Twenty years already

It's fun to have a baby in the family.  You've met Diggle, the latest baby in our family, who is currently still an actual baby.

But Diggle has an older cousin, and yesterday was his birthday.  A big one.  Our first grandchild has finished being a teenager and has now turned the big 2-0!

And we'd like to wish him a nice Happy Birthday!

Month old baseball star

It's difficult being grandparents long distance.  Across the ocean kind of long distance.  When my oldest daughter had her baby early, I couldn't get there until a few weeks later.  The rest of the family couldn't get there for four months.  That's just the way life is when a family is scattered across the globe. 

One of my earliest photos is of him wearing the cute baseball outfit I had for my own son, very meaningful to me as a baseball fanatic when I was young.

Mamie, Mommy, Baby

Gone shopping

I love this three-generation image showing how the the family carries on.  It's exciting as a parent to watch one's own child become a parent.

While I was visiting my daughter for the first time in her own home, and babysitting while she was working, I went shopping for my daughter.  I didn't have access to a car, so as a true Parisian (at the time), Baby and I went strolling.  We came back home rather loaded down.  Yes, there is a baby in there, somewhere.

New Papy, new baby

Finally, the rest of the family got to visit.  I so remember my father-in-law sleeping with my own brand new firstborn, so it was really nostalgic to see Doc Leo sleeping with his daughter's brand new firstborn, in just about exactly the same position!

What is this tiny thing?

It's really fun now to see Little Brother, the brand new uncle, holding this little person, as I've now had a chance to see him hold his very own little person, 19 years later.

 

Tata Nana and the star

My second daughter, who was also living Stateside, got to visit a year later, and what's really amusing is that this first grandchild in this photo is the exact same age as his baby cousin was last month when we got to see him again.  Interesting timing.

So, Alex, despite the years of distance and lack of frequent interaction, we thought of you all day yesterday (we had a houseful of workers at our house, sorry).  If you'd been in France, it would have been a grand celebration, as the French make a big deal of the 20th.

But as you did not grow up in France with French traditions, we hope you had a great day anyway in whatever you ended up managing to do to celebrate!

At the original Ben & Jerry's in Vermont

Ice cream is good

 

Joyeux Anniversaire from Mamie & Papy.