What is your grandchild’s name? Amara Lily Suckow

When was your grandchild born? January 2, 2010

How big was your grandchild when she arrived? She is little princess! 6 lbs. 11 oz and 19 inches long

How excited were you about being a grandmother when your daughter told you she was pregnant? Elated with JOY!!! I was on the phones taking customer calls and my daughter, Vanessa, called in pretending to be a customer disguising her voice placing an order. After she selected her invitations, I asked, “Who is the Lucky Mommy-To-Be?” She excitedly announced in singing “Vanessa Suckow! Vanessa Suckow!” I totally flew out of my chair!

What is the best part of being a grandmother? I never thought I’d feel a greater Love and JoY than being a parent, but to my amazement, I am overwhelmed this exhilarating feeling of gratitude! Words just can’t explain! I received a card from baby Amara’s Grandma Suckow that says it all! “Grand Kids are God’s Gift for Growing Older!”

If you could give another grandma a tip, what would it be? I would advise other Grandmas to know that although we feel we are the “Expert Parents”, our children live in an information age and just like our wardrobes have changed so have the latest trends in parenting! Which is a good thing, right?!

Did you throw a baby shower for your daughter? If so, what theme did you use? Did we ever! We used the Trendy Mommy-To-Be themed squiggle shaped invitations and received many compliments! We also used the Trendy Flower tableware, banner, and mini wrappers. Knowing Vanessa was expecting a baby girl, we just had to add the “It’s a Girl” themed large candy bar wrappers and the Sticky Notes as favors.

What is your grandchild’s favorite toy or activity? Amara is just 10 days old so eating and sleeping and being cuddled are her favorite! Of course, I am thinking that that her favorite activities will be visiting Grandma Trisha and Grandpa Tim!

What are your favorite things to do with your grandchild? The #1 thing on my Bucket List is to spend as much time as possible with Baby Amara and create simple memorable moments with her and her family!

What is your favorite product on SimplyBabyStuff.com and why? I now have 2 favorites! The personalized banners are awesome for adding an extra special personalized touch to a celebration. And…. after seeing how the Mommy and Daddy-to-be both lit up when they saw their baby’s initials on the tiny little infant cap, it is definitely a favorite! Ohhh! That’s another picture I must get of Baby Amara!

Anything else you want to share about being a Grandma? YES! “Grand Kids are God’s Gift for Growing Older!”

When was your grandchild born?
October 25th, 2009

How big was your grandchild when he arrived?
6lbs. 10oz. 19 1/2 inches long

How excited were you about being a grandmother when your daughter told you she was pregnant?
She called and told us that she was pregnant the day after the passing of my dad and we were very excited. It was welcomed news.

What is the best part of being a grandmother?
Getting a picture everyday on our cell phone as our daughter lives in Texas. Got to love modern technology.

If you could give another grandma a tip, what would it be?
To tell your children not to move far away from home.:(

Did you throw a baby shower for your daughter? If so, what theme did you use?
Yes we did, It was modern baby boy and girl because we didn’t know the sex of the baby at the time.

What is your grandchild’s favorite toy or activity?
Well… It will be the Tonka truck that grandpa Bill bought him, and many more to come.

What are your favorite things to do with your grandchild?
Just to hold him and to be with him when I get a chance.

What is your favorite product on SimplyBabyStuff.com and why?
The Big Dot Baby, Because it is original and very cute.

Anything else you want to share about being a Grandma?
It’s amazing to watch our daughter be an awesome mother to Garrett.

When was your grandchild born?
October 24, 2009

How big was your grandchild when he arrived?
7 lbs 15 oz 19 1/2 in

How excited were you about being a grandmother when your daughter told you she was pregnant?
I was so excited because we were hoping for a girl but when she surprised us with a card that had the ultra sound picture proving it was a boy and saying “You are now grandparents of a baby boy” we were equally excited because our family lost our son Michael 9 years ago and now we have a little Michael to fill that hole in our heart and we all know our Michael is looking down on Baby Michael with a Big Smile.

What is the best part of being a grandmother?
All the hugs and kisses I get to give him daily because he only lives a few blocks away.

If you could give another grandma a tip, what would it be?
At times I need to take a step back and let my daughter take control as Michael is her son but I am always available to answer questions or to help her in any way I can.

