Monday, December 15, 2008

Have an O'Henry Christmas

My grandad is 99 years old.
He lives in a one bedroom apartment and his days are very routine. He gets up, he goes for his walk, he visits Tim Hortons, he has dinner.
His apartment is very tidy.
So, when I come and visit him with 2 kids in tow, it's a bit harried. Now that the baby is cruising, pulls herself up on everything and doesn't sit still and Doodle has discovered that nothing brings her more joy than him making her laugh ... it's a little overwhelming for a 99 year old.
So, I was a little nervous for our visit.
But, on Saturday morning we decided to drive up. We went before lunch and brought presents, Doodle's book of school poems, some baking and ourselves.
It was one of the nicest visits ever.
My grandad hasn't bought me a gift in years. What he usually does is give us a cheque for dinner out. It's much appreciated. And, there's no way that he would be able to go and get gifts for his kids and grandkids.
But, this year he knew going to visit him was out of the way with the kids. And, when we got there and gave him his present his face lit up and he said "oh! I have something for you too."
For Phat Daddy and I - a box of chocolates.
For Doodle - a bag of chocolate Christmas balls
For Princess - a king-sized O Henry Bar. Seriously!
I have to admit, the O Henry bar was the hit of the morning. The princess only saw a giant yellow bar thing she could chew. Doodle knew I wouldn't let her eat it and was thrilled that she may pass it on to him.
Phat Daddy and I were amused because my uncle was sitting in the room, and I thought he was going to have a heart attack when he saw it (he has 5 kids ... I'm sure he knows that she's a little young for a chocolate bar).
And, bless his heart. My grandad said to me "I wasn't sure what babies eat, so I thought she could gnaw on that to stay quiet."
And, that is the best parenting advice EVER.
We opted to instead feed her the organic pureed baby food I had brought with me, and leave the chocolate bar until she has a few more teeth.

2 comments:

Badness Jones said...

He sounds like an angel. And I'm sure that, despite the craziness, your visit was wonderful for him.

Unknown said...

Your granddad is the cutest thing EVER!