For everyone who knows the love of a grandma.

My sister became a "mom" again at 46. She didn't have morning sickness, puffy ankles or even one hour of labor pain but she did have a precious baby put into her arms. You see her son and daughter -n- law were not able to care for this beautiful baby girl, so for a fleeting moment she was a grandma and then forever a mom. She and her husband learned to sing soothing lullabies again(the pitch might have been a tad off ) and answer the "why" questions with a bit more patience and expertise. It has been 7 years now and everyday for them is exhausting and truly remarkable. I realize that this situation is not typical but I might dare to say it is more common than we think; perhaps you might even know of someone that cares for their grandchildren, even if only temporarily. I read in the 2000 U.S. Census report that 4.5 million children are being raised in their grandparents homes. Staggering and yet I am only encouraged because I realize that these children are loved and not abandoned. I hope that this is the way every grandparent and the grandchildren who are being loved and cared for by them feels. My sister wanted to reinforce this attitude in her daughter so she went to the library and searched online for a children's book on the subject of grandparents raising grandchildren, but was unable to find one. I was so disappointed for her; so I created a scrapbook-style book, illustrated with stickers that my sister could read to her granddaughter. My sister loved it, she cried and said," I need to read it to her now!" My grandniece later brought the book to school for show and tell in her classroom and the teacher told my sister that the book should be published because she knew of other grandparents raising their grandchildren. I must say at first I was a little reluctant to take the advice but at the same time I wanted everyone to realize how important a grandparent can be in a child's life! So I did it! "My Grandma Was There" was published and came out this year. I have gone online and I am glad that the reviews have satisfied my reason for getting this gift book made public. I hope that if you are a grandma or a grandchild reading this blog that you will feel happy and forever know that you are loved and appreciated!