In Memory of your Grandfather

Katherine, today’s story is a little different… it’s not about you and me, it’s about my dad. You see, today is a very special day, it’s his birthday. Today would have been his 100th birthday and sadly he is no longer here to celebrate this milestone with us. But I was thinking what birthday present I would get for him - and I know that the best present I could give him is to take some time today and tell you about your grandfather.

He was a proud and charismatic man. He was a visionary, an entrepreneur and a gifted negotiator. He was a book publisher and an author, a man who loved to write. He was a runner, a gardener and he made the best potato pancakes.

But above all, he was my dad. My dad, who took the time to have a conversation on the phone with me every night before bedtime when he was traveling. My dad, who taught me how to ride a bike, running alongside of me and eventually quietly letting go when he knew I could do it on my own. My dad, who was so happy for me when I met your dad and we started our life together.

Your grandfather has taught me never give up on my dreams, because he never gave up on his. He taught me that we need to cherish the moments we have together with those we love, because the day came where I had no more moments with him. I know he would be so proud of you, his only granddaughter. In his honour, I’ll give you a special kiss tonight; I love you always and forever.

The Sparkle In Your Eyes

Katherine, this afternoon we went for a walk. You love being outside, I love being outside, the sun was shining, the air was warm… how perfect for a late afternoon stroll with no particular destination.

As we were leaving the house, you walked straight to your tricycle. A friend had given us this tricycle recently – her daughter had outgrown it and you fell in love with it from the moment you laid your eyes on it when she dropped it off at our front door. It’s red, blue and yellow with handle bars that your little hands firmly grip and pedals that your feet just barley reach. And the best part (for you) – it has a long handle on the back so that you can ride while I push as your legs aren’t long enough yet to pedal yourself.

Every time you climb on this tricycle and we start our walk, a big smile appears on your face. You turn your head around, looking at me with that sparkle in your eyes, ready for our next adventure. And so it went today – on your tricycle you climbed and off we went. We walked down the streets and walkways, all the way down to the beach (my favourite place).

You were sitting on your tri-cycle, looking around and pointing at things and people you were seeing. I love seeing you so happy!

You are teaching me that feeling independent comes in many forms and even when we have someone helping us a little so we can move forward, we can feel a sense of accomplishment and freedom. That sparkle in your eyes shows me that you are very proud of what you can do. I love you always and forever.

Independence

Katherine, gaining your independence is so important to you. You want a say in your life and you want to do things by yourself. As much as you’ll always be my baby girl, I love seeing you become an independent little person.

A couple of days ago when I unbuckled you from the car seat and wanted to lift you out of the car, you looked at me (with that serious look you have) and shook your head. You then proceeded to carefully slide out of the car seat until you came to stand in the car. From there you climbed onto the back seat, turned yourself around and proceeded to inch forward to slide out of the car; making sure I was close by, just in case, but making a choice not to take my hand. This wasn’t a quick motion, but you methodically kept moving forward until you made your way to standing in the garage. I closed the car door under your watchful eye and we proceeded to walk into the house, where you walked straight to the stairs, sat down on the bottom step and began taking off your shoes. This isn’t as easy as it may sound; pulling off sturdy winter shoes with your little hands takes quite a bit of effort, but when you are determined to do something, you do it. After you took off your shoes, you put them away in the closet… and then there was that serious look again, motioning me to take off my shoes as well (what was I thinking, we were in the house already – and yes, I admit I didn’t get right on that as I was watching you). Before I could do anything else you took my shoes and put them in the closet as well (lined up just the way they are supposed to) and closed the closet door.

When you turned around to look at me, your face was shining with pride.

You are teaching me that it’s my job to not get in your way as you are growing up; to make sure you are safe, well taken care of and loved and above all to be proud of you every day for what you do and who you become. I love you always and forever.

Together

Katherine, this week has been all about spending time together as a family. At the beginning of the week was a “Family Day” holiday and we spent time together at some family activities at the local recreation centre. And in the true British Columbia spirit that included panning for gold (well, in this case panning for little gemstones)… so Canadian! 

Yesterday was Valentine’s Day and we had a busy day filled with meetings and work projects; but your daddy, you and I spent most of the day together and we shared lots of hugs, laughs and cuddles. In the evening we went out for dinner. A very casual dinner at the end of a busy day – we went to the food court at the mall. Now, this may not sound like a typical Valentine’s Day dinner, but I needed to write you about it, because I wouldn’t have traded it in for anything. We all three shared a (gigantic) plate of Thai food and what’s more important, we shared each other’s company.

You are teaching me that life can be so simple, yet perfect. Spending Valentine’s Day with the 2 people I love most in the world is as perfect as life can get.  I love you always and forever.

