Grandbaby boxes

There were seven of them.Seven large rubbermaid containers filled with gifts for B-Boy from my mom.

Over ten years ago, my mom started purchasing gifts for her grandbaby. Nevermind that neither my sister nor I was pregnant, let alone married, but my mom wanted to be sure that when that grandchild did come, he or she would have some presents from her.

It started with one rubbermaid container... You know, the REALLY big ones that can hold a large comforter and maybe a pillow or two? Big. Once she filled that one, she got another. The next thing we knew, she had seven.

Oh, did I mention that seven was for B-Boy? Oh yes, there were seven more for my sister's child. Fortunately for my mom, my sister had her first child eight years ago. My mom drove to Tampa from Louisiana with all boxes in her car before her baby was born. How she managed that in a Honda Accord is beyond me. All I know is that she was happy to have the space back in her house.

The advice my sister gave me afterward? (And no, it wasn't NOT to have kids!) She told me not to open them in one sitting. Cuz there was a lot!

The boxes for B-Boy moved with my mom to North Carolina in 2006. Somehow my mom talked Neb and I into taking custody of the boxes, and they sat in the garage for a very long time.

Then one day, we knew B-Boy was coming... and I took a box to my mom's to open. We would do a box or two until I got tired. Each gift came with a note, telling her grandbaby what she was doing, and that she was looking forward to meeting him or her.

My mom took some photos of the presents. Some we kept, and some were donated. Some were touching, like the white afghan she knitted with georgous trim that hung down like a shawl. A favorite for me was a book I loved as a child that I completely forgot about... it was a scratch and sniff book called "Little bunny follows his nose" by Katherine Howard. I don't know where she found it, it is out of print now. I remember as a little girl I loved to scratch and sniff the peanut butter page, and I thought the roses stank to high heaven.

Other gifts made us laugh, like the Baby Einstein musical toy which came with software for Windows 98. Yep, it was THAT old. There were LOTS of Eeyore and Tigger items.... and lots of Eric Carle books. Oh, and Beanie Babies! Lots and lots of Beanie Babies.

I decided that there were more beanie babies than I could possibly ever need, so I chose one to go with each book my mom gave B-Boy. That way, when we read the book, he will be able to hold and play with a character. The rest found good homes with other children.

Some gifts I donated right away. Others I thought I would be donating, but was not sure. In retrospect, I am glad I hung on to them, because B-Boy currently loves a lot of those toys!

I hope this post doesn't come off as me poking fun at my mom. I want B-Boy to know how much he was loved, even if it was 12 years before he came into this world. So thanks Mom, your generousity has made for a happy grandbaby.