Fringe Benefits

Since our house has become the temporary living quarters for Jeremy's family, I have discovered several fringe benefits. At the top of the list is being able to help out with Lauren. As those of you with sons, not daughters, will discover, there are some distinct differences in being the paternal grandmother. I'm still a bit unsure of this new role as live-in mother, mother-in-law and grandmother, trying to discern when to step in, when to back off, when to offer advice, when to mind my own business. When my first grandchild was born, I never knew how much time to spend at their house. Trista's mom was there to do whatever needed to be done and I felt a little bit in the way. Of course, after I started keeping Jacob when his mom went back to work, I was able to get in my "grandma time." I'm still trying to learn what will help Trista most, but the times that I'm here to just hold Lauren when Trista needs more sleep or a shower, are very special times. Add to that the benefit of flowers adorning my home. I am a huge fan of fresh flowers and would have them all the time if I weren't such a penny-pincher. The flowers that came home with the girls from the hospital are so beautiful and my whole downstairs smells like roses! Last, but not least is the wonderful tradition of bringing food to the new parents. We've been enjoying delicious meals and I think Wednesday will be the only day this week that someone is not planning to bring food. The way it's looking, we'll have plenty of leftovers for that night!