Maine Part II

Dear Baby,

Gram is the matriarch of the Leavitt family. She is ninety years old, and spryer than someone half her age. She has created quite a family with four children all with children who are now having children (you would fall in this category). We all remain remarkably close, despite physical distance and scarcity of the time we spend together, but it is because of our rock… Gram. I always get sentimental going to her house in North Turner as I spent much of my childhood and adolescence there playing and growing. She taught me how to sew, she allowed me and my cousins to create obnoxious “potions” of God-knows-what, and always encouraged our outrageous imaginative ideas like trying to fly, starting a roadside apple stand, or raffling off a quilt to save the rainforest. She braided my hair in the early hours before school, and let my friends and I stay at her house making costumes until late hours after school. She made baby quilts for all of her great grandchildren yet to be born (she expects a great many), and I just cannot wait for you to have one of these. You will have it your entire life as I still have my own.

Your father and I stopped at Gram and Judy’s on Valentines Day. I had given Judy advance warning, but she had the brilliant idea to let it be a surprise for Gram. Judy—who is actually your Great Aunt Judy—is always game for these sorts of things and I love that about her. When I knocked on the door, Gram didn’t realize it was us until we were about two feet in front of her. I very much enjoyed this sneak attack, and we chatted a while before dropping the second bombshell… YOU!

I think that one threw both Gram and Judy for a loop. They were surprised, very happy, and we got some solid blinking out of Gram, which is genetic because Grandpa Steve does the exact same thing when he is trying to disguise his happy-tears (you will come to discover this if you haven’t already…it’s a poor disguised effort). At the time, I was mostly trying to keep you a secret, but I just couldn’t pass up an opportunity to tell your Great Grandmother in person. With Great Aunt Judy’s help coordinating, it was flawless execution.

It went so well that I decided to do a second sneak attack: your Great Aunt Joanne (not to be confused with Aunt Joanne Gleason). Hers was a complete sneak attack as no one in the household even knew your father and I were in the state. We embarrassed her because we caught her in her pajamas, but really we weren’t looking any better after coming from camp where I subscribe to the every-other-day shower plan. Anyway, Joanne may have had one of the best reactions yet—she squealed like Grandpa Steve, and clapped her hands together and was just so genuinely excited and happy, with a million follow up questions. Great Aunt Joanne loves babies and as Grandma Tracy is her baby sister she has always done a lot for me and your Leavitt uncles. There is nothing better than telling someone about you who is sincerely as excited as I am (well, almost), especially after painstaking weeks of near implosion from holding this news inside.

And that concludes our trip to Maine, in what was likely the coldest weekend of the winter. Your father and I finished with a Valentines dinner at the Haraseeket Inn, where he sipped Pinot Noir and I my shirley temple (my drink of choice during pregnancy). I am beyond excited for you to meet Gram and your great aunts and uncles. I strongly believe Gram’s got a solid twenty more years in her, despite her objections to the contrary, and I suspect the two of you to bond immediately. Plus, I have limitless Gram stories, so you are sure to know her as well as I do despite the fact that I lived down the road from her and you live down the country.

Love,

Mom

I stupidly did not get any pictures during these sneak attacks.
But here is Gram in 2007 helping me move into my first apartment and wearing my chandelier as a crown.
Great Aunt Judy is stopping by in a week or so en route to see Hannah so
we will get some pictures of her then.

This is actually a picture from the weekend your grandmother and Great Aunt Joanne first met your dad (April 2013).
Ask Grandma Tracy to tell you that story sometime. When you're older.
Great Aunt Joanne loves the cherry blossoms and we have never hit the timing perfectly.
Hopefully that will change next year and we can get some adorable photos with you.