Welcome Gideon!

I recently spent a week in Southern California with our daughter Amy and her family. The reason for my visit??? A picture is worth a thousand words and I’ll add a quote from 2 year-old, Allison: “Ta Da…"

Our 10th grandchild, Gideon David, was born on February 19, 2008.

What a fun experience it was to join Tom and Amy, big brother, Jacob, and big sister, Allison, as they welcomed Gideon to their family. Having a week to be more than a “long-distance grandma” was a joy and a time to treasure. I have a multitude of memories from this very “short” week.

Of course, the star of the show was Gideon. Tom whisked me to the hospital as soon as I touched down. What a beautiful baby boy! It was such a joy to hold, snuggle, and love him and participate in all the tasks associated with a newborn.

Grandma gets lots of quality time with Gideon.

It amazed me how alert and responsive he was and how curious he was about his new world. He is truly a little miracle straight from heaven!

We thumbprinted onesies and here is Gideon wearing one of Jacob's creations entitled "Turtle Migration."

And, there were great times with Gideon’s big brother and sister. Several mornings, Allison crept down the stairs and crawled into my sleeping bag and we talked, sang, told stories, and I loved having this warm little bundle of joy snuggled close to me. We snuggled on the couch and read stories, she would often tell me “Grandma, I happy!” and she would break into her rendition of “I Am a Child of God” many times during each day and remind me so much of Amy singing the same song when she was 2 years old.

I Am a Child of God

Jacob and I ventured out to Karate lessons, Preschool, and shopping together. He amazed me with his elaborate illustrations and stories about them for his “Welcome Home” sign for Mom and Gideon. Another highlight- seeing the sheer joy on Jacob’s face as he and his dad finally got Spiderman and his parachute up and flying when they took me and the whole family to the beach. He ate my cooking with gusto, too! What a way to make a Grandma feel good!

Jacob at First Five Preschool

Spending time hanging out with Tom and Amy was great. We got to “catch up” on our lives, take a couple trips to the beach, learn some new baby-calming tricks together, and watch a “chick flick” that I think Tom even enjoyed. Amy and I had the fun of attending a baby shower planned by her friends in her Ward, timed so that I would still be in town. It was a fun evening and a great chance to meet so many of Amy’s wonderful friends.

And, there was a bonus at the end of my visit. Our oldest granddaughter, Meg, journeyed with her dad to L.A. for a business conference and she wanted to come and help Amy and play with her cousins. She spent the night and the next day with us. She had one big idea for our day together: “I want to go to the beach!” Amy was up for it and it was a beautiful day. It was very fun to see Meg exulting in the waves and doing some serious digging and constructing in the sand with Jacob, only for their structures to be washed away by the next big wave and then they would begin again. It was a great way to end my visit to California! A good time was had by all… especially me!

Meg jumping for joy with a day at the beach.

No time to build before the next wave.

And one last parting shot...

Gideon at the beach- only one week old and he’s been to the beach 2 times! He’s becoming a regular “beach bum!”