We miss Grandma Karen :*-(
Scott's mom left yesterday evening, so the babymoon is officially over. It was wonderful having her with us – she's so supportive in every way. She prepared most of the meals for us every day for three weeks! For three weeks I mostly had my breakfasts in BED!
She helped the girls get ready for school and for bed. A retired grade school teacher, she helped them with their homework. She walked them to catch the bus. She drove them to school when they missed the bus. She helped create a (messy!) (labor intensive!) papier mache dragon for a 4th grader's book report. She deep cleaned a 15 year old's bedroom!
She consoled the baby when he seemed inconsolable. She almost got the puzzle done! She did laundry and dishes and packed school lunches and helped take care of the dogs and kept me company and just generally spoiled us ALL. I could go on and on and on.
I know this heavenly little interlude lasted longer than what most women get and that I'm lucky to have been so totally pampered for more than three weeks (not to mention the week before Jake's arrival!) . Everyone is sad, except Jake who doesn't know any better yet. HM and I both cried before falling asleep last night. We got so attached. And now we're so sad!
I don't know HOW we're going to manage this crazy household plus baby all by ourselves. Ackkkkkkkkkkkkkkk.
Thank you again for EVERYTHING, Karen – we miss you!! (Thank you to Ron, too, for letting us have her for so long. 
Mom to 4 kids and 2 stepkids, I work at home in the heart of the chaos. Founder and executive editor of SheKnows.com and various other sites. Homeschooling. Knitter. Family chef. Gadget geek. Wordphreak. LAZY BLOGGER. 
You are so lucky – but clearly you know that. Wow.
Can I be adopted by her?
Nifer
1 Sep 07 at 7:03 am
That's so nice!
bébé love
1 Sep 07 at 7:23 am
Dear Family of mine, What a wonderful time I had with all of you! To be present before and right after Baby Jake was born was a real treat. It was so fun to watch little Jake emerge with a personality all his own. Spending this time with Betsy gave me an opportunity to know her better. I found that we have quite a bit in common. It was also so special to spend this time around Scott. To watch him interact with his wife, children and new baby, was a time to reflect upon the boy that he was to the man that he has become. An awesome experience for a mom!
JKMB
3 Sep 07 at 3:40 pm
Continuing on, as I accidentally skimmed over "Post" and concluded my
comment.) I had several firsts while spending these weeks with the
family. Scott's son, Andrew and daughter, Megan, celebrated their 15th
and 19th birthdays. Since I was an elementary teacher, I always
started back to school by the 14th of August and was unable to attend
any of their birthday celebrations, on or around the 19th and 28th of
August. I took Megan to lunch the day before her birthday and then we
all had dinner at Scott's home to celebrate with Andrew and again, with
Megan, including cake with candles. Another first, I was able to hold
my new little grandson Jake when he was just hours old. I didn't see
or hold Andrew until he was three plus weeks old. When I
arrived in Phoenix, Betsy's little girls were all starting back to
school the following day. I awoke at 5:30 am, (and I am NOT a morning
person) with Bailey, who started Middle School. I fixed breakfast and
then walked her to the bus stop. When I returned back to the house, I
would wake Hannah and Mira. We'd eat breakfast, I'd fix Mira a lunch,
and the three of us would walk to the bus stop. (Bus stops are very
social places. I learned a great deal about the neighborhood "at the
bus stop!") Before I left, I was making three lunches in the morning,
instead of just Mira's. Each afternoon, Mira would burst
through the door and yell, "Grandma, I'm ready to do my homework!" A
signal for me to help with math, reading, spelling and language with
her. (And…I thought I'd retired!) Mira is like a whirlwind. She
has more energy than a herd of wild animals! When Hannah
needed help with a book report, we worked together creating a paper
mache dragon. We used flour and water and newspaper. Hannah is the
rascal of the family, and before we finished, we had paper mache all
over us. It was fun to work on this project with Hannah. She is very
determined and set in her ways and I think we were able to produce a
product that she actually loved. Bailey and I began cooking in
the mornings. We fixed scrambled eggs the "grandma way", French toast,
pancakes, and Crumb Cakes. Everyone benefited from this interest of
Bailey's. As a child, I became a lover of horses, like many young
girls, Bailey included. I was able to attend Bailey's first riding
lesson in Arizona. (I must admit, I was a bit jealous!) What a
wonderful experience for Bailey! She was radiant up on the buckskin
called Shade. She is a natural. Will be fun to see how she progresses. Baby Jake is just a precious little guy! I loved spending time with him and am anxious to return to see how he matures .
Andrew started Freshmen football in August, and both his grandfather
and I were able to see him play in his first game. Since Scott was out
of town on business, it was especially important that we were able to
be there to root for Andrew. My husband and I live in the
mountains of Colorado and the Arizona weather in August is a bit over
bearing! Each day that it climbed into the 100rds, I sighed. When Ron
would call from Colorado and tell me about the weather there, I growled
under my breath! Yet, I wouldn't have traded places for "all the tea
in China" as I was with our children and their children. Our daughter
Andrea, her husband Jay, and our granddaughter McKenna (2 and 1/2
years) live in Tempe, and we were able to find time to get in some
visiting, too! Now that I am back in Colorado, and sitting in
front of the fireplace, as it is cold and raining here, I have many
warm memories to reflect upon. What a fortunate grandmother I am!
Thank you Scott and Betsy for the opportunity to share in the birth of
little Jake with the whole family! I miss you all!
JKMB
3 Sep 07 at 5:19 pm