Dear Sweetie Pie....Allow me to introduce Diva's Kitties.
We live in a small house (The Nest) in the country. Because it is an older house we occasionally have field mice that like to come into the house and take up residency in the fall and winter time.
The first year I saw one of the little critters your Diva let out a blood curdling scream that even your Papa could hear. I demanded that he get me a cat for Christmas. So we began to look for kittens.
We finally found a litter of kittens that had been born in September and were looking for a good home. Poppa picked out the orange marmalade one as he had already caught a mouse at 3 months old. "That's my boy", said Poppa and we took home "Buster". There are times that we still call him Buster (especially if he has been naughty....Papa will say, "Look here Buster, we don't do that in this house!").
Diva named him JJ. We used to have an orange marmalade cat named "Joey" so JJ is short for "Joey Jr." JJ was just a little ball of fluff when we brought him home.
Diva's Dog Spot.....did not like JJ and was always growling and acting mad. Your Aunt Suzy and I decided that it would be nice for JJ to have a playmate (since Spot was old and grumpy) and Diva really liked the small grey tabby cat (JJ's sister).
Papa wasn't convinced that we needed two kitties. He finally consented and we were able to bring home Lucy Grey. It was a good decision as they have known each other all their life. They play together, box each other, trap together, jump on each other, cuddle up together to sleep, and are the best of friends.
As babies, the kitties would climb into the Christmas tree and sleep on the branches. They both like to cuddle....(especially JJ) . Your momma enjoyed playing with them the first Christmas we got them.
Both are inside Kitties and don't have front claws. JJ will like you instantly. Lucy will like you especially if your Poppa is holding you. Lucy Grey adores Poppa!
I'm sure you will love Diva's kitties as much as they will love you.
Dearest Babykins.....What day of the week will you be born? There is a old rhyme that talks about the day of the week . I've included the verse so you can look at it.
Can you tell from the picture which day your Momma was born? If you said, Wednesday then you are right. According to the rhyme "Wednesday's Child is full of woe." Your momma is no quitter though. She may have cried some times but she quickly found a way to solve the problem. ( Your Mom is one clever lady!)
Monday's child is fair of face,Tuesday's child is full of grace,
Wednesday's child is full of woe,
Thursday's child has far to go,
Friday's child is loving and giving,
Saturday's child must work for a living,But the child that's born on the Sabbath dayIs fair and wise and good and gay.
Oh yes, I forgot to tell you that your Diva was born on a Saturday...."Saturday's child works hard for a living."....sigh, I've got my fingers crossed for you babykins...hope your mom hold out for a Friday!
Dear pumpkin,
It's fall here in Virginia and the weather is cooler. Your Diva adores fall as much as she adores you. My front porch is covered with bronze, yellow,and maroon mums and today I bought a pot of my favorite daisy mums. I also bought a small pumpkin.
It's small and cute, just like you!
The leaves are just starting to change color and its time to bring down the quilts from the attic as the nights are cooler.
Your Poppa and I have been canning produce from our garden. It has been a very long time since I last did any canning. We had a bummer crop of tomatoes and peppers so Diva made some home made Salsa. It's hotter than I normally like so I bet your momma will like it.
We also made grape jelly from the grapes on the grape arbor. Papa worked really hard to get rid of the Japanese Beetles that invaded it last year. I was delightfully surprised at what good jelly they make. It is hard work however and seems to be a two person job.
Poppa brought home a juicer which made it much easier. For a while Diva was afraid that we were going to have to paint the kitchen purple. (Did you know that Grape juice stains? Trust me it does, so do your mommy a favor and be very careful with your sippy cup when you get one ok?)
We made two batches of jelly last night and will probably make one more batch from our grapes this year. Silly Uncle Andy told me he wants Strawberry Jelly. Diva told him that was fine but we didn't grow any strawberries in our garden. (Hmmm.....I noticed that the strawberry fields down the road have already put in their plants for next spring. Maybe I'll talk to Poppa about putting in strawberries?)
It's a good thing that I'm your Diva or else your Poppa would be calling me your "Grape Grandma!" When you are old enough to have peanut butter and jelly I will make sure you get some of Diva's Divine Grape Jelly for your sandwich.
Love you more than all the good things about fall.
Your Diva
Grandchildren don't make a man feel old; it's the knowledge
that he's married to a grandmother. ~G. Norman Collie
Dearest Wee One,
This is one of your Diva's favorite picture. It was taken at your momma and daddy's wedding reception and the little girl is your cousin Jenna.
I love this picture because your parents positively glow in their love for one another and your cousin Jenna reminded me of you.....(boy or girl....just my future grandchild.) The fuzzy effect makes me think of future events.
I picture you as having laughing brown eyes like your mom and brown hair like your dad. I can see you as being bright eyed and clever. (Of course you're clever, look who picked out to be your parents!) I can picture you so vividly in my mind's eye and can hardly wait to hold you, kiss your little head, and breath a prayer of thanksgiving over you.
