Fix with EV Bonner (my perfect granddaughter)

Well I got to see EV (Evangeline-Vesper Lynne Bonner) my tiny gorgeous perfect granddaughter twice since the new year. The first visit was over Christmas which I spent with my daughter Nadia and son-in-law Matt Bonner near San Antonio Texas. I live in Toronto wishing they lived closer but since they are obligated to live there because of Matt's work, I have no choice but to make the trek down to see them as I often as they will have me. There is competition with the sets of Grandparents. I have to share the turf with Matt's parents Paula and Dave Bonner and my Ex husband Ali Kullo and his wife Renata. Is this fair, probably but I am sure if all of us had our way we would bump the other's visits if allowed. Sharing is not always fun! Here is a picture of this perfect child I have been telling you about. As you can see EV is trying to follow in her father's footsteps and be ready to play in the NBA when they form their women's teams. She has a few years before she will be ready, but with with the Bonner's family help I am sure she will make it. All three of the Bonner offspring are into basketball. Matt, her Dad plays for the San Antonio Spurs. The picture of EV in the TuTu on the pumkin is showing her feminine side.

The best part of the last two visits was having EV to myself while my daughter travelled to see family and friends and to spend some alone time with her husband. Milestones were witnessed which is always an awesome experience. Over Christmas EV sat by herself without assistance or being supported. She also tried crawling accomplishing spinning in circles on her belly as the closest thing to it she could master. Also she started yelling out the word Ma Ma without knowing for sure exactly what she was saying. Her Dada also convinced himself when she was waving only one arm at him she was either saying Hello or Goodbye. Doesn't matter she is soooo cute when she does it and we are all so proud of her clapping and telling her what she has done is great that she breaks out in the largest and cutest toothless smile she can muster and we all fall in love with her all over again. The latest visit she managed the crawling in one direction, but still mostly on her belly. She does get up on her knees and hands and will move maybe two steps forward and decides she has had enough and collapses onto her belly again to make her belly crawl forward like a little frog.

Now that she has discovered her voice she is making all kinds of weird and wonderful sounds. Some of them sound like she is cooing or just blowing her nose. Others sound like fake coughs or just speaking in her own language. Whatever she does just delights all of us around her. EV is a really happy, peaceful baby who rarely cries and seems to know how to comfort herself which is a good thing given the erratic lifestyle she may be subjected to in the coming years. Having a Daddy playing for the NBA does not always provide you with a permanent stable address and even having around a Daddy all the time. Daddy has to play for the most part alternate games away from his home town which means he is away from his wife and child a lot. It can be a lonely life on the road for these athletes. Thank goodness for SKYPE. Speaking through the computer allows them to not only speak and hear who you are talking to but you can also see them. It is a great communication tool for this type of family.

My son Adam finally got to meet his niece during EV's first visit to Toronto. Adam is always struggling with life and trying to get enough hours to support himself which leaves him with little money left to travel with. Hopefully this will change soon. One can only hope for the best.

Well I will update you later on the latest this Granny - Grammy Pammy Wammy has to report. All you Grandmothers out there - is this not the best?

Grandmothers

Can you believe it? I am a grandmother to a beautiful 2 & 1/2 month old girl named Evangeline-Vesper Lynne Bonner to be known as EV for short. I had the pleasure of visiting her, holding her, caressing her and loving her for the first time last month. I could not believe the pleasure I experienced in this visit. You see, I live in Ontario, Canada and my granddaughter lives in Texas, USA. We are worlds apart. This has been hard on me having my daughter and granddaughter live so far away. I know she is loved and well cared for by her parents Nadia and Matt Bonner but this does not help me. The other grandparents of hers are in the same boat. We all live far away. Today my daughter posted on Facebook she was in need of a babysitter. If some of us lived closer we would have solved this problem for her. There are lots of volunteers.
Tell me how others cope with this void in their life. When your children become adults you are used to being ignored for awhile because they are busy getting on with their own lives. But grandchildren do not have a choice about this nor do grandparents for the most part. Visits will be infrequent, I know, but this is hard to accept. You wait for so long to become a grandparent. It just does not seem to be fair. I want so much to be part of her life.
Children tend to have their children later in life then we did. Mind you I did not have my daughter until I was 29 years old and she was 30 having her first child. I guess she is following in my footsteps after all. I did not live very close to my mother when I had her, but then again my mother did not seem as interested in my children as she did with her other grandchildren living closer to her. I am not sure if she was afraid to form a bond which she felt she could not deliver on or what. My children's great aunt and a woman who helped raise me picked up the slack for her sister and she and my uncle while he was alive did all the things for my children most would expect from a grandmother.
Well I guess I am lucky. I wanted to be a grandmother and I got my wish.