Sunday, September 14, 2014

Happy Birthday Miss Yelena!

A year ago today my youngest grand was born. A girl, an only girl, with five boy cousins.
I was greatly disappointed that I was not at the hospital for her birth. Her momma and da had gone to Creswell, to the God-parents house, to freshen up and get ready to go to the hospital and said they would call when they were headed there. They didn't call.
There were a couple text messages sent out by the God-mother after they were at the hospital and things were kicking into high gear. This delay didn't give me time to get there. My grand-daughter was born within 15 minutes of where I live and I didn't get to see her born.
I have been trying to work my head around this and it still bothers me and has made me weary of the God-parents and their influence over the momma. I understand that the momma had a harder life growing up and spent her time in foster care and working her way through the system and that she has a bond with the God-mother, a bond that makes her call her "sister", and because of that bond she takes great care to listen to her about how to raise her daughter.
If I keep in mind that the God-mother is family then I better understand the important role and the influence she has with momma. Because the God-parents are better off, no where near the poverty level that our family has struggled with, it is possible for them to give Yelena things that we will never be able to afford; however, we will always be Yelena's Yaya and Papa and we will provide her with our love and our time and with our acceptance.
We had a small birthday party for her yesterday because when I asked momma what she had planned she said that she thought that the God-mother was planning something for Yelena's first birthday but wasn't sure. I suggested they have a party at our house and she said we could plan something for any day but on Yelena's birthday because she was pretty sure the God-mother had something planned, but she was sure if we wanted to go to that we could and that she would check and see if it was okay if we went. (If? Okay? For a party for our grand daughter?) That sort of statement is what makes me feel aggregated and irritated towards these God-parents.
Yelena is the child they will never have, but she will be as good as theirs because they put their time and money into keeping her healthy (by having a baby chiropractor check her over for free and off the record because the doctor is a friend of theirs) and giving strong suggestions on how Yelena should eat (no sugar...this is difficult to do with the way foods are made...agree sugar intake should be limited).
I am working on accepting how things are and making mental adjustments to be better. It's not personal.