Forward

Katherine, we passed a milestone moment in your life! One of those events that we have been anticipating for a while, discussing when you would be ready for it… and dreading a bit (it involved a fair amount of work and we didn’t know how you’d react): turning your car seat forward facing.

You see, for the past 2 years – ever since we brought you home from the hospital – you have been riding the in the back of the car rear-facing. But the time has come (partially dictated by the length of your legs) to turn your car seat around and let you ride facing forward.

And I have to admit, we had been procrastinating a bit – turning your car seat in our car is not as easy as it sounds as your car seat fits very snug into our car. After you had outgrown your infant seat, we let you help choose your seat… and you picked a “luxury size” seat which daddy installed back then with much sweat and “a little bit resistance from chair and car” and he wasn’t looking forward to doing it all over again, this time forward facing. But a few days ago, he handed you to me and scurried out to the garage. When he re-surfaced a while later with a triumphant grin we both knew that he had “won the fight with the car seat” and we were ready for your first trip “like a big girl”.

After a moment of surprise when we buckled you in, you were delighted and giggling as we began to drive, enjoying the new & improved view… until we got the first red light. You don’t like ‘em. And you are very outspoken about it – letting out little screams and waiving both arms. So we explained to you that the red light means we need to stop, and once the light turns green, we can go again. We have explained to you that the red light means stop and we need to wait until it turns great at every single light we had to stop, every day, every car ride since you are driving with us forward facing and there will be likely much more of that in our future. You love to go, not stop, not wait – the faster, the better.  I can already see that one day you will enjoy a fast ride on the German Autobahn!

You are teaching me that it’s much more fun waiting at a red light when we waive our arms wildly… and cheer when the light turns green. Every part of life is more fun when it becomes a game and we don’t take it so seriously. Thank you for that reminder. I love you always and forever.

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl

Katherine, Happy Second Birthday!

It’s only been two short years ago that we’ve met for the first time; and I can’t imagine my life without you anymore. You have turned my world upside down; and I love every moment of it!

Today was a perfect day – your grandma is still here visiting from Germany and she made you a birthday cake; you received some wonderful presents and in the afternoon we took you to an activity centre where a friend joined us and we had so much fun climbing, running, and bouncing around for hours. You were a bundle of energy, exploring and enjoying the adventure. On the car ride home, I still saw a sparkle in your eyes and a smile on your face - just before you nodded off within minutes for a well-deserved nap.

You are teaching me to pay attention to all the special moments in life. I am grateful that we were able to spend much time together during this past year, full of memories, laughs and cuddles. I feel privileged that I get to see you grow up and hug you every day. I don’t know what the future holds, but my wish for you is that it is a bright future that brings you much joy, love and happiness. I love you always and forever.

Holiday Time

Katherine, the holidays are always a special time of the year, but they have been extra special since you have been in our lives. This has been our second Christmas together, and while your first Christmas last year was wonderful, this one was so much more special as you are beginning to understand that something different and special is going on.

A few nights before Christmas we took a drive around town to look at the Christmas lights as we traditionally do – we thought you might enjoy the twinkling lights and beautiful holiday displays as well. I did plan ahead – researched and printed a list with the most elaborate displays in town, dressed your warmly and buckled you snugly into your car seat. Armed with a map on my phone, I navigated your daddy to our first destination. Arriving and pointing to the beautiful light displays, you had peacefully fallen asleep. As we continued our tour, you had a perfect nap (yes, we know better than waking a sleeping toddler… not even for Christmas lights) and just as we were driving back home you woke up. As I mentioned to your dad that I am sure you would have enjoyed the lights, he ignored the fact that is was dinner time by now and discontinued our drive home. Instead he drove to a part of town which always has spectacular displays. Your eyes were big and your face was beaming with joy as you discovered the lights, the snowmen, santas, reindeer and even saw some gigantic penguins pulling a sleigh.

This Christmas has also been special as your grandma (my mom) is visiting us from Germany and you get to spend time with her… reading stories (in German… today you tried to bring her an English book to read to you, which didn’t go over so well, but you did look at its pictures together), playing together with your toys and looking at picture books – and she is teaching you some great German children’s rhymes as well. We’re even sneaking in some German TV on some evenings, we had some cake today made from a German recipe (which you “helped” to make) – and you even tried to reach for the German beer we had the other evening (unsuccessfully I may add as I was quick to get it out of your reach).

You are teaching me that Christmas isn’t about the presents, it’s about the memories we create. While you certainly enjoy your new car racing track, it’s not about the toy, but about pulling us across the living room and playing with it together with you. The memories of you helping me with my baking in the kitchen, the memories of you hanging ornaments on the bottom of tree as we were decorating it together, the memories of your big eyes when you saw the Christmas tree lit up for the first time – that’s what Christmas is all about. I love you always and forever.