After 2 1/2 glorious weeks of having Nana in town, today is our last day together. She’s heading home to pack and leave for Newman Lake on Friday. It’s time to entertain at the family summer lake cabin in Eastern Washington for the next few months. Visitors are expected. Our next meeting may just have to be over there at the lake! 

We will miss you, Nana! It’s been extraordinarily wonderful to have Nana in our corner while we got our feet under us. 

She walked, she washed, she cleaned, she grocery shopped, she cooked, she got take-out, she rocked, she shushed, she diaper changed, she ran errands, she chauffeured, she laughed, she cried. She even withstood and cleaned the litter box. She cleaned and treated our leather sofas. She bought shelving and organized our camping gear, allowing my husband’s bicycle to move from the flat entryway to its own park place in the basement storage unit. Ahhhh. She brought over her drill and stud-finder, helping my husband to manifest his vision of a projector-based home theater with the big screen. Now we are able to turn our entire living room into a baby friendly cinema. I especially and desperately enjoyed her taking Lake out for two hour post-prandial walks whereby he would sleep and I could take my own midday and/or evening nap, and get really deep responsibility-free beauty sleep. 

Nana was here every day until I was up and about… sometimes for 16 or more hours a day. She was here even several days before he was born, carrying us through the epic labor and birthing event (coming soon Lake Odin’s Birthday Story: a five day relay). We benefited from her endless energy and maybe even started to see the bottom of the wellspring. Thank you for being with us during this incredible transition, Nana. We couldn’t have imagined doing it without you. 

Thank you to Seattle Auntie for hosting my parents for this big event! You made it comfortable and possible! 
And a big thank you for your generosity in parting with your wife for these few weeks, Grandpa! I know it’s a bit like Ain’t No Sunshine by Bill Withers when she’s out of town. We’re so glad you were able to come up to Seattle and meet Lake over the weekend. He’s excited for you to teach him swimming! This I infer from the constant swimming motions of his limbs. And more than one person have taken a look at his feet and nicknamed him Flipper. 

It really does take a village. Merci beaucoup Nana! Bon voyage!