Did you throw a baby shower for your daughter? If so, what theme did you use?
We used Modern Baby Boy. It was so much fun, we had the diaper cake, tableware, candle tins and body butter favors. We also played the download games which even the guys had fun playing. Oh and of course New Daddy “Casey” wore his Daddy Diaper Duty Device proudly.

What is your grandchild’s favorite toy or activity?
Bottle full of milk! Michael loves to mimic what you are doing and then he smiles.

What is your favorite thing to do with your grandchild?
Give him a bath, he enjoys it and then loves to cuddle in his “Monkey” hooded towel.

What is your favorite product on SimplyBabyStuff.com and why?
I love the theme page. You can choose whichever theme fits your needs and they have everything you need in that theme to throw a fabulous shower. I also love the Monkey Boy theme. We used the Monkey Boy theme for a baby announcement because my daughter always called Michael her little monkey before he was born.

Anything else you want to share about being a Grandma?
I do love my children but being a Grandma I can spoil my grandson so much more and I have more time to spend with him. He has my complete attention and just maybe he has Grandma wrapped around his little finger!

How big was Tucker when he arrived?

9lbs. 3oz. 22 inches long

What is the best part of being a mom?

The smiles. Once he started recognizing me and smiling I really started to like being a mom.

If you could give another soon-to-be mom a tip, what would it be?

The toughest part for me was getting to know him. I know it sounds weird, but you need to take time to get to know your baby(and give them a chance to get to know you). They have their own quirks just like you do.Also don’t be afraid to ask for help. That was hard for me. I like to do things on my own, but I definitely needed help, even just so I could get another half hour of sleep.

What has been your biggest challenge as being a new mother?

I am still trying to figure out how to have “me” time. Everyone told me before I had Tucker that I needed to make sure I made time for me after he was born.  Every time I was told that I thought “Well, I’ll take that time when the baby sleeps”.  My eyes were opened after he was born. For about the first month and a half I felt like he NEVER slept. I remember talking to one of my friends who also just had a baby and she said the same thing. Since then I have ASKED for more help so I can get some “me” time. Even if it is just for two hours a month.

Did you have a baby shower? If so, what theme did you use??

No, I didn’t have a baby shower. I have a lot of family that does not live close. I had a “Meet Tucker Party” about 3 weeks after he was born so all of the family could travel just the one time and see him at the same time.  I didn’t really need anything (as far as gifts go). We had gone to a lot of garage sales since I was pregnant over the summer.

What is Tucker’s favorite toy?

At almost 3 months of age, he hasn’t gotten into toys yet. He has discovered his hands though. He is always hitting something with them, that’s when he doesn’t have them in his mouth. He even hits himself on the head and then looks at us with a look like “ OUCH, what was that?”

What is Tucker’s favorite thing to do?

He loves to lay on his back and “run”. Every time we lay him on his back, he starts kicking his legs really fast and hard. He can do that for literally an hour at a time!
He also likes to talk. He talks non-stop. He even talks in his sleep!

What is your favorite product on SimplyBabyStuff.com and why?

I absolutely ADORE the new modern lines. I have always been the girl who would pick anything brown before I would pick pink or blue. The way the designers have tied the browns with the Pink and Blue is PHENOMENAL!!!!

I especially like the new Mommy Silhouette Invitations and Thank You cards. The paper that they are printed on is of very high quality and sturdy.

Is it hard coming back to work full-time?

Harder than I thought.  I came back to work for only 8 hours a week after about a month. I was fine with that because I was starting to go stir crazy at home(I needed adult interaction). I was still home for most of his waking hours. Now that I am back to work full time, I definitely miss him. When I get done with work I want to get home to him as fast as I can because I know I will only have a few hours with him before he goes to bed.

Anything else about being a new mother you want to share?
I grew up with a large family, so I didn’t really want kids right away. If I wanted a kid for the day, I could grab one of my nieces or nephews. I waited to have Tucker until I was almost 27. Even when I was pregnant, I was not sure if I was ready for a baby. I was prepared, but not ready. After he was born, I changed. I now know what I was missing. I am not the type of person that gushes over babies. If someone I know comes around with their baby, I usually look at it and smile, but don’t hold it. I never wanted to. Even my nieces and nephews only were held by me when I HAD to hold them.

Tucker has changed me into an emotional mom who doesn’t want to let go! I love holding him. I can sit in the recliner and rock for hours with him. I see a lot of thing different now. I look at what I want out of life now and it is incredible how one little thing can change the path that you want to go down. It is going to be a fun ride!