welcome, @kelsmom!
SIL left for 13 days Army Reserves, so I arrived to help DD with her 1 YO Son and 2 YO Dau. I arrived yesterday late afternoon, and the children were delighted I came. DD was exhausted on the couch - good thing I had a supper meal with me. Today I vacuumed (1200 S Ft 2 BR apt, all carpet except Bathrooms and Kitchen) and have supper ready. DD has things organized pretty well. I will go home sometime next week for a few days and then return again for a long weekend, as we have things here caught up and I need to catch up at home (I will have a pile of laundry to do). DH can manage pretty well on his own - he has been on his own diet/exercise plan that is very effective (he lost 30 lb in 6 months - really worked hard at it; he is 64).
I am pleased GD is going to bed earlier/is going to sleep easier, and if she wakes up during the night, she just goes to available adult/bed instead of crying and waking everyone up. GS has pretty much always been easy, and continues to be easy.
I helped DD get the kids ready this morning as she left for daycare and work. She was also very happy I brought prepared shepherd’s pie so she could take some and have a hot lunch.
It has been so terrific to live relatively close and be able to spend so much time with DD1/Family. It was our silver lining with the C-19.
DD and DIL decided to put their house on the market, and they rented a house a short walk away from us!!! We are so delighted to have them in the neighborhood. It will make babysitting so much easier with no long commute, and will allow for family time at the neighborhood pool and playground. Benefits for all of us!
I envy those of you who are geographically close to your kids. My S & DIL spent almost 2 weeks in Chattanooga and are headed back to FL now. DIL is pregnant and due in early October, so they are being very careful and practiced social distancing with her family there. Last weekend, I went with D, SIL, and 4 month old GD to meet them about halfway between Nashville and Chattanooga (I had driven to Nashville the day before). It was hot & miserable, but I was thrilled to get to have everyone together. 2 1/2 year old GD was thrilled to meet her baby cousin. I wore my mask and so did she so we could hug at the end of our visit. She’s not a very cuddly child, but will sit with me to watch Sesame Street or Daniel Tiger when they are at our house. I am so sad that I can’t fly to FL later this year to meet her baby sister when she arrives, but such is life right now. Just happy to get 2 hours last weekend! I feel for all the grandparents on this thread who are missing time with their little people. #covidsucks
I haven’t been with my grandkids in over 5 months. Virtual visits with GD, 2.75yo, are OK since she knows us, can converse with us, and even play games with us. OTOH, GS was only 3 months old the last time we were with him. He’s now 8 months old and has changed so much. Only in the past month does he even slightly pay attention to us on the screen. It’s not the same as being there, and I have no idea when I’ll be with them again.
Yes, @2VUO609, covid sucks.
((HUGS)) to you, @2VU0609 and @shellfell. Yes, covid sucks!
I thought some of you might like to read this article - Minnesota’s ‘rogue grandparents’ are defying CDC recommendations to see their grandkids. It was sent to me by a friend who knows I care for my grandchildren when D works, usually 2-3 days each week.
https://www.startribune.com/to-see-their-grandkids-some-twin-cities-nanas-and-papas-are-going-rogue-and-ignoring-cdc-recommendations/571932312/
It talks a bit about epidemiologist Mike Osterholm and his grandchildren. “I miss them dearly,” he said. “Not being able to hug the kids is tough. I miss the physical and emotional contact.”
We are bubbling with our DD, DIL and GS. I feel for all of you who are missing your grand babies! I can only imagine how tough that is…
Very interesting article @hrh19 - thanks for sharing. Even though I live 2 hours from D & SIL, we have kind of been in a bubble. I have been to Nashville now 3 times and they have only had the other grandparents who were encouraged to quarantine before they visited. SIL’s sister and her family won’t quarantine, so they haven’t made the trip to meet the new baby and I don’t know when they will.
D went on maternity leave just after shutdown and SIL has been working from home the whole time. D is back to work, but at home. The thing that may end our bubble is that the baby will go into daycare in a few weeks. She is a great sleeper (11 hours each night), but not a napper for more than 20-30 minutes at a time. I stayed from last Friday evening until Tuesday evening so I could lend a hand earlier this week. I was exhausted from taking care of her and I wasn’t trying to work at the same time. I understand why they are electing to put her into daycare.
I really hope we get the rapid testing soon that I keep reading about so we can visit with some confidence. I’m not inclined to take too many other risks, but I want to keep being able to visit them every so often throughout the rest of the year. I won’t be getting on a plane anytime soon, so that means getting to hold the new baby who will be arriving in October for S & DIL is off the table. It’s a 15 hour drive to their house, so that’s not an option either. Thankful for FaceTime. I’ve really enjoyed reading to the 2 1/2 year old while she eats lunch this summer. The kids have made fun of me for retaining their childhood library, but they have each taken some over the last few years and I still have enough books on hand to read when I get my lunchtime call.
We have virtual lunch dates with GD too. It’s the best way to ensure she stays still and in camera range. We’ve really enjoyed them.
@shellfish My SIL will FT with his parents at breakfast for the same reason, but also, GD (13 months) is happiest when eating! Due to how D and SIL schedule their WFH and which parent is on child duty, I tend to get the before dinner crankiness, so my daughter will call back once dinner is served.
With my son, he is in charge of bathtime, so I get the other GD (21 months) while she is in the tub. Lately, she hasn’t wanted to talk at that time, but when she does, she likes to say our grandparent names over and over; we have become a hyphenated name as she runs the two together now 
The oldest one has been back in daycare as my son is a physician and they opened for essential a couple of months ago. One of the other kids called GD MeeMo, I think as he couldn’t say her name, and now she refers to herself as MeeMo! It might help that Elmo is her favorite Sesame Street character, and the names are similar. I wonder if this name will stick as her nickname!
