The Last Generation

My greatgrandson, Nolan, is one of the last generation that I'll have the opportunity to see and it makes him very special in my eyes. My children and my grandchildren have turned out quite well and each one of them will benefit the civilization we live in. I think that's quite a legacy to leave behind, if I do say so myself.

I saw him last night and marveled again at the softness and sweetness of him. He's a beautiful baby and so calm as he views the world around him with big blue eyes. I wonder what he's thinking. He's certainly a very lucky baby to have been born to two loving parents,loving grandparents, and one darned grateful greatgramma.

Nolan has his mother's lovely skin color and almost looks as though he has a tan. His eyes and calmness (old beyond their age) remind me of his father. We like to make comparisons when we look at a baby because we want to see their family's traits, especially if their family is a good one. Nolan will no doubt be his own person but it's fun to examine him closely and imagine what he'll be like when he grows up. I already mentioned that he has carried on the gene from his great, great, great grandparent (and who knows how much further back) which gave him a tiny point on his ear. That tickles my fancy because it's another reminder that he's "one of us".

He smiles broadly now and it's not always from gas. Of course, some of his biggest smiles last night were followed by pretty loud emissions. He looks into your eyes as you speak and then tries to talk back so we'll all have to watch our language in the future or he'll repeat the wrong words. Nolan is like a blank slate that will interpret the world as he sees it so we'll also have to teach him as he grows.

His little frog legs are already beginning to fill out and there's more heft to him. I can already envision him running through the yard on fat little treestumps of legs but I guess I shouldn't look too far ahead, should I? I made that mistake with my own children, wishing them rapid growth so they could do things for themselves. But I relished every day of my grandchildren's lives, knowing that childhood is all too short, and I'm going to relish every day I can of Nolan's life. It's going to be a fun ride.