From the time I got pregnant I knew this baby would be a huge part of my Grandparent’s lives.  We only lived 4 doors down on the same block so I spent a lot of time up there all big and pregnant.   Then when the time came to be induced I called Chad at work to tell him and ran straight to my Grandparents house, only they weren’t home! So my brother and I started making the calls to the family, Pyper was on her way!  We had to be at the hospital by 8:00 that night so Chad and I went to dinner and drove in to the hospital.  Not too long after we got in the room Gram, Grandpa, Ben and Mom showed up.  I was in labor for a very long time so my everyone left for a while but Gram and Chad.  She was with us the whole time, then 24 hours later came a C-Section I just wouldn’t dilate.  So Chad went in and Gram called everyone back and waited.  I had gotten motion sickness when I was in the ER and the medicine they gave me made me very groggy.  I don’t remember much of Py after the birth what I do remember was waking up a little in recovery and seeing Chad feed her for the first time and while I laid there; I saw my family and my sister in law Dawn.  Gram was stroking my hair telling me how beautiful my daughter was.  When Py was done eating Chad handed her to Gram and she placed her in my arms only I was so drugged I thought she might roll off!   Gram assured me she would be just fine and so she was.

Gram even gave Py her first bath because I had no idea what to do.  Do you see the love in that tiny one’s eyes for her Gram? Gram loved to talk about that red hair too just like her first-born…… my Mom.

Then PapPap would hold her for her nap while Gram and I played SkipBo….. 

And if we weren’t at their house they would walk down to mine I loved that.  I missed that so much when we moved two hours away I had a pretty hard time without them.  I tried to get up there as much as I could, now I feel like I should have been there more and will try harder for Grandpa. 

Then of course there was Py’s First Christmas she was spoiled rotten even when Gram said “don’t go overboard honey she is just a baby she won’t know the difference”  then she would buy her too much! I guess that was part of the do as I say not as I do LOL

She was eager to just hold Py the whole time we were at the big family Christmas so Chad and I could eat and visit, I used to be accused of holding her too much from some people they should have seen Gram!

 Gram even shared her favorite show with Py…WHEEL >>>OF>>>FORTUNE!!

Pyper loved learning new things from Gram and there was always something new…..From the love of fine jewelry….

To trying new foods (she always ate better for Gram than she ever did for me) even to this day I can cook something she will not like it, if we go to Gram and PapPap’s and Gram makes it, it’s the best thing she ever tasted silly girl……..

Gram taight her about weeding the flowers in the flower pots ….

Or even just to smell those flowers that she would remind her were not weeds….

Py loved it when Gram would brush her hair but screamed and cried when I tried to and Gram loved to fluff it up (-:

Gram would always talk to Pyper about everything I believe this was a serious conversation about shoes…

She would read to Py her books and sometimes they would just look through the paper together in the mornings…

When Py got older Gram started to let her cook with her, Py looked forward to this every time we visited they made everything from homemade mac and cheese, macaroni salad or chocolate chip cookies….

 

That was the cookie making day, of course Py ate too many but Gram never stopped her that’s what grandma’s are for after all (-:\

After making Gram’s famous macaroni salad the only mac salad she ever would eat…..

And of course her famous macaroni and cheese….Py is probably the only one who knows the recipe……maybe if I look at all the pictures closely I can figure it out (-:

Then……..Pyper was so excited when Phoebe was born Gram, Grandpa, Ben and Mom all drove down for the birth.  Pyper stayed in the waiting room with them and my in-laws.  They all made Py feel so special being a big sister.  They went back that night but came back down the following weekend to help where they could.  Of course Gram and Py made the mac and cheese!  And Py just wanted to share her grandparents with the newest addition. 

The last time Pyper saw Gram was at Easter, when we went back to spend the weekend Py had stayed over at her cousins and didn’t see her.  Phoebe was so good that weekend Gram. Mopm and Grandpa really enjoyed her.  Unfortunately, Gram ended up in the hospital the weekend after that and told me not to come up she was fine just wait so I did.  We had planned on spending Mothers Day with her and Mom.  She died at 9:20 on Mother’s Day we were almost to the house.

I thought Pyper knew that she wasn’t going to see Gram again until this past Friday when we were going to see PapPap the next day.  She asked if her and Gram could make cookies I was surprised.  I had to break her heart all over again.  Reminding her that Gram was in heaven, she said she didn’t want her to be there.   She seems to break down when she is getting put down to sleep and she has since after the funeral about how she misses her.  She has cried a lot but this was the first time she thought she would see her So I admit we were both a mess.  On our way to the house the next morning she spent the whole two hours talking about Gram.  Just when I thought she said all she could she said….”Mom, Gram was a good cooker”

“Yes she sure was Py, she sure was”