Nolan

I looked after my greatgrandson, Nolan, for an hour and a half this morning and he was perfect as usual. I'm gradually getting over how much he looks like his Daddy and am beginning to see him for himself.

He's become comfortable in my house now, familiar with it finally. He played with his toys, ate 2 tiny cookies and some applesauce, played some more and then, getting tired, he pulled a cushion off the sofa and put it on the floor to take a nap. The picture above was taken just he started to fade.

Nolan is very deliberate in his moves. He studies when to let go of safety and walk to where he wants to go. He seems to love books more than toys but still won't cuddle and let me read to him...maybe later. He understands "no" and even a shake of the head when he nears something I don't want him to touch. In fact, he understands it so well that, when I put my arms out to him to come and cuddle, he shook his head "no".

I could watch him forever. He plays fairly quietly and nicely with his toys, going from one to another as the spirit moves him. The one thing I can't do is walk very far with him in my arms. I've always had a problem with my legs losing strength when I carry something heavy but I don't think it's gotten much worse over the years.

I realized today that Nolan is a gift in my life for living this long. His Greatgrampa, Dennis, wasn't lucky enough to live to see him. He would have loved this little boy to bits and taught him all the things he taught his own children and grandchildren.

Nolan is going to be a big brother in the spring and I hope his new little brother or sister is as good a child a he is. He is simply perfect.