@snowball- S1 gave himself a nickname when he was not quite 3, and insisted that everyone call him by that nickname. We were concerned that if S2 (3 yrs younger) started calling him by that nickname, it would be his name forever. S1 kept the name til he was 5, and S2 hadn’t learned to say his name yet, so the nickname died. It was funny when S1 went to kindergarten and kids who knew him from nursery school were confused. One of the mothers even called to ask me if S1 still went by the nickname because she didn’t believe her daughter that he had abandoned it over a summer.
In October when the kids’ maternity/paternity leaves are up, I will be going to their house to nanny sweet grand baby girl. Getting up early and commuting is going to be a sincere challenge for me after being “free” for five years, but I am hoping I can succeed. It will be so sweet to get to know her so well. Both son and DIL will be there working from home. I hope I will be strong enough and have the stamina!! I’ll be 69 years old in a few days. They are way less than enthusiastic about the daycare situation even though the provider assures them all is well. As long as I can help stretch it out, the better, IMO. She can go to daycare when all of this has blown over and it’s safer.
@VaBluebird It is the best! I mentioned earlier that my daughter, SIL and 1 year old GD made the two day drive to come stay with us for two weeks. They were overwhelmed with WFH with a baby, and we offered to help out. As they truly have not been out of their house since SIP, they decided to accept the offer.
While I work 4 days a week, when I was home, I was able to help out. My husband was home for a good part of their visit and was also a help. Besides helping with the baby, mom and dad got a break from some cooking and cleaning!
Since they have been home, when we FT with the GD, her face lights up as she now recognizes us. While we would FT daily before the visit, she hadn’t seen us in person for a long time, so didn’t know who were were; now she does! I can’t tell you how wonderful that makes us feel. She loves for us to sing and do the hand motions to Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. As soon as we are on the screen, she points to her head; we don’t dare stop singing, otherwise she signs for more!!
That all said, my 63 year old body was tired when they left; I must have gone up and down the stairs 100 time, and out for walks everyday, pushing her on the swing, etc… Lets just say I slept well at night.
So, @snowball, I think we may be in the almost exact situation in October. GD will be 1 year old, D and SIL will make the 2 day drive here to visit for 2 weeks, work from our home, get a baby care break and cooking break, etc.
We have been home and not out and about since March expect for long walks daily, and they have been working from home and no day care, and very limited outside the house to grocery store.
How did you set up your home? The bedrooms, the office, the play area, etc. We are also in our 60’s. and retired. It would help to know what worked and what did not work. Also did you use masks in the home? Feel free to PM me or use this forum.
@rockymtnhigh, my S, DIL & 16 m/o GS lived with us for 10 weeks at the beginning of Covid. We became full-time childcare while they worked full-time. I also did most of the cooking.
We still live in the house my kids were raised in so there was plenty of room for sleeping but finding workspaces for everyone took a little creativity. GS’s pack n play was in S’s old room, S and DIL slept in the guest room, S worked in H’s office (S and H shared - H is retired but has estate and other business issues to deal with on a daily basis), DIL worked in D’s room until she also came home. Then DIL worked from S2’s old room. And I worked at the kitchen counter during nap time. We created a play area in the den and GS “parked” his collection of cars in the empty Amazon box garage we made for him.
My kids were with us from the beginning so we didn’t use masks. I was the designated shopper and the only one who ventured outside the house (other than for walks) during the time they were with us. And I have to agree with @snowball - I turned 64 while they were living with us and I fell into bed exhausted every night.
But I wouldn’t have traded it for the world. In those 10 weeks he learned to walk, started talking, and bonded with us (and his aunt) in a way I doubt would have happened under normal circumstances. Only issue was making sure our internet could handle all the needs of a lawyer, a reporter, and a consultant, along with H and me. Have fun - 24/7 access is a real treat.
@runnersmom There is a reason the young have babies!!
When we would visit my parents when my son was an infant, my mother loved that one on one time with his. Having him in her home helped them build a different relationship from the other grandchildren. My son was, and is to this day her favorite, and all the grandchildren know it. Partly because he was my first and I allowed her any access she wanted with him. My brother had a daughter 3 years earlier, and then lived in the same area as my parents, but my sister in law, didn’t allow my parents much time with the kids. To this day, my mother is not close to my brother’s 3 kids.
Haven’t seen gd since December, and now she is going to be a big sister! Very hard being across country from them.
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Congratulations, @jym626, on GC #2!
This would belong in the Amusing Anecdotes When Your Grandkids Were Little thread, if we had one.
To set the stage, 2.75yo GD was sitting at the table, eating a snack, DIL is off camera, music is playing in the background.
GD: Mommy, don’t be sad. (puppy dog eyes, downturned mouth)
DIL: But you told me not to sing.
GD: Don’t be mad at me. Be happy! (long pause)…But just don’t sing.
She’s a character. DH and I keep playing this video over and over.
DIL has had to return to in office work 2-3 days a week, so we have been doing some Friday “watching”. I used to be #1, but D2 has been coming along to help out and is now the favorite.
Last weekend, I got up to let S1 go back to bed and was greeted with a stare and then “Where’s Auntie C?”. I told her she was still sleeping, and got the cold shoulder. 1.5 hours later she is calling down the stairs through the cat gate “Auntie C, time to get up, time to play with me”. So I guess playing with her school, going outside to play with her sand/water table, then her pool, bubbles counted for nothing…