Thank you God, for Reece.

I have five beautiful, wonderful, smart, funny, terrific grandchildren. *grin* The youngest of them lives in our house, along with his mommy and daddy. He is 2 1/2 years old, he speaks his own language, and has the most expressive face in the world. Much of his communicating is done through facial expressions, and wow, is he good at it. :D

He calls me "Mamama," and when he says the word he taps his cheek. It is the most delightful thing ever! It reminds me of the way deaf or mute children say "Mama" by stroking their cheek with their thumb. No one ever taught my grandson to do this, he came up with it all on his own. Isn't he brilliant? :o)

His favorite toys are cars, his favorite song is Wheels On The Bus, and his favorite breakfast is oatmeal with brown sugar and cinnamon. He loves to be outdoors, he likes to watch kid vids on YouTube, and he thinks exploring cupboards and closets is really exciting. He loves Elmo, too.

He holds his daddy's ears when he is sleepy, he kisses anything that he likes a lot (including his cars), and when he is excited, he makes a sound with his tongue that sounds like the velociraptors in that movie with the dinosaurs, and has done that since he was tiny--just months old.

He has smiley eyes, a perfect rosy mouth and tiny pearl-like teeth, chubby cheeks and a sturdy, compact little body. He is big for his age, and I'm afraid I won't be able to swing him up into my arms much longer. He is a snuggle-bug, and I love to hold him on my lap and watch his face when he entranced by something, be it a book, video, animal or person.

He's the most enthusiastic, happy little guy. I love that he lives here, and I get to see him every day, and be a part of his life. I know that some day his parents will find a home of their own and this fantastic time in our lives will change, and that's good and right. Oh, but it's hard to imagine not having Reece here, hearing his laughter and his Reece talk, seeing his joy in every tiny new thing, holding him when he's all heavy with sleep, smelling like lavender after his bath.

So I'm not going to think about the future, but I'll just keep reveling in the present. It's been so much fun to have our home cluttered with toys again, to have a car seat in my car, to find raisins and Cheerios in the tufts of the ottoman, to play with blocks and read Dr. Seuss, and most of all to have a little boy around to love, who loves me right back. Ah, Paradise.