Expert at work.

I don't profess to be an expert in newborn child care, in fact I could probably say the exact opposite of myself.  You can read books, magazine articles, and watch dvd's on calming techniques, and child rearing techniques but until you actually DO IT...well you haven't really learned anything.  Every child is different and what works for your kid may not work for mine.  Then you run into someone who has done it with 8 kids, yes 8.  That person just happens to be my grandmother Joanne Cass or G.G. as she is known around the family these days.

G.G. is my mother's mother, she had her 8 kids in the brief span of 1950 to 1960.  They all lived in the house I grew up in, a 3 bedroom ranch in Whitehall Borough and all the kids turned out quite well.  My uncles are some of the funniest guys you will meet and my aunts are some of the most genuinely nice people you will ever meet.  Having grown up in the same area as they did I have also met countless people who have known or grew up with someone in my family.  Everyone has a story about the Cass family girls or the Cass family boys babysitting them or causing "trouble."  I love listening to the stories they tell about growing up in such a close nit family.  They are all a true reflection of their parents Edward "Ned", and Joanne Cass.  These stories could fill up countless reams of paper and they would all be funny, touching, and wonderful...but that is getting me off the point.

We decided to take Noah over to meet G.G. last night for the first time.  Her only encounter with him up until now has been the birth announcement that we mailed to her.  We gave Noah a good feeding before we left, loaded him into his car seat and off we went.  We arrived at G.G's house and Noah was wide awake.  We exchanged hugs and kisses and then unpacked the little man so he could get some quality time with her.  We sat down on the couch and began to talk and tell stories about her children growing up.  My grandmother is quite an amazing woman, lucid, intelligent, funny, and an exceptional artist.  One of the things I noticed with her though was the way she handled Noah.  There was this amazing calm with her, her hands were steady, and her mood so composed.  Noah would fuss and she would just roll him on his side or give him a little rocking on her legs and he would calm down.  She never once broke conversation to fuss over him she just worked magic on him.  I sat there listening and watching in awe as she almost instinctively pacified and calmed him.  It was a very powerful and humbling experience to watch her in action.  I guess when you take care of 8 children these things become second nature or maybe some people just have a better natural instinct for these things.  I could have sat there all night talking to her and just enjoying her company, something that is hard to do during family functions because they get rather hectic.  (8 kids, 8 spouses and scores of grandkids and great grandkids...it's quite a sight).  Our lives get so caught up in our work and everything else that goes on in them.  I wish I could spend everyday of my life with my grandmothers, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, and my parents but I can't.  But I definitely try to make the best of the time that I do have with them.  That is something I definitely plan to instill into Noah as well, family is so important to the proper development of our children.

I snuck a picture or two while G.G. had Noah in her arms and I feel like they perfectly captured the moment last night, my words will never do this experience the justice it deserves.  It's a photo like this that takes the place of a thousand words.   Love you G.G.