Can it really be a year?

Sometimes life just seems to get in the way.  The last time I posted on this blog was April 24, 2012. A lot has happened in this Grandma's life since that date but the joy of experiencing life with my darling Jack in NYC actually began one year ago yesterday so I have decided to revisit this adventure now that I am settled in a new life style in the Second City.  The past eight months of transition between suburban and urban life have been filled with new challenges and delights and each day continues to present new situations.  This time I am, however, not on my own so I am experiencing these changes with Tom and our faithful dog Liffey.

Jack enjoys a glass of water at his Dad's favorite Chicago Irish Pub

First, and most important, Jack continues to be an incredible child.  I say that with absolutely no prejudice even though I am his "Gamma"  He is fifteen months old, walking a lot and talking a bit and is as handsome as ever. It is also true that I miss him everyday but through FaceTime we are able to watch him as he grows. We make it our business to see him as often as possible and he seems equally delighted to see Tom and me whenever possible.  I have to say at this point that I was initially a bit disappointed when Jack looked at Tom when he was visiting at Christmastime and said ,very distinctly, "Poppa!" and was unable to say "Gamma".  I know Tom is quite the charming guy and a great Dad and "Poppa" but kid, who cleaned your poopie diapers for three months? This brought back some vivid memories of my boys' childhoods where after long days of at home motherhood spent feeding, entertaining and performing various grooming duties on the boys they would eagerly run from my loving arms at the arrival of their "hero" Dad when he walked in the door. Deja Vu.

Well, back to the reason for my renewed interest in writing about Grandma and the City. Writing and documenting my life as the Granny/Nanny last year became a very enjoyable part of the entire experience.  Being on my own for three months helped me to get out of my accustomed situation and to look at my life from many different perspectives.  I truly believe that those three months began a new era for me. If you read through my initial posts you will know that I had the rare opportunity to spend time with myself for perhaps the first time in my life. As a Baby Boomer who married directly out of college, as our smarter kids rarely do now, I had never come home to my own apartment and dealt with the everyday matters of life without the constant need to consider another person before making practically all of my daily decisions.  I was also able to observe my son as a husband and a father and feel so blessed that I was able to discover how strong his new little family is and how they work together as a couple to raise this precious child. I truly fell in love with urban life and my experience in NYC absolutely prepared me for the major move that Tom and I made to Chicago.  It is a very different life.  This transition has been new and exciting but do not think that it has been without some major challenges.

So in one year I became a Grandmother, lived in NYC for three months, sold a home that we lived in for twenty-four years, moved to an entirely different environment than I had ever experienced just three weeks after returning home, and I am working very hard to adjust to the challenges that resulted from all of these major life changes.  I hope that all of this will result in some insightful and amusing commentary in the future.

The strangest thing about writing this blog is that it is quite impossible to know if anyone will actually read it.  I guess I want to share this or I would not write it.  Regardless of the readership I find this extremely therapeutic.  I know that as I talk to friends along the way about the various topics which inspire me to write that there is a bond among us. We share so many of the same struggles of the mind and it does help to air them.  One of the greatest joys of my life is the time I spend with dear friends. The demands of our lives make it a challenge to spend the amount of time that we need together and writing this makes me feel that these friends are somehow closer to me.

Stay tuned and you will learn how I have transitioned from a life of 58 years as a suburbanite to a truly sophisticated urban woman.  Not really, but it sounds pretty impressive.

                               Liffey and I enjoy a morning walk along Lake Michigan