Saturday, July 5, 2008

It's a Girl!

Congratulations to my brother and sister-in-law on the birth of their first child!



Mary Elizabeth, born on July 5, 2008 at 8:51am. 7 pounds, 2 ounces and 20 inches in Room 8, 3rd floor, William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Oakland, Michigan, USA.

Mother and Mary are doing fine. Dad was a little weepy, but he is better now. :)

Mom went into labor very early Saturday when she woke up Dad-to-be and said those ominous words: "It's time."

They were able to talk to their OB, (I know, what are the odds of talking to your own doctor before sunrise over a holiday weekend?!?), and timed the contractions at about 5 minutes. That meant it was time to head to the hospital about 3:30am. Comet the Wonder Dog wishes them well and promptly goes back to sleep.

They had the Ready Bag...um....ready, so they headed out.

Dad was calm, until Mom's contractions got a little stronger and seemed closer together. There may have been a red light or two which was "proceeded thru safely, after checking both ways", but definitely not "ran". It was still oh-dark-hundred and traffic was light. They arrived safely without incident and didn't even have to get to use the "But she's having a baby, officer!" excuse. Maybe next time.

Arrival at the hospital was ok, after playing the ever popular "And why are we here this morning?" game with the guard. This was followed by the "You may want to move your truck so it doesn't get towed" game. If I know my brother, and I do, the next game was probably gonna be "Baby. Badge. Bullets-are-cheap." But Dad stayed with Mom thru triage registration in 10 minutes and was able to move the truck, again without incident. Two-for-two? Maybe he's not really my brother, we never have that kind of luck.

Dad calls Grandma-and-Grandpa-to-be on both sides and lets them know, "It's time." All the G'rents are rolling to hospital for the big arrival. G'rents: that's hip lingo for Grandparents in case you aren't down with that.

Dad buzzes his Brother next. Before answering the phone Brother thinks "Sheesh, it's quarter after five and I'm not even going to get to shoot something. This better be The Call." Well, it was The Call, along with instructions to visit Comet and grab toothbrushes, the only thing forgotten from the Ready Bag. Comet was unimpressed by my visit and wasn't even waiting at the door with the toothbrushes. She musters up enough energy to beg for an animal cracker and then promptly goes back to sleep.

Mom's Brother isn't a big hospital fan so he, or most likely Mrs. Mom's Brother, will get the call after the big arrival.

Dad's Sister is celebrating the 4th at the Soo, where cell phone coverage is spottier than...than... well, it just sucks. She'll get her call after the big arrival as well. Hopefully sunshine will help reception.

Two pairs of g'rents and an uncle arrive at the hospital to occupy uncomfortable chairs in a waiting room with two windows. But one of the windows looks onto the back of a wall, so that one probably doesn't count.

Meanwhile, in the LDRP room, Mom has already had her epidural and by 8am the word is passed to the waiting room that she is "2 minutes and pushing." Waiters cannot agree on a delivery time, weighing "first babies always have a long labor" vs. "2 minutes".

I got called for work, how rude, don't they know we're having a baby here?!? So I had stepped out of the waiting room to use my cell and missed the big moment.

When I came back, everyone was standing and hugging and my brother turned.

"It's a girl," he said, eyes bleary with happiness for his wife and new daughter.

A big hug from my little brother. Who is now a Dad. Wow.

"Her name is Mary Elizabeth," he announced, "you can all go back and see her and Mom."

More on the origins of the names on another post, but it has ties to both sides of the family. And without even knowing it, the Y Chain of names continues into another generation.

Mary has dark hair like Dad and fair skin like Mom. Eyes of blue, but all babies start that way, so stay tuned for updates.

Mom and Mary and Dad are all doing fine and are on their way up to their regular room.

Calls, text messages, cell phone pictures, emails and yes, even this blog posting, helped announce Mary Elizabeth's arrival.

Congratulations to the new, growing family as they begin their great adventure.

And so, when you wonder, as we all do, and all should, "What's the point of all this?" Just remember the first time you saw a loved one's newborn baby. Someone all tiny and pink and not even an hour old. Someone whose life is just beginning and will surely be a grand adventure.

"A baby is God's opinion that life should go on."
by Carl Sandburg

6 comments:

Nancy Dickison said...

OMG! She is adorable!!!!!!!!!!!! Congratulations Shelley & Jamie!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for making me cry! Mary is PERFECT (unlike her Dad!). Congrats to all.

Love,
Tara

Anonymous said...

Welcome Mary to our the family. Congrat's to Shelley & Jamie on a beautiful baby. Great Job!! God Bless all 3 of you.

Love Grandpa D

Anonymous said...

Welcome to the family and the big world, Baby Mary Elizabeth. We love you already and can't wait to see you grow and change by the day!!! Congratulations to the new Mom and Dad! Good Job!!!!Love Grandma D.

Anonymous said...

The announcement was beautiful!Congrats to Shelley and Jamie , thank you for a beautiful Goddaughter! Now the fun is finally beginning... :)

Love,
Auntie Cris

Anonymous said...

Welcome to the world Mary - we have been anxiously awaiting your arrival. We are so glad to finally meet you and can't wait to share in all your little moments! Congrats Jamie and Shelley - she is beautiful and you both are doing an amazing job with her - enjoy every minute with her!

Love,
Uncle Steve, Aunt Dayna, Cousin Jay & Cousin Madilyn