End of an era

We said goodbye to Little Great-Nephew today. :(  

Not forever, of course. But it will likely be a while until we see him again. His mom has Fridays off, so he won't be at his grandparents' house tomorrow (as he is the other four days of the work week) -- and he starts school (junior kindergarten -- called nursery school in some places and simply pre-school in others) -- on Monday. I'll be (very happily)  surprised if we get to see him more than once or twice a month from now on (which is about as often as we saw his dad & uncle, our nephews, when they were growing up).  

The pandemic, which started when he was just a few months old, meant we weren't able to see him as much as we'd hoped during the first year of his life. And two years ago, he and his parents moved out from his grandparents' basement into their own home, about an hour's drive north of where we live. 

But since his mom went back to work after maternity leave, about 2 & 1/2 years ago, she's been leaving him in the care of his grandmother (our sister-in-law).  There's rarely been a week when we haven't stopped by on at least one morning or afternoon to spend a couple of hours playing with him. And we've seen him a lot more often since BIL's health began to worsen earlier this year, culminating in his transplant surgery in mid-July. We often found ourselves staying with him for several hours at a time, and sometimes full days -- including three full days in a row in early July (including our wedding anniversary!) -- while SIL accompanied BIL to lengthy medical appointments, and then to the hospital for several days prior to his surgery. 

When we first started coming to visit, LGN was shy and would sometimes hide behind his grandmother's legs when he saw us coming. These days, we can see him in the window, jumping up & down with glee, as we come up the sidewalk. Quite the change! -- and quite the ego booster.  :)  

For the next 14 years, minimum, his young life will be ruled by the school calendar. He's going to make new friends, closer to his own age. It's the way of the world, and the way it should be. 

And yet.

I'll admit that, as a childless person, I've never quite understood the angst some parents feel around back-to-school time. (My own mother certainly never expressed anything of the sort, at least not around us.)  But I've kind of had to bite my (cyber)tongue a little lately.  ;)  

We're sure going to miss him.  :(  

Dh & LGN, last week.