Good-bye Great Grandma Helen

We had the sad news this morning that Great Grandma Helen (or mom or just grandma, depending on your generation) passed away. It was expected, but that did not seem to make it less sad. I was so glad that Kate, my mom and I were all together today. We looked at some pictures and Kate surprised us both by pointing out "Great Gamma Helen." It seemed such a nice sign that Kate will know about her even if she didn't get to spend much time with her in person. Someday, we'll tell Kate all the fantastic, zany and mischievous things Great Gamma did (and, as anyone who knew her knows, there's quite a lot to tell!). As for today, the weather was absolutely gorgeous, so we spent most of it outside, where Great Grandma would have been on a day like today. We took Kate for a walk along the river, and Kate dug around the apple tree Ryan and my mom planted for Great Grandma. There is something about the joy of the newest generation that does help soften the blow of losing the eldest generation. On a light note, and just to prove that Kate can make me smile on the saddest of days, we stopped by a maternity store that is right by the river trail. I had to take the leap and just buy a swimsuit (who likes to do this, ESPECIALLY when pregnant??) because I want to put Kate in swim lessons this summer. Kate was in the dressing room when I put it on and, without any prompting whatsoever, she looked at me and said, "mommy look good." If she's not perfect, I don't know what is. Grandma used to call me her "SPA" (Smartest Person Alive) and now I feel just that same way about little miss Kate. Great Grandma Helen will be watching her grow and loving every minute of it.