This time it was no false alarm. When the call came at 7:00 a.m. last Thursday, I could clearly hear my daughter in the background in obvious distress. As my son-in-law calmly explained that they had been at the hospital for two hours already but had waited to call until they were sure, I was already slipping into my clothes and waving to my husband to get a move on.
We were about to become grandparents.
After flying out of the house without breakfast (who could think of food at a time like this?), my husband took the wheel (who could drive at a time like this?), negotiating the rush hour traffic without a single curse word. I, however, was not as civil. Didn't these people know our daughter was having a baby? Couldn't they have had the decency to have taken a sick day or scheduled a vacation to Tahiti?
Thankfully, when we finally arrived, our daughter was in better shape than she had been earlier. The nice doctor with the needle had been to visit right before we got there and the epidural was slowly starting to work it's magic. After welcoming the paternal grandparents to the party, we spent the next few hours talking, laughing, and marveling at the miracle that was taking place.
A little before noon, it was go time. The nurses called for the doctor and shuttled all but the delirious dad into a separate waiting area. The four anxious grandparents-to-be spent the next two hours checking our phones, calling our friends and praying.
When my son-in-law stuck his head around the corner, we thought it was all over. Hardly. Things had stalled. Our daughter was doing great but our grandson had not yet made his appearance. That's when I asked if it would be okay for me to pop in and check up on her.
I didn't expect to stay. I didn't want to take anything away from their moment as a couple. But as I was getting ready to excuse myself, they both wholeheartedly invited me to stay; to be a part of the biggest day of their lives.
There was no way I was going to say no. And if I had, I would have missed one of the most memorable days of my life.
Encouraged by the nurses to jump right in, I did what I could, offering words of encouragement and support as her husband counted through each contraction. Throughout the next two challenging hours, I marveled at my daughter's steely determination and courage and my son-in-law's calm, confident demeanor. When my first grandson finally did make his appearance, the room erupted with such joy and relief that I felt blessed beyond belief to have been able to share in his parents' sheer elation and document the new family's first moments with my trusty Nikon.
Since then, I've taken 1,472 photos, spent countless hours staring at his sweet little face, and started looking into trips to Disney World.
What? Too soon?
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