Today Jess, Bella, Nathaniel, Ava and I trekked up to Hazleton to visit Pop-Pop, Gramma and Nana. Now who are those people?
Pop-Pop = My father, or Bella’s, Ava’s and Nathaniel’s grandfather.
Gramma = My mother, or their grandmother.
Nana = My grandmother or their great-grandmother.
It’s weird for me to call them by these names, as that’s not at all what I grew up with, but Bella insists on making sure I call them by their “proper names.” It’s so funny though that it’s all relative, no pun intended. And how do you teach that to a 4 year old? How in the world can she comprehend that my grandmother is her great grandmother, or when I say Gramma I don’t mean my Mother, but my grandmother. Inevitably it causes issues.
Nana, Jaime, Gramma, Nathaniel, Ava and Bella in clockwise order. Ava is all so enamored of Bella. Nathaniel is just looking forward to reallocating the dirt in the planter in front of him.
Nana, Jaime, Gramma and Ava. Ava is soooo intrigued by the screensaver on Gramma’s computer. She couldn’t keep her eyes off of it.
Jessica, Nathaniel, Nana, Gramma, Bella and Ava. Laughter abounds as we try to keep all of the kids happy and on Gramma.
The Adventures of the Dubeis. . . 
Mmmmm….maybe I can get some pics of me and my “little ones” next visit?
It’s funny, growing up, my mother’s parents were Grandma and Grandpa Buhler – though I don’t think they would have minded if that had eventually evolved to first names (Bob and Phyllis in this case.) And we did call my father’s father, mother, and stepmother Grandpa Dick, Grandma Barbara and Grannee Pat. (Grandpa Dick actually is still around, my last grandparent.)
Now my parents are up to eight grandchildren. Three of them (my brother’s daughters) are of course Taber, and another nephew has a double surname, Taber-Kewene (poor kid). But all of my nieces and nephews (that are old enough to talk) call my parents Grandma and Grandpa Taber – my parents would _never_ allow themselves to be called “Grandpa Doug” or “Grandma Susan.”
We would never ever say Gramma Esther or Gramma Flo. It’s totally weird to even type that. It was so Gramma Nodes or Gramma Ciecko. That’s just how things were. Even Dan’s mom we don’t call Gramma Maria or Gramma-her-last-name. It’s Bunica– Grandma in Romanian.