9 YEARS AGO

On February 11, 1998 at approximately 11:30 in the morning I was on my way to the hospital. My daughter had called and said ‘it was time’. I managed to make it there without having an accident or being pulled over for speeding.
Around 1pm my world changed. Shyann Patricia aka The Boss had arrived. It’s hard to describe what being a Grand is like. If you are in love with a child it to goes beyond that! Picture The Grinch’s heart at the end of the story. How it grew and grew until it was so large that it seemed to pop out of his chest. It’s kinda like that. Only more.
Yesterday, we attended her birthday party. She was having a pool party and was already in it when we arrived. I walked into the pool area to get my hug and even though it I go very wet I didn’t mind. I was amazed at how tall she is. But then again, she is her mother’s mother. We were all leggy at this age.
Over the past 9 years I have been continually amazed and amused by her and with her. She is one of the most polite kids I have ever been around. She is also one of the most stubborn and bossy kids I’ve ever know as well.
From the time she could sit up, I’ve been knitting and spinning around her. Little Miss “Me Do” has helped me treadle my wheel, knit on my machines and picked out colors for her knits.
I have a friend that works in one of my LYS that still talks about the time I brought her in to pick out the colors she wanted for her Easter dress. She was almost 3 and up to that point I would ask her before I went what color’s she wanted. After I directed her to the yarn I wanted to use, she picked out the colors and the proceeded to greet each new customer at the door with one in each hand proclaiming “Mema is knitting my dress and this is the colors!” And even though her dress didn’t require any buttons, we also left with 5 hand made parrot buttons because, well she liked them!
When she was 4 I took her with to spend the day out at my Mom’s place in the Berkshires. We ended up hanging out down at the neighbor’s and she did her best to empty her pond! Then when we were getting ready to leave, Mom asked if the girls might want an ice cream before we hit the road. I called her over and before she answered she looked around her, then said “Yes, but don’t tell my mom that I didn’t eat before.” Mom and I had all we could do to keep a straight face while she stood in front of us! Her mother was 2 hours away and Grandma and Great-Grandma were in charge! Like Mom could outvote the two of us if she was there.
And just a few weeks ago, she was helping get my sock stash in order. I needed to get it all together in a couple of bins and she was a big help in collecting the loose balls, skeins and such and matching them up. Just as we were completing one bin, she spied a colorway that I had forgotten about. “Mema! I love this color. Would you knit me some socks? When you’re not busy?” Guess what project jumped to the top of the list.
Last April, I took her and Younger to Texas to visit with my Dad. He lived in Corpus Christi on the Gulf and we had a great time. Although here’s an example of the where the bossy part comes in. She had a bit of a meltdown one day. Dad was making microwave popcorn and she ‘tried’ to tell him how to use the microwave to pop the popcorn. And didn’t take it very well, when he informed her that he knew how to use his own appliance Young Lady! She went storming off to the bedroom to sulk. From what Older tells me about school, most of her teacher’s report how helpful she can be but she’s also very willing to tell the other’s what and how they should be doing.
Time does fly by as you get older. I’ve come to realize that in 9 more years she will be graduating high school and hopefully go off to college and the be an adult with all of that stuff. But all I can think about for this time is how much joy and hope and laughter she has brought to all of us. I don’t know what the future holds for any of us. Things could happen and any of us could be gone instantly. I’m just going to enjoy any second that I have with her and hope that I can influence the adult she will become.