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Gammy
By Valerie
I think my mom should win the contest hands down. First of all, I am a single mom. When I got pregnant with my boyfriend of six years, he decided to move out. I had my own cleaning business part time at the time and financially couldn't afford to support myself and I couldn't run out and get a "regular" job being pregnant. Who would hire me? So my mom gave me money every month to help pay the bills until her granddaughter was born and I could get back on my feet and get a job again.
She called me at least three times a day, long distance. (She lives an hour away from me). She literally just "knew" when I was feeling crappy and would call me all hours day and night to make sure I was OK and feeling good. Toward the end of the pregnancy she would swear she was feeling the Braxton Hicks pains with me, and when I would call her all hours of the morning in the middle of the night, she'd already be awake knowing I was uncomfortable.
When I finally went into labor, she came to the hospital to go into the delivery room with me and sat for the whole night until I was ready to push. Then they wouldn't let her stay in the room because only the father of the baby was allowed to be in there. She was so disappointed, but I couldn't deny the father to be there either.
She does not have money – she is on disability and a really tight fixed low income but she managed to do without in order to help us through this whole thing. Then she would garage sale shop till she dropped until she was sure her granddaughter would never have to do without a thing. Which believe me, she didn't and still doesn't.
I don't know what I would have done without her. She came and took care of me and the baby for 14 days after we came home. She constantly did laundry and cleaned the house and would even get up every couple of hours with me to sit and keep me company while I breastfed the baby. She is a Godsend.
My daughter is 13 months old now and she still smiles when she hears Gammy's name and/or voice on the phone. She calls her constantly and talks to her on the phone. Of course we try to visit her at least every other weekend since she doesn't drive in the snow – she doesn't get to come up very often to visit us. For a while when I first went back to work part time, she would drive an hour each way two days a week to watch my baby for me. She deserves to win all the grandparent awards there might be out there. She is also the best "mom" in the world. By Valerie Fredericks (Jacey's mom)