again and loves the fact that she has a new nephew of her very own to cuddle and love....

...and Gracie does a little hamming it up for her mommy and sticks her chin WAY out for the camera although nobody quite knows just why....

...and Emily...for reasons known only to Emily because this is now her "new thing" REACHES for the SKY!!!

....while on that cold winter's night a family comes together, and Baby Charlie sleeps on.........