The best part of being a grandma is …

I get to be a kid again!

I get to go to the park, ride bikes, bake cookies, and sew dolls!

My granddaughter Liliana has a new friend named Lulu. Lulu is a long-legged, pig-tailed cutie with polka-dot pantaloons and ballet shoes (of course).

Lulu has a friend, a little purple monster named Roscoe.

Liliana, Lulu and Roscoe get into lots of mischief!

Sewing the dolls was a lot of fun, although working with such tiny pieces of fabric for Lulu’s dress was difficult.

Once completed, I rigged up a suspension system and photographed Lulu and Roscoe in a series of airborne tumbling poses. My plan was to make a storybook adventure … an e-book and/or a printed version. I haven’t had the opportunity to complete this as yet, but give me time…

Got a minute to see something truly heart-warming? Check out the wonderful work of Amy Jandrisevits, a former social worker in a pediatric oncology unit, who understands all too well how therapeutic it is for kids to see their differences reflected in the things they play with — namely, dolls. She makes her own non-traditional Raggedy Ann dolls for children with disabilities. Each is handmade and looks just like the child it’s made for, matching their unique physical characteristics, medical issues, and ethnicity.