Keep growing, keep safe, be blessed.
Diva
Perfect love sometimes does not come until the first grandchild.
~Welsh Proverb
Dearest Babykins,
Did you know that your Diva has gone into training just to be part of your life?This old bird is exercising, walking two and three miles a day and even eating healthy.
I'm losing weight and working at getting some extra energy so I can keep up with you. What a good influence you are and you haven't even made your appearance known yet!
Poppa is in the best physical shape of his life from lifting boxes. He is very strong too!
Take it easy on your mom.....she needs her rest.
Love ya loads.....Diva
Becoming a grandmother is wonderful. One moment you're just
a mother. The next you are all-wise and prehistoric. ~Pam Brown
Dear Baby Dumpling,
Your momma just received a "care package" of items that pregnant mommies crave and can't seem to find. Some of the items were food items, (granola bars, wintergreen tic tacs, fried apples) and several were "pretty panties" from Victoria Secrets. ( I'll tell you her secrets later, I promise!)
Not only did your momma receive pretty panties....she was also able to find "Seat covers" for you too. She was so excited to find cloth diapers for your cute little baby bottom. When your mommy was a baby the cloth diapers we had were long rectangles that you folded different ways and pinned together. ( No one told me that there were different ways to fold them depending if you had a boy or girl...believe me it makes a difference!)
When your mom was old enough to "potty train" we told her that Big Girls got to wear "pretty panties". She was so proud to wear pretty ruffles on her panties.
We lived in a small town in Montana and there was no nursery. There was no bathroom at the church either so everyone would use the bathroom in our house. One Sunday your momma had "to go potty" and an older lady in the church( Aredale Cisco) took her for me. She commented on how pretty her big girl panties were.....your mom was very confused as I had told her that was one of the advantages of using the potty. Without batting an eye she looked at her and said, "Don't you wear pretty panties?
"Well, yes, I do" she replied, "But not as pretty as yours!"
What was the first thing your momma announced to the whole church after coming from the bathroom?....."Momma, Mrs. Cisco doesn't wear big girl panties!"
Mrs. Cisco never volunteered to help again!
Dear Cookie.....(That's because you're the sweetest thing around!)
By now you are probably thinking poor Diva. She doesn't know my name. Your darling Diva has "pet names " for everyone and you will have so many.
Don't be surprised if you get the name of "Cookie Monster" as we are a cookie loving family. When we were dating your Poppa told me, "If you can bake a decent chocolate chip cookie and give a good back rub, I'll marry you!" Silly man had no idea that I was the world's best back rubber and cookie maker! He soon learned and asked me to marry him about a month after we first met. (You see, your Poppa knows a good thing when he sees it!)
Your Uncle Andy loves to have his back rubbed and will pull up his shirt and say, "Woman, start rubbing" when he sees me. Uncle Andy loves Oatmeal Scotchies.....(he doesn't share cookies or pizza well, so don't be offended.)
I make a mean oatmeal cookie with cinnamon chips too! You and I will have to experiment and come up with some new cookies. How bout sugar gummy worm cookies? Hmmm....I'll have to do some more thinking on that.
Dearest Pookie,
It did occur to me that some where along the line you will be asking...."How come I've got a Diva instead of a grandma?"
Simple answer: You were very lucky sweetie!
Maybe you will have friends that call their grandmother by a different name. Some of my friends call themselves "Granny," "Nana", "Meme", "Nanny", "Oma", "Nan", "Gram", "Grandma", and one even calls herself "Honey Gram."
According to the dicitionary a Diva is a female opera singer. ( No, that's not me unless you happen to hear me singing in the shower.)
A Diva is a person who controls what is going on in her environment and most especially her inner circle. Your Diva is bigger than life and the stories I can tell you kiddo! I'm hoping to be someone really special in your life. I want an active part in your life. I want to sweep you away on excursions, bake cookies with you, make up stories and corny jokes, have play dough in my hair, play with trucks, climb trees and kiss away your boo-boos.
A Diva is a Star and I'm prepared to be the "twinkle factor in your life".
Know that I'm your biggest fan and best defender, and no one will ever love you more (maybe as much but definitely never more) . Your Diva
Dearest future soccer player, (your mom says you kick her frequently!)
You will have many uncles in your life...(since your dad has 3 brothers!) None of them will be more fun than your uncle Andy.
Uncle Andy is your momma's baby brother. She was almost 4 years old when he was born. When your mom was about 10 she got very angry at me because I didn't have any babies for her to take care of. Your mom has always been a "baby" kind of grrrl.
