All change...

It has been just over a year since I have written a post on this blog.
So much has happened and so much has changed since then.
Since I last wrote, I have welcomed a new great-niece into the world, have attended a friends wedding and sadly have been to 5 funerals. Yes, last summer was a summer of sadness.

Time..it keeps on ticking and the view from 'my window' is changing.

I have never liked change, preferring for things to remain the same and settled. But that's not what life is about. Life takes us through many chapters, different seasons and makes us who we are.

I am entering a new chapter in my life.

I am going to become a Grandma in August.

It is not something I ever thought I would be saying at my age. I envisaged it about another 10  years down the line when my girls were a bit older.

My daughter Laura is just 17. Although it is not something I would have wanted for her at this age, I have come to accept it, find peace in it and I'm now looking forward to meeting my new grandson with a mixture of apprehension and excitement.

I have 3 daughters so having a grandson will be a learning curve for me. And although I intend to support Laura as much as I can she will definitely be getting up in the night with him! That is part of being a mum! I will have to learn when and when not to step in because he needs to know that Laura is mum and I'm Grandma. And I'm sure she will be a great mum. She has such a caring nature and kind heart. Laura has the support of her boyfriend Joe, who I'm sure will be a great dad.

Because Laura is still young, she doesn't feel ready to leave home yet and we are making changes to accommodate that.

A far cry from the 'old days' when a teenage pregnancy in a family would quite likely have seen the girl disowned by her family and sent away in shame...

I sometimes thought about what I would do if any of my girls became pregnant before they left home and how I would deal with it.
I never came up with any answers though because in truth, I never thought it would happen.
But life likes to throw us a curve ball now and again and the unexpected did happen.

I have never felt angry about it. At times I have felt a bit sad that Laura is so young but mostly I believe that God has a purpose and plan for each and every one of us and that this little baby is coming into the world for a reason. That being the case I believe as a mum I need to do what is right for Laura and support her.
Laura made the decision to keep this little life, my little grandson and I know he will be a blessing to us all.

Last summer Laura lost her uncle and granddad on her dad's side and I know how very sad she felt. This summer it will be so good to welcome a new family member and the feelings of joy and happiness that it will bring.

The house is undergoing changes as we are building an extension. Laura needs her own bedroom. She currently shares with her sister when her older sister is home from University. The new extension will create a new bedroom for me and my husband Phil, plus an ensuite. So that provides 3 other bedrooms in the house and we will also gain another living room which will be useful as we only have one at the moment. And most exciting of all...We will have a downstairs loo!

We have been thinking of making the house bigger for a while now. As the girls have grown up, the house seems crowded at times, especially when they have friends round.

I guess Laura's situation has pushed us into going for it. I just wish we'd done it sooner as I am sure it will be so much better for all of us and give us the space we need.

So the race is on now to get it finished before the baby arrives in 7 weeks...hmm, we will see! I have a feeling we will be painting and getting carpets fitted when he arrives!

The front door, that was in fact on the side of the house, with it's window attached will move to the front of the house as part of the new extension.
So, my 'window on the world' will have a new view, both literally and reality!