Long Distance

I am a long distance grandmother. I live 880 miles away from my first grandchild. I have to cross the Mojave desert to get there. I have to figure out how to navigate this brand new long distance role.

Her other grandparents live in town. So I will be the exotic grandparent (!), not the everyday one. 

I'll be the one from afar, who lives in a magical (to a child) place. When she is old enough to come visit, it will be an adventure for her. This place looks so different from her home, that it will be a memorable journey to a strange place for her. That compensates a bit for not being in her life day to day.

Both of my sisters had grandchildren born far away from them. They coped. I will too.

Babies change so rapidly in the first years, and I don't want to miss any of it. Fully immunized now, we'll visit as often as we can.

At one month and again at two months

Her Colorado uncle was there in late March. He's already stated he will buy her a guitar, teach her to ski (not snowboard) and plans avalanche survival classes when she's ready. 

It might be a while, I told him. It's never too early he said.

Grandchildren are the reward for not strangling your children when they were teenagers. I waited a while, but am glad now, after all this time, that I did not strangle them.

I wanted to at the time, though.