She has always taken care of her brother and sister (even when they didn't want her to!). I remember your mom putting baby Andy in the baby swing to keep him from crying when he was only a few weeks old. Since he could not sit up by himself we would put pillows around him to prop him up and to keep him from falling through the leg holes of the swing. It was hard for me to do, much less a 4 year old child. I was downstairs at the time and did not see her do this. When she told me, "Brother was crying so I put him in the swing." I went running upstairs thinking he would be upside down or would be sliding out of the swing any moment. Imagine how delighted I was to see him sitting perfectly content swinging in the baby swing with pillows around him in just the right places.
Uncle Andy loves sports and likes coaching soccer. He adores video games (but don't beat him as he hates to lose) he loves pizza and every Sunday night is pizza night. He loves Reese's peanut butter cups (but doesn't like chocolate, so go figure?). He loves the Disney character "Goofy" and has always loved "Superman" and the superheroes. He has a crazy sense of humor (very much like mine) has a developed a love for "Tea" with Tipolo Honey . He is a charmer and a head turner. I don't think he knows any strangers! He is good looking and a good dresser. He can create great games and will give you "Mets" clothing and hats. He can be very sentimental and he will be your uncle "fun".
Don't be surprised if he already has a Mets hat for you as well as sports equipment.
Dearest Baby Cakes.....(Yes, it's another nick name for you.) Let me introduce you to your Poppa. (Isn't he cute?) Your Diva thinks so....and has thought so for the last 33 years.
Like most grandfathers he may appear to be gruff and grumpy. Actually he is pure marshmallow and an ole softie! Your momma figured that out right away.
He is a really smart man and loves to tinker in his basement with tools and electronics. He does not like to be defeated by a problem so will keep working on a solution for a long time.
Poppa has a "droll" sense of humor. You have to be pretty smart to understand why he thinks the situation is funny. Fortunately your momma will explain why Poppa is laughing as they share that same trait.
Poppa loves to teach and explain. (Warning: Poppa talks in letters and numbers that have meaning only to him. Diva has found that the best way to handle this situation is to smile and nod like you understand. It makes him happy, he will rub your head and tell you how smart you are! Trust me on this!)
Poppa loves to read. He knows a little about a lot. (Note: take all your "Why?" questions to Poppa.) However you need to know that if for some reason he does not know the answer he will make one up. ( no, not really lying, just an interesting story to see if you will believe him.....it's a game he likes to play.)
Your Poppa is strong and you will be always be safe and protected in his arms. He will cry when you are born and the first time he sees your little face he will be instantly in love with you. Don't be surprised if he tells you the story about how your momma slept under his handkerchief when she was a baby. It's one of his favorite stories.
No one will love you like your Poppa Charlie. He has been praying for you ever since we knew you were on the way. He has lots of wisdom and can make anything go. He already has plans in his head about building you a fort or a playhouse. You will be blessed to have him in your life, loving you and cheering you on.
Dearest Little One,
I thought I would tell you something about your Auntie Suzy. She's your momma's younger sister and as different from your mom as any two sisters can be. You'll really like her. She knows the best songs and books because she is a children's librarian. She'll have to teach you the "popcorn" song ( it stays in your head forever!).
Your Auntie Suzy loves to travel and knows the very best places to investigate. When she came to visit your momma and daddy the very first time, she had a list of things she wanted to see.....One was a Mountie! As you can see, Auntie Suzy always gets her man (just ask Uncle Tim!)
Auntie Suzy loves Halloween and makes costumes for herself, Uncle Tim, and her big rolly poly cats Pan and Juno. You'll meet the kitties, especially if you like to crawl under the bed (Juno likes to hide under their bed, especially when Diva comes to visit.)
Juno has a little pink nose......but when her nose is red WATCH OUT! That means she is one mad cat! I think Auntie Suzy should write a children's book about her funny cats. What do you think?
Oh my darling baby....the world is full of delightful surprises and so many people that are anxious to be part of your life. Do know you will be loved and cherished.
Dearest Little One,
Your Diva and your Poppa waited all day to hear about your first picture. What a good looking baby you are! You are growing and maturing. Your parents were very glad to see your face and know everything is developing normally.
You are a very modest baby, however, so we still do not know if you are a boy or a girl. Your parents think you are a girl. If so, you can pretty well bet that you will be your Daddy's Little Princess and the delight of your momma heart. ( Here's some hints on how to handle your parents.....look pleading and adoringly at your daddy, and give you mom a logical argument.)
If you are a big bad boy then the same advice hold true only in reverse. You will definitely be "your Momma's Boy" and the delight of your Daddy. ( Hints on handling the folks still apply.....look pleading and adoringly at your momma and give your dad a logical argument.)
Know that you are loved and prayed for on a daily basis. We are anxiously awaiting your arrival and we are already truly, madly, deeply in love with you. Diva loves "surprise packages" , Auntie Suzy knows lots of stories and songs, Uncle Andy will keep you laughing and your Poppa (though he may look gruff ) will melt like a marshmallow at one of your smiles.
Dear Sweetie Pie....Allow me to introduce Diva's Kitties.
