Yesterday morning Grace, Mum and I took the shuttle to New York and went to Terence’s 41st birthday party. It was a lovely celebration, complete with heartfelt toasts and hilarious musical tributes. Grace and Hannah loved seeing each other and I got to spend some time hanging out with the divine Miss Margaret.
At 2:45 we returned to Laguardia where I put Grace into a town car. With a complete stranger. The driver, Gina, was utterly lovely. She gave me her cell phone number and set Grace up with Sun Chips and water in the backseat. The car had Hadley’s carseat all installed and ready to go. I was slightly anxious about sending Grace off for an hour with a stranger and lingered as I said goodbye. Finally, impatiently, Grace said, “Mummy, I’m ready to go. You can shut the door now.”
Okay. Is there such a thing as too independent?
Mum and I then proceeded to sit on the tarmac at Laguardia for a while due to some stranger “tanker” incident in Boston harbor. The silver lining of this was that I was still on the ground when Grace arrived with Hadley. I picked up, “Hi! Is she there?” and heard back, “It’s me, Grace.” As though I was not sure who Grace was.
Grace and Charlotte had a ball swimming and playing and I got to see them all on iChat last night. Grace’s smile was literally ear to ear. I know she is having the time of her life and she is in for big treats today with her godmother. Tomorrow morning John will take her through security at Laguardia and send her off on the shuttle by herself, and I’ll receive her at Logan. It is indescribably special to watch Grace’s genuine, affectionate relationships with Hadley and Charlotte grow. I know that these are the kinds of experiences that she will remember all of her life.