Twenty-Two Weeks

Today Nick is twenty-two weeks old! This week was a very sad week for all of us - Nick lost his Grandma Juarez, and mom lost her mommy. :( We are both very lucky we spent last Sunday with her. More about all of this below.

Nick is a rolling over fool - he rarely sleeps on his back now. As soon as we lay him down, he immediately flips onto his tummy! We check on him way more often now, but if that's how he's comfortable, who are we to interfere? And - drum roll please - Nick has his first two teeth!

Last weekend was a lot of fun. Saturday all three of us had lunch with Azita and Lucy at Pizza Papalis in Dearborn. Then mom and Nick went to their last scheduled Connection Parenting meeting. During the meeting, Nick kept putting mom's finger in his mouth. She was rubbing his gums and thought she felt a tooth! Another mom washed her hands and felt Nick's gums, and quickly confirmed Nicholas had cut his first tooth, just shy of five months old. Very bittersweet - he's getting older, but he's getting older :( Sunday all three of us went out to breakfast with Grandma Juarez - we took her to Original Pancake House, which she loved. It was a while before we got a table, and Grandma Juarez enjoyed interacting with Nick, making him smile, and singing him songs. After breakfast, mom and Nick hung out with Lisa and Emily, going to Target and Buy Buy Baby to buy some gifts and some things Nick needed for their trip to North Carolina.

Monday morning, dad took Nick to daycare so mom could visit Grandma Juarez in the hospital before she had some scheduled surgery. Mom took Grandma Juarez some new pictures of Nick from the past couple months. Around lunchtime, mom received a phone call advising her that Grandma Juarez did not end up having the surgery, as her doctor determined it was not warranted after further internal investigation. Monday night, Nick and mom hung out at home while dad went to a meeting. Tuesday night mom and Nick were supposed to go to moms' night out, but Nick was being a little fussy, so mom decided to stay home.

Wednesday we found out Grandma Juarez passed away. Mom and dad picked Nick up from daycare together and hugged him and held him all night. Thursday Nick was very patient all day while mom and dad drove here and there and everywhere making all of the necessary arrangements. Aunt Krystyn and Uncle Zack flew in.

Today we hung out at home, spending time with Aunt Krystyn and Uncle Zack, sharing memories and consoling each other. While mom and Aunt Krystyn were out doing some things for tomorrow, Nick's second bottom tooth popped through. Tomorrow is the funeral, and Tuesday is the graveside service.

I am completely devastated. Even though my mom was not in the best of health, and even though she just had a surgery canceled, this was a complete shock. I cannot share all of my emotions on this blog, but at this point, it is very difficult to imagine the rest of my life without my mom. Krystyn and I are so grateful she was able to share in so much of our lives - graduations, weddings, Nick's birth - but we still feel so young to be motherless. :( When we were at breakfast last Sunday, my mom said when I was a baby, I was also bald, and she would carry around a wet washcloth to wet my hair to make it more obvious and push it up. I cry every time I think about this story - I'll never be able to ask her did I do that, did I not do that, how did you do this with me? Nick will never know his Grandma Juarez - I'll just have to tell him she died when you were very young, but she loved you very much! I'm still in denial that this even happened. I feel like if I call her, she'll answer. This has been a very difficult week, and I don't think it'll get any easier any time soon :( I love and miss you mom!!!