Proud Moments of Being a Grandmother: Part 1

Andi Beth & I
June, 2012

December 26, 2002 was an exciting day in the Sloan family! Sami was scheduled to be induced to give birth to her first baby and the WHOLE family turned out for the grand event!

Everyone was nervous about how everything would go because of Sam's heart condition and everyone was excited at the same time because not only was this Sam & Cam's first baby; it was a first grandchild and a first niece/nephew! We all came together to celebrate Christmas in Sam & Cam's little apartment in Pocatello, Idaho and then all escorted her to the hospital to be a part of the delivery!

It's a good thing they gave Sami a BIG labor room, because there were 8 of us on hand to keep Sami entertained all day! The siblings played pinochle to pass the time until it was near delivery time and the nurses kicked us all out to take the party to the waiting room. Randy & I tried to keep everyone under control, but you get a bunch of Sloans together and it's going to be pretty rowdy. The more time passed, the more antsy Randy & I became and we'd take periodic walks back down the hall and push our ears to the door. Finally, we heard the unmistakable sound of a baby crying in the room. We rushed to tell everyone and then ran back to Sami's room with everyone in tow and waited for the door to open so we could all meet Andreia Elisabeth Carter.

Sami was more than ready to say good-bye to her siblings after she saw them all in her recovery room and they kept making jokes; making her laugh when the rest of her body did NOT feel like laughing. They were especially entertained by the pain chart on the wall and it was time for all to leave.

Brooks and I stuck around for several more days to help with Andi while everyone else went back to their lives. Andi was sweet & cuddly, when she wasn't crying, but she wasn't the easiest newborn to deal with.

Andi & cousin Cari
Bathtime at Grandma's; Thanksgiving 2005

Andi met her new cousin Cari for the first time, five months later at Aunt Brooks' wedding and, like it or not, the two have been thrust together pretty frequently since that time!

Andi is a mini Sami. She looks like her. She acts like her. She talks like her. The fun part is that Sami was always a mini me which means that whenever poor Andi tries to get away with anything when either of us are around, she doesn't get very far, because we already know what she's up to.

Andi (#1) with Abigail (#13)
Thanksgiving 2011

She's a beautiful young lady; growing up much too quickly! It's hard to believe she's already eleven! She's the concerned, mothering type (probably too much for her siblings' liking) and is full of love. She's in choir and has been a cheerleader. She has her goofy side and when she starts to giggle, it's hard to get her to stop. She loves to help; not necessarily chores... but she is eager to help if she knows her help is needed or if it gives her an opportunity to learn to do something new.

Andi at Bear Lake Christmas
August, 2008

Andi's always been her daddy's girl. Although he didn't really know what to do with a baby when she was born and really had no idea how to be a dad, she's taught him well. He makes jokes about how he's going to keep boys away from her 'til she's thirty and although he plays it as a joking father, I think the words hit closer to the truth of what he'd LIKE to happen. I'm really not sure what he'll do when the reality of giving his little girl over to another man hits him, but I suspect there may even be a few tears involved.

Andi enjoys food!

Andi's a little bit picky about her food, but like her mother, she can pack it away and stay as skinny as a rail! (Hope she enjoys that while it lasts--that trait isn't in the genes to last forever!)

Andi & Cari heading for Seattle
May, 2012

As I mentioned earlier, Andi & Cari get thrown together a lot, whether they like it or not... but for the most part, I think they like it. Only four months apart in age, I love any time I get to spend with the two of them. In 2012, I brought them both home with me from Ethan's baptism in Oklahoma to spend three weeks with me and I don't think that I've ever had more fun with two young ladies!

At the Hoh Rainforest

We visited the rainforest on the Washington Peninsula and tried to visit the tide pools at Rialto Beach, but the weather changed our minds...

The winds were so strong, they kept blowing the girls'
umbrellas inside out!

We rode the ducks and went whale watching...

We visited the Space Needle...

And no matter where we went, the girls had their own kind of fun!

Ready to go whale watching!

They even humored this old grandma by dressing up for a picture when we visited Leavenworth, Washington (a little Bavarian-style town in the Cascade Mountains).

The only challenge in three weeks came from the two older sisters trying to find their space with one another... never wanting to agree on anything when I gave them a choice... but even those times were funny, watching them try to out do one another...

But the most fun of all was the road trips with the Mama Mia soundtrack in the CD player, with all three of us singing at the top of our lungs cruisin' down the road in my bright yellow PT Cruiser!

I know this last bit has seemed more like an Andi & Cari post than an Andi post, but I had such a wonderful time with my girls that summer, it only seems natural to think of one now when I think of the other. 

Andi-- you're such an awesome young lady. You have a lot of responsibility as the oldest sister, the oldest cousin and the oldest granddaughter. I want you to know how very proud I am of you and how much I love you and appreciate you for who you are and what you stand for.  I know you probably don't know this song and if you do you probably don't know who Kool & the Gang are, but never-the-less, the words send my message to you today! Celebrate good times, Andi Beth!!! I love you!