Chinese American "Cantonese" brand, all know what Pau Pau is all about. The scents and aromas, memories, the food, sounds, the dialect, the words that gently wraps you up in a warm blanket, when you think and hear someone speak about a Pau Pau. Usually a little stout, a little chubby, and always smiling and loving on you. At least that's how my Mom was for my children - a real live Pau Pau.
Unfortunately, I never knew my grandmother (Pau Pau is the title given to the maternal grandmother) on either side of the family. My Pau Pau passed away the year I was born when I was about 5 months old with me born in San Francisco Chinatown and my Pau Pau in a Canton China village. She died probably in her late 60's or early 70's, when my Goong Goong (maternal grandfather) insisted that she commit suicide with him. He burned their 2 story home down around them in protest and desperation as the Communist were extorting money from him, and threats of imprisonment and work camps. That's another story.
So even though I never had grandparents growing up, I've heard what my children thought and felt about my mother. Even as adults, it's kind of amusing and insightful to hear what they remember about her. Mom passed away about 10 years ago when my children were in their 20's. Our son was cared for by my mother from the time he was 6 weeks old till about 1 1/2 years old. It was a lot of sacrifice on her part, but our first baby thrived, grew and was loved like crazy as a result.
Now it was my turn to be a Pau Pau... our daughter was going to have a baby (a boy, they found out earlier) and I felt I was ready. Sure, I can do this! We also found out that 5 weeks later, our son and his wife will be having a baby boy too! Did they plan this? Probably not, but wow...I get to be a Pau Pau X2 all in slightly over a month!
I bought a pair of new Pau Pau shoes after we went to the doctor's appointment to find out the sex of the baby, and immediately went to Baby Gap and got him a new outfit to wear soon. The name was decided H____, a little boy's name that didn't remind me of an awful student in my past. So with new Pau Pau Toms shoes, I was ready.
What I wasn't prepared for was the immediate explosive expansive voluminous capacity to love this little one when he came. It was like heaven opened up it's filling station and filled my tank to overflowing for this new baby, a new type of love and admiration for my daughter and my son in law...it was crazy and wild. I wanted the world to know how beautiful this little guy is, how much love, hopes and dreams I have for him, how much love, pride and happiness he's bringing to his mom and dad and to me, his Pau Pau (and hubs too, I'm sure).
It was quiet invisible (to others, but not to me) fireworks for me to be a Pau Pau as little H entered the world!
KAPOWWW
Fast forward 5 weeks, and little S____ bounced into the scene. A different delivery, a different experience for his mom and dad, but same joy, pride, deep happiness, and unending love. As for me, the heaven filling station opened their love station for me again and filled my heart again with love overflowing for this little baby boy too! So precious, so cute, so little and I wanted the world to know how special he is, how much he's loved and how many dreams we have for him as well. More quiet invest fireworks that rivals Disneyland's.
KAPOWWWW WEEEEEEEE
Fast forward 2 years. H is now 2 and S will be 2 in a few days. My love has grown for them individually and my admiration, love and pride is huge as I look at these young parents and how much they've grown in this huge huge job as mommy and daddy. They are doing such a great job, as hard as it is, and with no sleep.
These invisible firework shows keep going in my heart!
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