House Party

August 31, 2015 – House Party

Last Thursday, I set out for a few days in New York, to give Elliott a little break from my constant ministrations.  And sure enough, as soon as I left, what did Elliott do?  He hosted a multi-day house party! 

Yes, that very afternoon, three very special friends from out of town showed up to party with Elliott during my absence.  A big thank you to Joel, Taylor, and Karen for being such good company.  And special thanks to Karen for making sure the boys behaved.  

Taylor, Elliott and Joel

As you can probably guess, the real reason for my trip was to see my darling new granddaughter again.  Since my son-in-law’s paternity leave ended last Wednesday, Elisa was adjusting to her new role as Miss Sylvie’s sole care provider during the day.  Although she’s gained a few pounds since her birth in mid-July, Sylvie is still quite portable, and we put her high-tech stroller to good use during my visit.  One important outing was Sylvie’s first trip to Trader Joe’s.  Elisa immediately discovered the challenge of doing grocery shopping with Sylvie in tow – it’s not possible to push a shopping cart while pushing a stroller.  The stroller has to serve dual purposes.  The space underneath the baby seat was soon filled to overflowing with grocery items.  Then, at the check out, she had to reach down and pull out all the items without blocking other shoppers.  This is not as easy as you might think since the Brooklyn store is always extremely crowded.  Once everything had been placed in a couple of shopping bags, another challenge presented itself.  You can’t carry bags in both hands while pushing a stroller.  Fortunately, I provided an extra pair of hands.  Miss Sylvie and the groceries arrived home safely.  Later that day, Elisa went online and ordered a set of hooks that fit onto the stroller handle.  I hope that solves the transport problem.  

Miss Sylvie, ready for her trip to Trader Joe's

Elisa and Sylvie in Trader Joe's

Speaking of new experiences, I had my first experience as Grandma the Babysitter.  I thought it would be nice to give Elisa and Christian a chance to go out to dinner by themselves and they readily took me up on my offer.  While they went into “the city” for dinner at a restaurant in Chelsea, Miss Sylvie and I shared an evening that had its ups and downs.  On the up side, I was successful in giving her a bottle.  I also changed her clothes – after I spilled milk all over her during the first attempt at feeding.  She howled!  Even after I fed her, however, she didn’t really settle down.  Episodes of non-stop crying lasted for several minutes, despite my efforts to soothe her.  Then her eyes would close and she’d sleep quietly in my arms, at least until I attempted to put her down, at which point the screams would begin again and the cycle repeated itself.  As a result, I forgot completely about eating dinner.  I hardly ever watch football, but the television was on and a pre-season football game kept me from going crazy until Elisa and Christian came back and rescued me.  We all survived, and I’m sure the pleasure Elisa and Christian got from their date night far outweighed any temporary unhappiness Sylvie may have experienced. 

Grandma Robin and Miss Sylvie

Elisa and Miss Sylvie, enjoying a Thai lunch

All dressed up, and ready for visitors on Saturday

But most of the time, Sylvie is no problem at all.  She was quite content while Elisa and I sat outside and ate lunch at a Thai restaurant on Court Street.  And she was a perfect little lady when my brother and sister-in-law came down from Westchester for brunch on Saturday.  Saying goodbye to Elisa, Christian, and sweet Sylvie gets harder and harder.  If only I could shrink the distance between Fairfax and Brooklyn!