Oh my goodness, this is Part 3 of stories about my grandchildren. In case you have not caught onto the trend of the previous Parts 1 and 2, this story will be about my third grandchild, another beautiful little girl that they named Taziana.
I wrote in an earlier blog of the loss of my dearest, favorite uncle, my dad's only sibling, my Uncle Bill. He passed away on 02/10/2011. Please go through my earlier blogs if you have not read that one, he was very dear to my heart.
Anyway, Uncle Bill's birthday was October 25th and when we found out in early 2010 we were to have a granddaughter arrive in late October I was very excited and hoped she would arrive on his birthday. On my Uncle Bill's birthday of 2010 (five days prior to her mom's birthday) my "little ladybug" Taziana joined our family and now Christopher and Anastasia were a family of five. She had a head full of dark hair, in contrast to her two older sibling's who had light hair, but similar to me at birth, and such a sweet little angel face.
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| Newborn Taziana in hospital being held by mama |
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| First time "big brother" Luca holding baby sister |
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| Christopher and his new baby girl |
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| "Big sister" Giada with her new little sister |
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| I really like this picture of me with 3 week old Taziana |
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| Dad looks very pleased with his new great-great granddaughter |
I never knew my great-grandparents and I think it is so special that my grandkids
have my dad in their lives as well as other great-grandparents on their mom's side of the family.
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| Dad holding Taziana |
My affectionate nickname for Taziana, "my little ladybug", was derived from her very first Halloween photo that I received. It was so precious and fitting that I have stuck with it since then.
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| Oh my goodness, such cuteness |
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Me with my little "lady bug" Christmas 2010
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Christmas of 2010 was one where I was really missing my mom. She was in the nursing home not too far from us but I really wished that she could have been with all of us in our home. Christopher and Anastasia always gave thought to giving mom pictures of the kids for Christmas and we would hang them on her board by her bed and chair. Mom did not really get to know Taziana, sadly, but we would talk about her great-grandkids and then she would share those stories with her nurses.
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| Grandkids Christmas 2010 |
Baby Taziana was so adorable and her dark hair and blue eyes (that are now hazel) were almost mesmerizing. I really started thinking that I saw a lot of myself in comparing my baby pictures to hers.
For her one year birthday party in October of 2012 her mom baked her a special cake. My daughter in-law Anastasia is amazing with her cake creations, she is very talented that way and has made one for each of their children. Her Winnie the Pooh cake was great and it was fun to watch Taziana take it apart!
Over the next year our little Taziana really developed a funny personality. She took on the role of "third child" with a royal attitude and let us all know we were in for a lifetime of fun and surprises around every corner. Funny, moody, determined, and feisty, Taziana is a delightful handful who I cannot help but compare to myself!
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| Me at age 3 |
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Love her smile, does it look familiar?
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Taziana
has added a great balance to the family with her funny and stubborn
personality. This dark-haired little girl and her siblings are a trio of
unexpected blessings for me as a grandma.
I always wanted to be a mom and being a grandma is a bonus that I wish
everyone could experience. These little
beings, extensions of your own child, and sometimes extensions of yourself or
other family members, are intriguing and confusing and loving and amazing as
they develop their personalities.The impact of this little girl on her family has been outstanding to observe as she continues to morph into a little girl ready for school. Her independence is fun,yet frustrating at times as she asserts herself into the family dynamics.
Taziana decided to follow in her sister Giada's footsteps, no pun intended, and try dance lessons. I did not make it to all of her programs but the one I did see was so very precious and memorable. She feigned shyness but then opened up to delight the audience and bring laughter to all of us. Her interpretation of the dance to the song "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas" is one I shall never forget.
Whether it be dancing with her sister, camping with her family, or playing with friends, Taziana exudes a cheerfulness hard to ignore. Even when she is bossy and grumpy I cannot help but inwardly smile at the wonderful little girl who has blessed our lives.
In November of 2012 Taziana gave her family quite the scare when she fell off the back of their couch and broke her arm. Similar to me, she is the first one of their kids to have a broken bone; mine was a broken ankle at the age of ten. She braved it like a "big girl" and her arm healed perfectly after some time in a cast.
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| Sporting her first (hope last) cast |
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| My "Little ladybug" |
Christmas of 2013 was celebrated at our house on my birthday which is three days after the actual holiday. We had the basement all decorated and had a good pot luck spread for thirteen of us. It was great fun. We ate dinner prior to opening presents and I remember how tough that was as a kid. The anticipation of seeing presents sitting there, wanting to open them, and having to finish your dinner before getting to tear them open. Taziana was cute to watch as she tried to muster up interest in food but even more fun to watch open her presents.
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| Really not interested in eating dinner |
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| She loved her kitchen! |
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| Barbie's from the movie Tangled |
I was fortunate to be able to retire from my present job after a 30-plus year career in the aerospace industry and over 40 years of total working. I spend my days with my dad and dogs, do chores like a real "housewife", and I have also had the pleasure of babysitting grandkids several times recently. Getting to know their personalities at this age is priceless.
Taziana and I have played Barbies, put together puzzles, and snuggled on the couch watching movies. She has brushed my hair (ouchy!), asked me amusing questions, and played outside at their swing set and sand box. One day she was pretending to make me a cake with a bucket and sand. She was very organized as she piled sand into the bucket, packed it with a shovel, and pretended to really construct a cake. She even determined that the little playhouse was the "oven" for her to use when the cake was ready to bake. Great imagination! As she was putting together the cake for me I asked her (in fun) to please not put in any strawberries. She inquired "do you not like strawberries?" I then pretended to cry "pleeeeease do not put in strawberries, pleeeeease...." She put the bucket down and said to me "calm down, you're fine, take a breath and chill out". Oh my goodness, that was so very funny!!!!!!
I look forward to growing older, it's not so bad. The moments I have and memories I am building with my family are ones I never imagined but would not trade for anything. The last couple of times I have left their house, Taziana has waited for me to reach the driveway and then call out to me with an urgency, "grandma wait!" To see her running after me for a last hug or kiss and have her jump into my arms is something I hope everyone will someday experience. That pure love at that moment in time is indescribable and heartwarming.
I love my "little ladybug" and all of her quirky moods and hope that someday she will read this blog and know what fun we had together.
love to you always,
Grandma P
