Awaiting another grandchild

It's his due date. He should be born already! (Don't tell my daughter I said that.)

My daughter’s baby is due today. I woke up this morning feeling slightly disappointed that I hadn’t gotten a call in the middle of the night with her saying, “We’re bringing the kids to you.”

That said, if I had gotten that call I don’t know if I would have sent out a newsletter today. Because, you know, I’m terrible at writing these things in advance.

When this daughter (my second born) got married 5 1/2 years ago, I told her, “I want to have grandchildren before I’m fifty.” I was 44 at the time, and my SIXTH grandchild will be born while I’m still in my forties. How crazy and wonderful is that? I always hoped I’d be a young grandmother. Life goal unlocked!

When I think about this new baby I wonder a lot of things. What will he look like? Will he be fair like his oldest brother or dark like the other two? Will he be a chill little dude or will he fuss a lot? Will he be comfortable in Grammy’s arms or prefer his mama? What will be his first favorite book? Toy? Blanket? What will his older siblings think of him? What will the current youngest think of this tiny usurper making a mess of things?

I can’t wait to meet him. I can’t wait to snuggle up with him and all his siblings and cousins for our first picture together. I can’t wait to hear him cry, babble, laugh. I can’t wait to read to him before he even has a clue what a book is.

Simply, I can’t wait to start the crazy, wonderful business of being a grandmother of six.

But I guess I have to wait at least a little bit longer.

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Some good books that feature grandparent relationships:

• Granny Torrelli Makes Soup by Sharon Creech

• My middle grade novel in verse, Mari in the Margins

• Grandma’s Tiny House by Janay Brown Wood, illustrated by Priscilla Burris

• The Ocean Calls by Tina Cho, illustrated by Jess X. Snow

• My picture book Federico and the Wolf, illustrated by Elisa Chavarri

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Other things worth sharing

• The

  Read, Discuss, Do
  Summer Challenge is coming soon! This annual summer reading challenge is all about pairing books with summer fun. Great for families, caregivers, or teachers who want to combine reading with fun summer activities. Check out our Instagram feed to see clues about this year’s theme. The event officially begins on June 2.

• If you like small poetry books that are easy to travel with, and are filled with lovely, poignant poems, check out The Mother of All Words by Kelly D. Belmonte, recently released by Bandersnatch Books. I gave a copy to my daughter as part of a postpartum care package her sister and I put together.

• My daughter (the pregnant one mentioned above) wrote a funny yet thoughtful essay about why she does not like to be pregnant. I hope you’ll give it a read.

• I got two rejections this past week. One was from a literary agent (it was the second time I had queried this specific agent, so darn). The other was from a publisher for my fantasy novel in verse. Rejections are no fun, but they are part of the gig. So I press on.

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