Preparing for an invasion

At the Wettschreck household, my husband Eric and I are preparing for an invasion. Not zombies or anything like that – we’re getting ready for the arrival of our 13-month-old granddaughter Layla. She is going to stay with us for a week while her parents take a belated honeymoon.

We’re very excited to have the little jelly bean come and stay with us, but it takes a bit of forethought on our parts, because we aren’t in working parent mode anymore. Preparing for this has been like planning a war strategy.

We’ve had to prepare the terrain, also known as baby-proofing the house a bit. That little girl can crawl like the wind and is taking steps also, which means all the stuff we toss in corners or leave on an end table needs picking up.

We’ve had to lay in supplies. Layla is a good eater, but some of her favorite foods are things I don’t always keep stocked. We like bananas, but tend to forget to eat them. We like Cheerios, but generally don’t eat breakfast during the week. I like kiwi, but Eric told me the other that to his knowledge, he has never eaten one. And since all the kids have moved out, milk goes bad faster than we use it. So, basically, I had to do a Layla-shop.

We’ve also had to handle equipment logistics. Her highchair needed dusting, crib sheets needed freshening and some of her toys are stashed in a closet.

I’ve also had to prepare the troops for this. Eric admitted the other day he’s a bit nervous about staying home with her for a couple of days while I’m at work. I reminded him that he is the father of three, but he says that’s different. That’s all the explanation I got, so feel free to be puzzled right along with me.

So, I’ll let you know how the visit goes. I’m really looking forward to having the little critter for a week. And to be honest, I’m looking forward to watching Eric watch her. I have a feeling it will be entertaining.