Babysitting Daze...

Early morning bathing and teethbrushing rituals

There is a good reason why women my age cannot have children anymore. Well, in extreme cases women older than I have had children (see Sara in the Bible). But I’m talking about modern day mortals here.

The children's bedroom when they visit

While my son and daughter-in-law were visiting and waiting for our precious new baby to arrive, I took over the care and entertainment of their two older children.

Emily's one-year-old grandson also visits regularly

A trip to town takes just that much longer than normal...
Hammie the dwarf hamster had to be cared for as well
A lone caterpillar, brought indoors by my granddaughter,
which I found later in the fruit bowl

My granddaughter turned 6 the day the baby was born and my grandson is two-and-a-half years old. They are extremely obedient and well-mannered children but as with children all over the world, they also display their emotions at will and vocally.

My granddaughter loves all nature: bugs, birds, worms, snails, frogs; she is our budding botanist. We had a dwarf hamster to care for, Eddy had to be regularly taken for a walk and once I even found a lone caterpillar in the fruit bowl. So while things when smoothly on the whole, there were times when tempers flared, panic stations were reached when hamster cages are inadvertently left open and little hearts were sore with longing for Mama who was in hospital having a new baby sister.

Off to the garden to pick flowers for Mama's homecoming
Now I'm not the baby anymore, my little sister is...

It's a privilege and a real blessing to always be part of my children’s lives especially during the momentous event of new birth in our family.

Oh, the reason why women my age don't/can't have children anymore? So that they (as grandmothers) can give their undivided attention to their grandchildren!