GG and Papa move in for 10 days!

I consider it a privilege to write this next post for Christa on the Coppola Family blog. She has done such an amazing job keeping this blog current, informative and entertaining. It’s a brilliant legacy for her children, a keepsake of memories, moments and milestones. Tula and Maverick, one day, will be eternally grateful.

GG and Papa arrived on June 19th which just happened to be Christa’s 28th birthday. Happy Birthday baby girl. We spent a wonderful afternoon with Tula and Mav while mommy did some last minute errands in preparation for her trip. I had travelled to AZ in May and spent 5 days with the babies but it had been several weeks since Papa had seen them, we were both desperately overdue for a Tula and Mav fix! That evening we enjoyed a steak barbeque to celebrate mommy’s birthday and Tula and Mav surprised mommy with a DQ birthday cake and some pretty flowers. Once the babies were tucked in and the dinner mess cleared it was time for an informal meeting with last minute instructions from Christa. Chuck and I spend a lot of time in AZ and therefore a lot of time with the babies, I’m fairly in tune with Christa’s routine and the babies schedule on a day to day basis but for this 10 day stretch I admit I was a tad nervous. Up to this point we always had “mommy” for a back-up, without her there we needed to make certain that any questions we might have were answered, prior to her leaving.

We officially took command of the ship at 10:00 AM on Friday, June 20th when John took Christa to the airport. Christa had been preparing Tula for the past several days that mommy was going bye-bye in a big airplane. Thankfully that morning there were no tears, Tula seemed to be quite okay with mommy leaving and Maverick had no clue that 10 days would pass before he would see mommy again. Throughout the week whenever a airplane flew over, Tula would simply say, “mommy big airplane”. Only once, on about day 8 did she cry, she had gotten up from her nap and decided that she wanted her mommy. A few snuggles and a reminder that mommy was in a big airplane and all was well.

We think we have three of the greatest daughters in the world. Each one of them a blessing, a gift. But, nothing could have prepared us for the absolute sheer joy of becoming grand-parents. Maybe it’s because we’re older, less stressed with life and it’s complications, have more free time, or a little of all of the above but these grand babies are the “cats meow”. Since the day Tula was born I have often said, “she is the wind beneath my wings”. She has given both of us so much joy these past two years, she has our heart. Then came along our little Maverick John, what a dream child. Just as a parent wonders, how will I ever love baby #2 the same as baby #1? It went through our mind as well. How could we love another grandchild as much as we love Miss Belle. But we do, with all our heart we love this little guy to pieces. Those big, bright blue eyes and that endearing smile have totally won us over. The best grandson ever.

So for 10 days we got to bask in our glory, sharing each hour with our grand-babies. I might be a little prejudice, but they are the best babies ever! Our little Miss Belle adores GG and Papa as much as we adore her. Her face lights up when we’re around and that is so heart-warming for both of us. She is a character; cute, funny and so entertaining. We’re loving this stage with her, she is changing and developing so quickly that we don’t want to miss a moment. Every hour, there’s a new word, every day a new adventure. She loves to cook. Almost every morning Tula and I made pancakes for her and Mav. She knows every ingredient; milk, eggs and olio (oil). GG and Tula have matching aprons and she would insist on putting hers on as soon as I put mine on. Right now Tula loves to be stark naked (it started because of potty training) , so many times the only thing she had on was her apron. Speaking of potty training, the girl is amazing, she has done so well and figured it out so quickly. Not one day time accident in those 10 days and only once did she wet the bed because GG let her drink a little to much before we tucked her in. Christa started getting her up about midnight every night and taking her potty, that seemed to be enough to get her through till morning. And that’s what we did, I’d get her up and try to encourage this sleeping angel to go potty, a lot of coaching and a few snuggles and she was back to bed. Tula loves her Papa. She loves playtime, swimming, jumping on the tramp and cuddles with Papa. She will run around outside with the guys for hours, she loves to help, she’ll do anything to be a part of a “work” project, just to be with Papa. When GG and Papa are around we love to take turns tucking her in at night. Ever once in awhile she wants Papa to “nuggle” but for the most part this has been my joy. Tula, GG loves to take that last 30 minutes of your day and snuggle you. I’m well aware that I’m not the best singer but Tula loves for me to sing or hum to her, if I stop and she’s not asleep, she’ll start humming. It’s her way of saying, “I’m not ready for this to be over”. Tula you are the most special little girl, thank you for being such a good girl while mommy was away, GG and Papa love you more than words can express, you are our heart.

