The twin two-year-old grand girls are absolutely besotted with GAMPA! He makes up silly games, makes faces, and tickles them just right – until they are giggling and snorting away. He is a veritable Fun Machine.
Gampa Dan loves his little nietas; despite the look of terror that crossed his face when little X1 grabbed his finger and announced she had po-po in her pants. Gamma is definitely the go-to-grandparent when there is po-po to deal with.
The girls are talking more and more. Dan and I have both been anticipating the moment when they call us Gamma and Gampa. During our many Facetime chats, X1 had started to enthusiastically call out “GAMPA” when we jointly appeared on her mom’s iphone. I am TOLD she said GAMMA many times out of my hearing; but when I was listening…. it was GAMPA all the way.
It soon became a running joke… heightened by my frustration in not hearing them say ‘GAMMA’. We visited the lil darlins (and their parents) over the last couple of days; during which their mother, Kelly, tried (largely in vain) to get them to say Gamma. It went something like this:
- Me: Sitting in a chair with a dog in my lap
- Kelly (pointing to me): Who is that? Who is sitting in the chair?
- X1: “Wow-Wow!” (her word for a dog)
- Kelly: (pointing to me) Who is that – who is next to gampa?
- X1: (joyously) GAMPA!!!!
- Me: Holding X2
- Kelly: (Pointing to me): Who is that – who is holding your sister?
- X1: Silence… working on a puzzle.
- As we were leaving:
- Me: (standing far apart from Gampa) Bye-Bye X1!!
- X1: Bye Bye Gampa!
- Repeat about 12 times
As we sat down to lunch one day, Gampa was taking a work-related call and did not join us right away. X1 pointed at him and announced loudly: “GAMPA – EAT!”
X1 did ultimately call me Gamma a few times: more than enough to melt my heart and forgive her excessive, but understandable, enthusiasm for all things Gampa.