Waiting for Isaiah

The waiting is over. My grandson is here. He was born on Friday, May 22cd, at 8:14 am. The daddy greeted me on the phone with, "Congratulations Grandma!" Those words were music and poetry, a healing balm to silence all my fears. All week long I have tried to picture the newest family member to be in my mind. Not knowing if the baby was a boy or girl made that difficult. I jumped every time the phone rang. I worried I would miss the all important call informing me that baby was here. Baby was 12 days late and that made the wait even harder.

But today, May 22cd, I learned the baby's gender and his name. Isaiah Preston was born with a full head of hair and strong, healthy lungs. His daddy, Thomas, informed us that he has big feet. The mark of a champion, I say. The mother, Jesse, began nursing Isaiah soon after his birth. Suddenly, everything was alright in my world. I could relax, shake off my fears and forget the action packed dream I had last night. In my dream, Thomas, Grandma Betty and I were desperately trying to get to the hospital in an older dark colored car. BUT FIRST WE HAD TO SOLVE A CRIME. Yes, apparently, Betty and I were detectives. We had to catch a criminal. We visited several crime scenes in the process. Thomas was helping us. Suddenly the call came in. Jesse was ready to deliver. The three of us raced to the hospital. Thomas jumped out of the car and ran inside. Betty and I were still in the car when my cell phone rang. It was Thomas. He was going to tell us if the baby was a boy or a girl. Before we could find out, I WOKE UP. I got out of bed feeling tense and disappointed. It was 5:45 am. I packed Doug's lunch and headed to the laundry room to start a load of laundry. I returned to our apt., woke Doug up and fixed him breakfast. Back to the laundry room I went to dry my clothes. I folded and put the washing away and made a pot of coffee. Doug had already left for work. I chatted briefly with Fiddler and told her there was no news about the baby. I was just about to have some breakfast when the phone rang. I answered, and heard those sweet words, "Congratulations Grandma."

When we have no control over life's outcomes is when we worry the most. I have spent the last 12 days with my stomach in a knot. I have no sense of calm or patience when I am concerned about my children. Briefly,in the last few days, I would relax, only to think of more things for my weary mind to mull over. First and foremost, I prayed for a healthy child. I prayed that Jesse's labor would not be overwhelming. I also prayed that the new parents would be able to adapt to a new role in life. I wanted everybody to be whole and happy. A parent cannot promise anything like that to their child. They can only hope for the best. Someday soon, my son and daughter-in-law will want to insure their child's happiness. Then they will understand what their parents felt and hoped. Today, though, we are all happy. And we are grateful to family and friends who offered support and encouragement while we waited for Isaiah. At last, the waiting is over.