Maverick John this was a big adventure for you. Mommy was working on weaning you prior to her trip but those night time feedings weren’t quite over with. GG and Papa admit that 10 days with a 10 month old was a little intimidating but you proved us so wrong. You were an angel. An absolute joy and we cherished this time with you. We undeniably bonded during that 10 days. You are the happiest baby ever with the biggest brightest smile. With the exception of the first two nights, which is all it took for you to realize that mommy wasn’t coming in to feed you, you were a trooper. You did perfectly well with the bottle and we’re very content to snuggle with GG, Papa or daddy. It was so much fun to be with you and really get to know you better. As the baby of the house often when we were there visiting we would take over with Tula to allow mommy some quiet time with you. This past experience allowed us the hands on time to connect and that was so rewarding, for all of us, Mav you too adore GG and Papa. You would crawl at record speeds if Papa entered the room just to get into his arms. You loved to be held and snuggled. I took a picture one day of you crawling to me, pulling yourself up on my leg and then just gently resting your head on my leg as if to say, “I love you GG”. One of many blessed moments with you. At 10 months old Maverick you are a BIG little guy, you are brave and determined, you have a tame yet strong will when things aren’t going the way you would like. Diaper changes for example were almost impossible. You have decided that you hated to be changed and therefore you made each episode almost unbearable. Watching you’re determination in trying to walk though was so exciting, I’m smiling right now as I remember standing you up against Tula’s little brown chair and seeing you just take off like it was something you’d done many times before. We have it on video for you to see one day. It’s amazing how time can answer questions for us. You, Maverick are an answer. God choose not to give GG and Papa a son because He knew that you were in the making. And just as Tula looks remarkably like her daddy and her Grandma Coppola, you are the absolute spitting image of your mommy and therefore, Papa. There were actually moments, watching you that I had these flashbacks of your mommy as a baby, you are so much like her it’s amazing. Your beautiful curly blond hair and blue eyes, it’s uncanny. Maverick thank you for making this adventure so enjoyable, so much depended on you since you were so young and very much a momma’s boy. Not one moment did we regret taking care of you. GG and Papa fell head over heels in love with our little man. You too, are our world.

On June 29th, Tula’s 2nd birthday we headed to the airport to with the babies to pick up mommy. Tula was very excited and every airplane she saw along the way, she pointed to and said “mommy airplane”. Maverick didn’t have a clue about what was about to take place, for the most part he napped all the way there. Once at the airport we found mommy at the baggage claim with her team of friends that travelled to Brazil. She was so excited to see her babies and reclaim her position but Tula and Maverick played shy, probably it was the hustle and the other people but it would be a few hours later, at home before they actually gave her the welcome home she wanted. There’s nothing like a little cold shoulder from your kids to make you feel completely guilty for leaving. No worries though, Christa is a great mommy and it wasn’t long before things were back to normal.

We had a small family celebration for Tula’s actual birth date, opened a few gifts and Skyped Grandma and Grandpa Coppola in CT so they could send their birthday wishes but the big event wouldn’t be until the next day. GG and Papa didn’t want to miss her birthday so it was planned for June 30th, the day before we headed back to Canada. Tula was absolutely adorable, mommy had bought this pretty, frilly pink skirt and she looked like a little princess. She had a whole bunch of friends (approximately 16 two year olds) along with their mommy’s and daddy’s for a Greek dinner supplied by one of Christa’s favourite Greek restaurants and few salads prepared by GG and Papa. Tula chose to have an Elmo birthday cake and once again GG was thrilled to comply. I used to make the girls cakes when they were younger and to be able to do the same for Tula has meant so much to me. After a whirlwind evening with 40 plus guests, a lotta clean up and plus tucking in some real tired babies GG and Papa had to pack our things to leave early the next morning.

Tula Belle and Maverick John you made this time the best of the best. It’s impossible to truly comprehend the love that one can have for your own grand-babies and no one could have prepared us for what would be in store; for the bond that would be created, for the adoration we would have, for the sheer joy that you have brought into our life. Forever and always, you are our heart, love GG and Papa.