Nashville and Nonni!

I will never forget the sight of my daughter running through the Nashville airport looking for her Nonni.   We had all been looking forward to this trip for a while..counting down the days for about the last twenty. THe night before we left Kaity couldn't sleep.  She woke up early asking if it was time to go.  Then I put her down for her nap and told her that when she woke up we would finish packing and then we would be going to Nashville.  About 20 minutes in (she usually naps for an hour and a  half to two hours) she comes downstairs to the basement and says "mommy, we forgot to go to Nashville".  Needless to say she was excited.  So finally it's time..we are all packed and ready to go.  We pick up Grammy and we head off to the airport.....where we stand in line....and then another line till FINALLY we get to our gate...and find out we have been delayed....for over an hour.   Grammy was wonderful and took Kaity to read books at the bookstore and bought her chocolate and a coloring book so the time went quickly but we were delayed.  Kaity doesn't sleep a wink on the plane..colors...talks...snuggles with Grammy..but NO sleeping.  FINALLY we arrive at Nashville it is about 10:30pm Nashville time which makes it 11:30pm NJ time.  EVERYONE on the plane is exhausted.   You  know the feeling, you just want to get off the plane and into a nice comfortable bed somewhere so that you can crash.  NOT KAITY.  she hits the airport at a dead run.  "Nonni"...she falls down, picks herself back up " i HAVE to be more careful.  "nonni"" more running.  Grammy and I had to stop at the restroom.  I thought my daughter was going to disown me.  "I don't HAVE to go potty, I don't WANT to go potty".  We leave the restroom "nonni!"

  We finally meet up with Nonni and everyone has a lot of giggles and hugs and we get into the car to head to Nonni's house.  Kaity is sitting in her carseat , sighs, "mommy.  I'm not so excited anymore".  There was no downside to this comment just spoken by someone who had finally realized what it was they had been looking forward to for all this time was finally  here. 

  This was followed up a couple of minutes later with " mommy are you going to stay with me".  I thought this was sweet.  Even 

though she was here with Nonni my dear sweet daughter who was tired and overwhelmed still needed her mommy.  "of course I am going to stay with you honey".  Yeah not where Kaity was going with that.  I was obviously a means to an end.  I had gotten her to Nashville and now I was to disappear until it was time to take her back.  "cause last time  you didn't' stay.  I want Nonni time.".  Sorry kid.

   The weekend was amazing.  Lots of Nonni time was had..by Kaity and Grammy and myself.  We watched movies, and Dora and Diego.  We (all) wore stick on earings

, and copious amounts of lip gloss.

  We saw where Nonni worked, met her co-workers and were impressed by

 all of it. Because you were wonderful, we shall forgive you Lifeway for stealing our Nonni. (for now).  We went swimming and ate at  the Loveless Cafe with their world famous biscuits.  ALthough I have heard Bobby Flays' are better.  Nashville was charming, we were t

aken in by the southern hospitality.  Awesome memories were made. 

  We are home now.  Kaity is still holding it against me a little bit that I stayed the whole weekend.  She still misses her Nonni something fierce and truthfully Kaity saying goodbye to Nonni was harder on me than having to do it myself.  I know that my friendship with my sister will endure.  We can talk on the phone, and stay caught up on life that way.  Getting together every couple of months to do something special is enough.  I mean that is all I get together with my friends who live in the area.  I am just not sure that that is going to work for a 3 year old.   I mean we don't even talk to Nonni on the phone as much because she is busier at work than she used to be and it's harder for a little person to see life in events that happened every couple of months.  I LOVE the relationship that they have.  I love that my little girl has the ability to love that deeply and form those kind of attachments.  I never want her to lose that ability and I obviously don't want her to lose the object of those affections.  I love the time and interest that my sister has poured into my daughter that would cause her to be the object of said affection.   "An Aware person loves all children he or she meets and interacts with-for you are a caretaker for those moments in time"  Doc Childre 

  I think the only positive outcome would be that we all have to move to Nashville! There are great motorcycle trails, it IS music city USA.  Oh-and have you ever heard a small child with a southern accent?