In March, after I left my ex's home, I had nowhere to go so I moved into my grandma's house.

Now, my grandma is a character. She's an old Italian woman from New York. My grandma wrote the book on stereotypical Italian grandmothers.

I was 8 weeks pregnant when I moved in with my grandma. I was adjusting to pregnancy, and dealing with emotional issues from my ex.

Pretty much the whole entire time I was pregnant, my grandma told me what to do and what not to do. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. I heard something different. I heard her birth stories I don't know how many times. I could tell you all about how my uncle was almost born in a car in a snowstorm because my grandma almost didn't make it to the hospital, and how my dad's birth only cost $80 dollars because she had him at the clinic.

These are a few of the things she told me on a daily basis:
-Not to bend
-Keep my feet up
-Wear tennis shoes
EVERY DAY.

Now that my daughter is here, I don't hear her pregnancy stories any more, but I do hear her telling me how to raise my daughter on a daily basis. For example, she told me to give her orange juice. At 2 WEEKS OLD. No thanks, Grandma. She also suggested that the first time I cut her fingernails, I put a penny in her hand because that's an Italian superstition. Cute idea, but I have more important things to worry about, like the fact that I'm trying to hold a wriggling newborn while cutting her nails with little scissors and trying to soothe her because she did not enjoy that.

It's been over 90 degrees here the past few days, and she's insisted that I put a sweater and a hat on her. I think a onesie will suffice, or even footie pajamas I'm OK with. But not a sweater.

I know she means well. She's my grandma, and Julia is her first Great-Grandchild. But she drives me CRAZY. Really, she does.

I like how this turned into a rant about my Grandmother. But, she always talks about how I have it so easy because I don't have to boil my diapers or mix formula from caro syrup or whatever she made it out of.

Her lectures might get old. However, I've learned just to kind of nod my head and smile and say "Yeah, I know, Grandma." But, she's my Grandma and I love her anyways. She's given me a place to stay and she helped me out when she could while I was pregnant. I will always be grateful to her for everything she's done. We do have a good time together, heck we've watched Mamma Mia! literally about 50 times together, and we watch Dancing with the Stars religiously.

I love you, Grandma, even when you tell me the same stories every single day :)



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