It's been a long week, yet it's flown by and I've had to think hard about what day it is. My grandfather passed away early Tuesday morning. He had been home from the hospital for a week and, although he had been in poor health, I was not expecting the phone call I received from my mom Tuesday morning. It's been a week of tears and good memories and time with family.

Nana and Pop have been married for 22 years and Pop was quite a fixture in the community. I can't think of a trip with Nana and Pop anywhere in town where we didn't see someone they knew. Pop started a small produce stand that has grown into a successful family business and he was there every day greeting each customer who came through the door. Nowhere was it more evident how much people cared for Nana and Pop than Wednesday night at the funeral home for visitation. Visitation was set for 6-8pm and when the family arrived, people were already there to pay their respects. Nana was told that more than 700 people came through the doors and people were waiting for an hour and a half to speak with the family. Visitation ended after 10pm. Unbelievable and what an awesome testament to Pop's impact on the people he knew. Some people came through and introduced themselves as "just a customer" from the store and others had stories going back many years.

The girls and I have spent a lot of time at Nana's house this week and Nana is doing well. She's one of the strongest women I know and she has a heart of gold. I know that she's going to be okay and I am so glad that she's surrounded with lots of family and friends.

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The girls have been great this week, especially given the fact that any shred of a schedule they had has gone out the window. At least for this week. They had their first real experience with being around large groups for prolonged periods of time and, as long as they weren't hungry or over tired, were usually content to sit in anyone's lap.

I've enjoyed being with them this week and, ironically, I got to see a "first" and was the one on the phone to D saying "Guess what Sofia just did". I went in to get them up this morning and I was changing Olivia while Sofia was playing in her crib. When I looked over at Sofia, she was working on going from her tummy to sitting. When she finally sat all the way up, I went crazy with the clapping and the praises and she just sat there as if to say "Mom....really? You didn't know I could do this?"

Since we've spent a lot of time in someone else's house other than our own, I did become more aware of what I'm in for when both girls reach that stage between mobility and understanding discipline. And that realization came with only Sofia being mobile. She was all over Nana's house -- crawling under the coffee table, grabbing the crystal figurines.......you know -- all the things a baby can't have! Forget all the cool toys from home. On more than one occasion I tried to imagine how it would have been if Olivia were in the same place with mobility and I was exhausted just thinking about it! Only time will tell...........but maybe we should cancel that standing appointment with the PT and the early interventionist............

Kidding. Only kidding. Mostly.