Cashing in a Magic Dime

My granddaughter has more toys than she needs. She also has more clothes than she needs. That always poses a problem for me when it comes to gifts for birthdays. I don't want to add to the excess. Giving only money may be fine in time, but this is my granddaughter who still uses her imagination in ways that make me smile!

Gemma recently turned seven years old. She loves playing with me. We make up all kinds of games to play. However, she had to have something tangible as a gift, but not something that would add to her excesses.

Bonding With Gemma

Candace and I began bonding on the day she was born. I loved holding her, and she loved me holding her, too.

That instant bonding process was repeated when Erin was born, and again when Elliana was born. They were comforted when I held and cuddled them from the first days they were born.

I was able to calm any upset any of the three of them had with the security and love they felt in my arms. There was no reason to believe that it would be different when Gemma was born.

I was certainly wrong about that!

Gemma not only did not want me to hold her, it seemed she did not even like me!

Playing With Gemma

Gemma did not like me when she was a baby. Her lip would quiver when I looked at her, and she would start crying as soon as I picked her up. It took a lot of effort on my part to get her to bond with me.

Eventually we bonded, and now I am one of her favorite people to play with!

The reason she loves playing with me boils down to two elements that are important to her: she makes up all the rules, and she always wins.

Back to School

Though I have thought often about going back to school myself so I could finish up my Associate’s degree, or just take some classes that might interest me, I have not yet done that. However, now that I have switched from being a driver with highly irregular hours to being a dispatcher with a set schedule that begins in the afternoon, I may do it soon.

Build-A-Bear With the Grandkids

Though it was truly Gemma’s second Christmas, 2013 was really the first one she would start grasping the concept. She was barely a month old the previous year. Linda and I got both Elliana and Gemma something they could unwrap and gift certificates to Build-A-Bear.

It was time to cash those in a week or two later. Candace, of course, wanted to be there to share her baby’s first experience making her own stuffed animal.