So after a Saturday of happy tumult, with D1 and both boys and added guests, today is much more chill. You can't be an effective grandparent to 2 boys unless you can tolerate great disorder and loud noise -- and we savor both.
Nicole, D1's forever friend and mother of 2 girls, stopped by -- while doing no child errands. Nicole is going with D1 and Little Man to Chicago Thursday -- for a long weekend of museums and Chicago tourism. And Dr. Hilit stopped by, soo -- our neighbor who D1 met when she worked at Jackson Memorial. She wanted to meet D1's boys -- she was last here about 10 years ago when we hosted a dinner with her and Eric, Dana, Barry, Donna, and Steve and Mary. Steve was all of our Religion professor -- for we Boomers in the 80s, and for the next generation Hilit and Alex in the 90s...
After some Anthony's Coal Fired, D1 took Baby Man home -- in protest. We told him HE was welcome to overnight stays after he was potty trained. He shouted "I use potty NOW!" He's adorable, but we figure staying with us is a good carrot to use in the training process -- he turns 3 next week, and it's really time.
Little Man reminded Wifey and me that WE are the boss when he's here -- not his Mommy or Daddy -- and so OUR rules apply. Sure enough, there was a later bath and bed time than usual. But after that, he WAS knackered, as D1 noted, and he actually fell asleep as I told him my latest tale of the "Night Bird," a heroic avian that flies only at night, rescuing people and animals. The Ds loved it -- and Little Man does, too.
He slept well past first light, 6:15, and then woke me. We were off to House of Bagels, which he now knows is just a bagel shop and not a structure made of actual bagels, and got our usual haul. We had a men's breakfast -- Wifey sleeps in.
She did come down early for her, and suggested we take a "mango walk" so she could enjoy her coffee quietly. We did, with Lemon the Spaniel in tow, and found one useable mango, and one green skinny one. Since I developed a late allergy to the skin, Little Man plopped them into the bag, and we walked off for home -- a 1.5 mile walk. Despite his seemingly endless energy, he announced he preferred when we take the wagon and I pull him. I told him with my newly healed knee -- it was either walk or stay home.
We got back, and Wifey admitted she NEVER cut up a mango, and started off with a knife move towards her thumb that would have probably resulted in a call to Dr. Lew, my hand surgeon friend, for a digit reattachment. I grabbed the fruit, held the skin in a napkin, and did the job. Little Man pronounced the fruit "DELICIOUS."
Now he's chilling, watching a modern "Peanuts" movie, as the young Spaniel and ancient one nap next to him.
In a few hours, we'll head to D1's house, to meet up with her and hopefully D2 and maybe even Tio Jonfin. We're taking Lemon for the week, because of the Chicago sojourn. As much as I prefer no more dogs when Bo, the ancient Spaniel crosses that Rainbow Bridge - Lemon is welcome. Chill guy but still the energy to walk with me.
So even with a grandson, we can have a chill am. I told Little Man I had given it thought -- if he ended up liking Palmetto High in 9 years -- he could move in with us and attend it. He said he'd give it thought, but first thing was passing Kindergarten this Fall.
It's as I predicted -- I knew we'd grow close when he reached the age of language and reason. Like his precocious Mom, he says words like "Actually" and "Literally." Wifey asked him what his Mommy had said about a request. "She didn't respond." Yep -- got another one on our hands -- and we adore him. His brother, too, though as D1 notes, he's basically a cute cartoon character.
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