To be or not to be… Nanna… Nonna… Grandma… Granny…. Grandmother

 For years now, I have been a closet GIT.  Not a  “silly, incompetent, stupid, annoying, senile, elderly or childish person” which is the Wikipedia definition of git ( though I’m sure at times I have been all of the above) but a “Grandmother In Training.”

I have undertaken my training diligently yet stealthily. After all, one doesn’t want to be perceived as  putting undue pressure on one’s  children or as wishing for early entry to a retirement home.  As my nieces gave birth to adorable children, I practiced my knitting skills. These were quite rusty. Living for fifteen years in a sub-tropical climate will have that effect. So in a good cause, I knitted baby blankets and  little jumpers. A certain speed and dexterity returned. I now had a legitimate excuse to hang out in the baby wool section of the craft shop and stock up and knit some more … and secretly put some aside for … later. Then my youngest sister, Tanya, fell pregnant. She knew she was having a little girl, so now I could  peruse the baby  wear sections of department stores. Did I like this little dress or was it a just a little too pink, I’d ask myself. Of course I had to cast my eye over the boys’ section as well. After all,  something blue might be needed … one day.   Younger work colleagues  had babies too. Surreptitiously, I listened to their baby talk while I was supposedly marking essays and when given the opportunity, practised burping and rocking a  baby to sleep. I hadn’t totally lost the knack.

My training has not been in vain. On May 6th 2015, Genevieve Grace entered the world. Kenn and I flew to Perth, Western Australia to meet her. She is without doubt the most beautiful baby in the world; a sentiment I’m sure, shared by all new grandparents.  After her very first bath, she was angelically peaceful.

Watching Kelly and Christian cradling Genevieve brought back such happy memories for Kenn and I.  It didn’t really seem that long ago that I was nursing and playing with Christian.

And now he’s nursing Genevieve!

It’s like ‘the circle of life’  in The Lion King – minus  Mustafa!  All I had to do now, was decide on a title. In the end, I followed my family tradition and chose Nanna. I have very  fond memories of my Nanna Lewis and Nanna Hayden. Hopefully, Genevieve will be able to say the same of me.