“I’m going to try to enjoy every moment.”
I have a new screensaver. It’s my brand-new Grandson.
On Saturday at 8:23 a.m., I officially became a grandmother. My son-in-law Mark suggested Molner, Carrie, and I get to the hospital at 8:30 a.m., but it took Ellie less than an hour to push out the baby. (Special thanks to everyone at St. John’s hospital!) By the time we got outside the maternity wing, Mark had sent us a text saying, “IT’S A BOY!” They were getting Ellie ready for visitors and we sat in the waiting area like kids on Christmas morning.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, we came into the room. Ellie looked exhausted but beautiful, and Mark was sitting on a chair with his shirt off so he could have skin-to-skin contact with his new son: John Albert Dobrosky, who came in weighing 6 pounds 15 ounces and was 19-and-a-half inches long.
The John is for all the Johns in Ellie’s life: her father, John Paul Monahan; her grandfather, John Martin Couric; her uncle, Johnny (I’ve called him that since we were little); and her stepfather, John Paul Molner. Her paternal grandfather was also John. The branches of our family are covered in J’s!!
Albert is Mark’s beloved grandfather who died at 92 the year before Ellie and Mark were married. They will call their baby Jay, after Ellie’s father and my late husband, which is both moving and bittersweet. Major milestones remind me of everything Jay has missed. Graduations, weddings, and now this. He would be so thrilled to meet his namesake. Both he and Mark played lacrosse in college. In my mind’s eye, I can see them tossing the ball around with their sticks, teaching little Jay how to play the game in the park.
Witnessing your baby have a baby is wild. Ellie had an easy pregnancy and took good care of herself. I know she’s going to be a wonderful mother, and I know Mark will be a parent who is an equal partner. Jay was like that. It makes all the difference in the world.
I am so excited to watch Baby Jay go through all the stages — smiling, crawling, walking, talking — and to see the world unfold through the eyes of a child. I’m going to try to enjoy every moment. It’s so true what they say: The days are long, but the years are short. As a grandparent, I’m hoping the years will be long! The “grand” in front of “mother” makes me keenly aware that time is precious. I can’t wait to take him to the beach, the library, get an ice cream cone, bring him to his first Broadway show. I’m going to spoil this kid rotten and not worry about it. We are going to have to make a lot of trips to the West Coast — but thank goodness for FaceTime.
For now, I am Gogo. My sister’s nickname is Kiki, so I couldn’t choose that. I felt like everyone is Gigi — and while that was going to be my name, I decided on Gogo after a friend told me that was what she used. I also learned that’s what Babe Paley’s grandchildren called her. (Unfortunately, if you watched Capote vs. the Swans, she wasn’t a very good mother or grandmother!) Plus, it seemed fitting, because I’m like the Energizer Bunny, always on the go-go. I had a Lingua Franca sweater embroidered with “Gigi” but I changed the i’s to o’s, so for now, Gogo it is. But this boy can call me whatever he wants.
Meanwhile, I’m sharing photos of the baby as a very modern baby announcement. But Ellie and Mark don’t want their baby to be featured on social media. I’m actually so proud of them for feeling that way. I’ve long worried about the impact of featuring children on social media platforms before they have a chance to develop a healthy sense of self. This little guy deserves to grow up in private.
As Joni Mitchell sings, “The seasons, they go ‘round and ‘round and the painted ponies go up and down.” But the line that really gets me is “cartwheels turn to car wheels through the town.” No matter what stage you are in, life is full of joy and wonder. After Saturday morning, I have yet another reason to feel very, very lucky.
