Visit with Great-Grandma

Today Marc and I got organized and set off to see Babci in the afternoon. She is in Maples Personal Care Home, and I was anxious about going to see her because Marc said that the place could be very depressing.

After we arrived, we asked the receptionist at the front for her room number. We headed to the elevator and to the second floor where her room is located. I was having a bit of a hard time making my way through the building because there seemed to be elderly people just "strewn" about the building. Some where sitting in wheelchairs, staring off into space or sleeping, another lady was laying on a couch in the middle of a hallway with her wheelchair nearby. As we passed the residents' rooms, almost everyone we passed was staring off into space or sitting, glassy-eyed staring at the TV. Everyone was alone. I feared my grandmother would be the same.

When we finally arrived at her room (it felt like an eternity, but it was really only a minute from the elevator), her daughter was sitting there with her and they were watching TV together. She was sitting in her wheelchair, and her face lit up as soon as she saw Ava! It was so nice that she was happy to see us. Her room is small, but she has her own bathroom, her TV, two small dressers and a closet. A lot different from the huge house she lived in for decades.

We didn't even have Ava out of her car seat when Babci was saying, "let me have that baby!" It was pretty sweet to hear. I sat Ava onto Babci's lap and Ava started crying a bit, shedding huge tears! After a few minutes and with me sitting close enough to hold her hand, Ava settled down and sat on Babci's lap for about half an hour. She played with her little toys, and Babci held them up for her, too. Babci was very happy that Ava wasn't scared of her after the initial outburst. All Babci wanted to do was hold Ava! We took some pictures:

This is Babci's daughter, Jane. She is my half-aunt.

All in all, the visit went well. I am hoping that we will be able to come back for a visit again soon. I told Babci that we would come and bring some pictures of Ava for her. She has some tacked up on her small bulletin board, but they are from the day Ava was born. I'm glad that she was in a good mood, and that Ava did so well, also.

Needless to say, we didn't manage to go swimming with Joelle and Jacques as we originally thought we might, so we'll definitely have to make a date to go next week! Ava was pretty tired once we got home, and after eating supper and playing a bit with her Papa on her playmat, I got her ready for bed. Unfortunately, she is deciding to cry a bit before falling asleep. Hopefully it is a phase that will not last long!! I hate to hear her cry, especially when I know that all she wants is to not be alone in her crib!

Tooth update: It's out quite a bit, now! You can actually see the tip of the tooth when she opens her mouth wide, and her tongue's not in the way! It's a sharp little sucker, too! :>