Wednesday, April 13, 2005
The trip with Great Grandma
It was Donna's idea. I had the time. Mom was delighted. Heather was accepting of the fact.
It started with Donna dropping me off at her Mom's house for John, her second husband to drive me early Monday morning to the Philly airport to go to Colorado Springs. From there I would rent a car and drive to Trinidad to pick up Mom and take her back to the Springs to fly the rest of the way to San Francisco to see Hannah, her great grand daughter.
Pat made no complaints. She got in the car, she waited patiently for the plane, she even got up three hours too early to tell me it was time to go. The only part that was hard to deal with was the continuall recycling of stories; usually about her failings or bad decisions. My only hope was to redirect the flow of words into another subject or a specific guiding question, which would prompt another train of thought.
I think she is a good talker but not a good listener. When I say something she is waitng for a chance to tell another story. If I talk about something scientific or technical, she responds by talking about raising me, not what I was talking about.
With Hannah, Pat was wonderful. She did all that baby talk and got in her face, a fact that did not bother Hannah at all. Hannah is a wonderful child; well behaved, quiet and studying everyone and everything.
Heather is patient and calm and happy. She seems to have control of her diet, liquids, and rest, which translates into one happy nursing baby. Because they keep her on a steady schedule, Hannah is well adjusted. I guess books can come in handy. They are also planning to teach her sign language, which she can use before she speaks to communicate with them.
More later...
It started with Donna dropping me off at her Mom's house for John, her second husband to drive me early Monday morning to the Philly airport to go to Colorado Springs. From there I would rent a car and drive to Trinidad to pick up Mom and take her back to the Springs to fly the rest of the way to San Francisco to see Hannah, her great grand daughter.
Pat made no complaints. She got in the car, she waited patiently for the plane, she even got up three hours too early to tell me it was time to go. The only part that was hard to deal with was the continuall recycling of stories; usually about her failings or bad decisions. My only hope was to redirect the flow of words into another subject or a specific guiding question, which would prompt another train of thought.
I think she is a good talker but not a good listener. When I say something she is waitng for a chance to tell another story. If I talk about something scientific or technical, she responds by talking about raising me, not what I was talking about.
With Hannah, Pat was wonderful. She did all that baby talk and got in her face, a fact that did not bother Hannah at all. Hannah is a wonderful child; well behaved, quiet and studying everyone and everything.
Heather is patient and calm and happy. She seems to have control of her diet, liquids, and rest, which translates into one happy nursing baby. Because they keep her on a steady schedule, Hannah is well adjusted. I guess books can come in handy. They are also planning to teach her sign language, which she can use before she speaks to communicate with them.
More later...
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