MY LITTLE MAN...

What a wonderful 6 weeks we have had together, since your return from Australia. And when your Dad needed to set things up for your year in China, I had the opportunity to move into your home in Hoboken with Mom and brother Oliver for almost a month.

YOU ARE THE BEST ROOMMATE!!!

We slept together every night and talked and hugged and kissed and watched movies, played games, read stories and every night was like a pajama party.

You loved your time back in Hoboken, loved your time at the Wallace School and got right back in with your old friends,especially Bella and Christian.

You are so grown up! I love how you and your brother love each other. When you see each other your faces light up.

Remember when you said to me "Nana, why are you staring at me so much?". I told you that I needed to "soak you up for when you went to China". And what did you do-you just looked and me and smiled like a photograph that I could seal in my mind. Now, You always let me stare at you because you know that I am taking mental photographs to fill my heart and soul while you are away.

Jake, You bring me so much joy. And no matter how many miles are between us...we are together. And when you are with me in person, only then am I complete. I LOVE BEING A NANA!!!

THE WORLD IS A BETTER PLACE!

It's true...when I am with you Jake and your brother Oliver, the world IS a better place for me!

And after seeing your delicious faces when I said good night to you...I think that it is the same for you.

The minute that I said "Hello" to you and got my hug, I knew that the bond that we created was still there and you were the little boy who was always in my dreams. But if at all possible, you are even better than before.

This past year has been such a worldly, nurturing experience for you. You know it from your conversation. "My best friend in Australia, has that game", and "When we were in Sydney, I always remembered you, Nana'.

Jake, your laugh,your smile, facial expressions and love for me were just as I remembered.

And now we have Oliver! Could having grandchildren get any better???

He is sooooo cute, and as the hours passed he warmed up to me and let me hug him and kiss him, and hug him and kiss him some more. And when we went for a walk in his carriage downstairs, and he was lying there oh so tired, I talked and sang to him, just as I did with you Jake... from the day you were born. Oliver is on the brink of taking his first steps and that will be a beautiful sight to see. And as he gave me 200 pieces of paper, one at a time and I said, thank you...he smiled with each and every thank you. So it IS true, when I am with my grandchildren, the world IS a better place for me!

What a homecoming...my kids are back!

I Woke Up This Morning!

I woke up this morning and I was filled with my Jake...
Starbucks
The Movie Dates
Barnes and Noble
The Pajama Parties
Fishing
Madisons
The Long Conversations
Piano Lesson...much too early
Golf Lessons...right on time
Swimming at the Y
The Ferry Rides
and Lite Rail
Lua...fine dining
The Nana and Jake..a team!!!

What can I say...

My darling, darling Jake,

Nana doesn't write that much on the blog because having you so far away often makes me too emotional to start writing. But you and Oliver are always in my heart!

I know that the Australian trip and now China trip are all for the end result of your Dad climbing the corporate ladder and making a better life for you and your family. And hopefully, indeed, the end result will be you returning home in the not too distant future.

When that day comes, look for me at school events, ball games and any other place where I can be near to you and your brother.

Always remember that... you are my spackle and you are the glue that fills my heart.

Love,
The Nana

THE DAY IS FINALLY HERE!

WELL JAKE,
THE DAY IS FINALLY HERE!!!
I HAVE WAITED SEVERAL MONTHS UNTIL I GET ON A PLANE AND FLY TO YOUR WAITING ARMS IN SYDNEY AUSTRALIA.
I HAVE BEEN PACKED FOR OVER A MONTH, AND I AM WAITING FOR THE CAR SERVICE TO RING THE DOOR BELL.
YOU HAVE GROWN SO TALL AND I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL YOU WRAP YOUR ARMS AROUND ME.
WE WILL EXPLORE AUSTRALIA TOGETHER AND MAKE NEW MEMORIES THAT WE CAN SHARE A LIFETIME.

SO GO TO THE AIRPORT AND BEFORE LONG "the nana" WILL BE THERE TO SAY...
G'DAY MATE!!!

AUSTRALIA...Here I come!!!

AUSTRALIA...HERE I COME!!!
Dearest Zuli and Jessica,
I am finally leaving for my much anticipated 2 month trip to Australia and New Zealand. Thank goodness SKYPE kept me connected to Rebecca, Eric, Jake and Oliver every single day for hours at a time. I felt much more connected to them than I could ever have imagined. In addition, as I mentioned...I took a full time job selling jewelry which I adored and it kept me busy at all times. That is what I needed. (MY sister Sherry goes to Florida from November-May)
The children are more amazing than ever and if you have been following their websites, Oliver is another Jake. Magnificent!!!!
I could not bring myself to go to Hoboken. I tried one day and it was too emotional for me.The children are adoring this experience and they are all thriving. So as a Mom, I couldn't be happier. Thank goodness Harvey and I are like 2 peas in a pod, so we just clinged to one another.
Lesson learned: What doesn't kill us makes us stronger.
When I came off my cruise last July and Rebecca told me that the family was leaving in October to go to Australia for a year, I thought that someone punched me in the stomach! Crying, I begged her to leave me Jake. She said she couldn't split up her family, and I felt "How could she do this to me".
But you are never too old to learn and I came to realize the big picture and that they are a family unit who sometimes needs to do things on their own. And miraculously...I am surviving.
The kids, Eric and Rebecca are waiting with great anticipation for me to come. Shortly after, Harvey will join me and when we leave for our cruise to New Zealand, the Rubensteins will be visiting and then Rebecca's best friend Allisyn.So before long we will be back into the loving cocoon of Hoboken...and our first stop will be seeing both you Zuli and you Jessica.
All my love,
Jake's Nana
Oliver's Nana
Beyond Basics Nana
Roberta

G'Day Mate!!!

My dearest Jake,

From the moment I came off of a cruise ship last July, and your Mother told me that you were moving to Sydney, Australia for 10 months...I have been paralyzed and unable to write. The pain of not seeing you each and every Thursday was too much to bear.

I looked at you each week before you left and cried my eyes out at the thought of not being with you, my best boy...my best friend. I started to write to you dozens of times, but became overwhelmed.


You mean the world to me, as your qualities are such that we are truly soul mates. In case you don't know what that means-it means that we really know one another very well and we know what makes each other happy and what makes each other sad.

But now, on November 11, since you are settled in at Sydney Australia...I have adjusted in many ways.

SKYPE means that we can see and speak to each other every single day and last Thursday we even had breakfast together and one of our "Starbucks" conversations.

I woke up at 5a.m. and we had milk and cookies together and chatted just the way we do every Thursday!

I have been working practically every day to help pass the time until I go to visit you and spend almost 2 months in Australia. I will be spending your birthday with you and we are already planning some wonderful outings for us. And hopefully, as any unselfish Nana would feel... I am happy that you and your family are taking advantage of this wonderful experience.

You are getting taller each and every day and I can see that you are very loving toward your new brother OLIVER.

Mom told me that one day when she was homesick, you were very kind to her and very caring. WHAT A BOY!

So now I have learned that what hasn't killed the Nana...makes her stronger.

I LOVE YOU MY JAKE,

G'Day Mate