Smiles

My son, Josh, was never what you would call an outgoing type of person. He wasn't quiet once he got to know you but he was quiet if he didn't know you and would take a long time to warm up to you. He was the type of baby that wouldn't not go to anyone that he didn't know, ever. He would just look at you like "I know you don't expect me to go to that person over there that I never met before in my whole baby life. No way, not going to happen. Don't even try it." So, I just sort of knew that when got older that probably wouldn't change too much. If he knows you well, he will talk you to death. Ask you every question he can think of and tell you every story he can remember but that is only when he gets to know you and that may take some time.

When he was a baby, probably around 6 months old or so, his paternal grandmother came to visit him. He  hadn't seen her since he was a newborn so he had no clue as to who she was. So, she stood there in a bright reddish wig, cherry red lipstick, her pants pulled up to her chest, mismatched socks on that you could plainly see because her pants were too short and pulled up too high, and she had on these dangling star earrings. She scared me a little and I knew her. So, Josh took one look at her and he let out a yell that I never knew could come out of such a little body. That yell probably was heard a half a block away. So, I was holding him trying to calm him down telling him that was his grandma and he wanted no part of the whole thing. She had brought him a toy rattle, a soft one, and she gave it to him and he threw it on the ground. He wanted no part of that either. He finally stopped crying and then he just looked at her and gave her a baby dirty look. She held out her hands for him to come to her and he looked like this woman has to be kidding me. For real? I tried not to laugh out loud but in my mind I just couldn't help it I was laughing and holding it in.  But, I couldn't hold it in when Josh's father made a joke and told his mom that Josh couldn't take all that "ugly" she was just too much for him. She got the joke and laughed too and said that oh she didn't mean to scare him.  I was laughing and then all of a sudden Josh started laughing too. Apparently, he got the joke too, or probably just laughing cause everyone else was most likely.

Eventually, he warmed up to her and occasionally, he would allow her to hold him for a minute or two. After all, she still was a constant presence in his life. He saw her only a few times per year and she only lives 40 minutes away.

Today, almost ten years later, he is still that same person that won't really talk too much to you unless he knows you.  So, it surprised me when we went to the rehabilitation nursing center where my mom is recovering for hip surgery, when he self proclaimed himself as the "greeter" he greets everyone that we see and he talks to them and shares stories with them and they all know his name. He said he just wants to make them smile.  And smile they do.