A couple of weeks ago I became a grandmother for the first time...It is something every woman dreams about but the situation was hard. They are not married and are not even in a relationship...It was a hard time for everyone concerned but a beautiul little girl has arrived....I have three sons...I can't belive I finally have a little girl in my life... This summer my mom went into a nursing home, my dad could no longer take care of her and she had fallen and gotten hurt...So i have had to deal with my mom being there and also suffering with dimentia....She doesn't even know about her new great grandchild..She won't remember when we tell her.....Of course we plan on bringing the baby to see her. I do feel that this baby came to us for a reason...It has been a really difficult few months for me but I have to say I was able to handle it very well. I think it may have been harder if it was a couple of years ago when my peri symtoms started. I do feel more "in balance" now and am very excited about this new addition to our family.....I just wanted to share this with all of you.......Pudge

Congratulations Pudge, Sounds like a new little one is just what you need. She will bring lots and lots of joy into your life. Dont worry about how she got here, just be glad she's here. The kids will work out things for themselves. My cousins son was in the same situation. He & his girlfriend got married, and they are very happy now. Things have a way of working out the way they are supposed too. So dont worry about things and just love & enjoy your new grandchild. I am sorry for the situation you have with your Mom. That is very hard. My Mom has been having memory problems also. So I know how difficult it is to see them that way. Congratulations again, Peace AA

Congratulations Pudge on a beautiful, healthy Granddaughter. Babies are so sweet, so enjoy!!! AA and Pudge, I'm sorry that your mothers are experiencing dementia. My mom chose to go to a nursing home to recover from a hip replacement. She didn't want to feel like she had to entertain visitors. At 80, they said she was highly functioning, which I'm greatful for. Her driving skills are a bit of a concern, however. My mother does fear dementia, but I'm hoping that baby aspirin she took to prevent a stroke, also reduced inflammation to the brain. There seems to be some evidence anti-inflammatories can prevent Alzheimers. Mid-life sure brings lots of challenges.

Welcome to Gramma hood!!! New babys are ALWAYS such a blessing!! I have 2 grandbabys now, both girls. One will be 2 next week, the other 1, next month.I think its Gods way of saying all is well, be at peace and enjoy this gift. My mother passed away before she met my 2 youngest. I was only 30. She died quite unexpectedly after a short illness at 62 years young. My dad developed Altzheimers at 75. He lived with me and my family for 5 years, till I couldn't do the things he needed; lifting,diapering, meds. He only lived a short time after I found a nursing home that took dementia patients. He didn't know me or my sister just before he died, that nearly killed us. I believe he somehow knew he would never be himself again, he quit eating a week before he died. His death was both the worst thing I ever felt and the most gracious blessing for him. I know its hard, but take each day with her as a gift, just as that new baby is a gift. Love and Prayers to you and yours....

Sounds like a dream come true! I alos have sons, so a granddaughter sounds wonderful.

Congratulations Pudge.....a new addition is always nice!!(and gives you something to focus on) My sister is also a new grandma and in the same boat,her son is not even in a relationship with the baby's mother....at first she tried real hard to get the two of them 2-gether and hoped they would form a relationship,but she has accepted the fact that it probably won't happen.She babysits her new grandkid on Mondays and gets to spend time with her that way.Hope all works out how it is meant to be and the baby gets to be a big part of your life.

I have some very bad and moody days. I am trying to help care for my mom and lost dad to cancer 7 months ago. I also have daughter living in florida and we are up in nyc. I wonder if my feeling bad isn't only my hard and busy life but my changing hormones. Please reply and help this sometimes moody gal.

Hi, hillbill52!! I'll bet if you THINK your feelings are related to menopausal issues, they probably are. I think you might find help with this in discussions that are going on under the topic Anger/ Mood Swings/ Rage. It's about 10 topics down the page. Helping care for a parent and being away from children definitely adds to the moods and problems we have at this time of our lives, doesn't it? You'll find a lot of people talking about this very subject on that topic and there are also discussions going about aging parents. Good luck. This is a great site. We all have found a goldmine of information here and realize we are not alone.

Also, hillbill, WAY down below Board discussions, there is a section on --congratulations, and special prayers. Under that there is a discussion about needing encouragement. This may be helpful. When I first found this board about 2 yrs ago, it took awhile of scanning and reading and I found people who were talking about things that were exactly like some of my concerns and I got SO much help. Read on all the discussions that you have time for --I know you'll find talks about some of your problems. Join in! Everybody is so nice here.