The month leading up to my birthday last weekend was dominated by family events.  We visited Eldest Son (ES) and his family in Edinburgh, we have had several visits to, and by, Middle Son (MS) with his fiancée and new baby, and we have had a visit from Youngest Son (YS) and his fiancée.  Also, my Dad and my sister were able to visit us and to meet up with the new (great) grandchild; it was amazing to have four generations together.

Our trip to Edinburgh was focused on our most extended period of baby-sitting yet.  While ES and his wife spent a few days in Spain attending a wedding in a hotel overlooking incredible coastal cliffs in Ibiza, we did our best to entertain First Grandchild (FG).  

The first two days of that were delightful.  FG had been fully prepared by his parents for their absence.  There was only one time in those first two days when we got a sense that, under his effervescent demeanor, he was having to be brave in doing without them.  That was when Jane showed FG a picture on her phone of his Mum enjoying the Spanish sun.  I saw his lower lip quiver briefly with regret before he recovered his equilibrium with the familiar request to “lets play”. 

As usual, FG loved visiting the Royal Botanic Garden (above), the National Museum of Scotland, the private garden that local residents share access to, cafes selling juice and cake, and pizza at Franca Manca.  He slept like a log in between.

Another highlight was taking FG to a birthday party for a little boy of one of his Mum’s friends.  This was a pirate themed party and FG had been kitted out with what turned out to be the best costume at the party (courtesy of a £5 purchase on Ebay I believe).  FG was easily the youngest at the party and he found it a little overwhelming after a while, but we all had a good time on a lovely sunny day.

Unfortunately, the last day of our baby minding was dominated by FG falling ill.  In between his physical sickness he was subdued but seemed to recover.  But poor Jane was holding him each of the four times he was sick.  She quickly became very acquainted with the washing machine and tumble dryer and we had some extended viewings of the film ‘Madagascar’ while having quiet time with FG on the sofa. 

It was only after we had returned home, and heard that his now returned Mum had caught the same bug and was quite ill, that we realised how lucky we had been fortunate enough to ‘dodge that bullet’.  Having done so, we look back on the Edinburgh visit with a lot of pleasure and also pride in FG’s resilience in the face of his parents’ absence and then his sickness.  Of course, we are his grandparents so we are bound to say it: he is wonderful!

Also wonderful is Second Grandchild (SG).  It’s a treat to have the opportunity to have him relatively close by and so see him relatively frequently.  Its great too to see how his parents are doting on him despite the challenges of new parenthood (primarily sleep deprivation!)  They are coping with those well.  Certainly, SG’s smiles suggest he is very happy and we love seeing and holding him.

Youngest Son (YS) popped over to England for a photo shoot and his fiancée joined us for a lovely, long weekend during which they were able to meet SG for the first time.  One of YS’s Australian friends, now based in London, was able to join us.  He, YS and I spent several hours watching football on the Saturday – first in the pub, then live at Forest Green Rovers (their last game in another miserable season which has seen us relegated for the second time in succession), and then on the telly back at home.  Meanwhile, Jane and YS’s fiancée cooked and baked to replenish MS and his partners’ freezer with ready meals and cakes to enable their focus on their new baby.  Everyone happy!

YS and partner are very busy with work in Belfast but they are also finding time to visit Edinburgh in a month or so.  It is so heart-warming to see the brothers together, with their partners, and, now, with nephews to hold and play with.  We are lucky that they all get on with each other despite, or perhaps because of, their different characteristics. 

We are lucky too that so much of our time can be taken up with looking at videos on WhatsApp that the different branches of the family send us showing their young lives, and with planning of more visits to Bristol, Belfast and Edinburgh to experience all this family stuff first hand.  Edinburgh is already planned in for June and we haven’t given up on getting to Belfast again before YS’s September wedding there…….