10/2 My daughter lives in Atlanta her Due date was not until October 26th but her blood pressure has been high due to a reaction to substances found in the placenta (Pre-eclampsia). Her Doctor admitted her into the hospital this morning for a 24 hour watch and some testing to make sure the baby is developed enough to deliver her now if needed.
That is exactly what they are going to do … they will move her into delivery room anytime now and induce labor, that could take a couple of hours or it could take 24, either way I will be leaving shortly. Do not want to miss her arrival.
Will update when possible and will bring back new photos for sure. * Coy *
10/6 The baby arrived perfectly, just a few hours before I made it to Georgia. Mother and baby are both doing great … just wish I could say the same for Grandma. Last week (Friday) I acquired a mega head cold and missed my first day of work on about 12 years. I went back to work on Monday (a little soon I might add) ended up going home a little early on Tuesday and then on Wednesday, I woke up with Pink Eye … yes Pink Eye.
I went to the Dr she gave me antibiotics and eye drops and said that I should be able to go back to work on Friday, I told her it was important to have a speedy recovery because my daughter Mandy would be giving birth to my first grandchild within the next 3 weeks and I have to be there for that.
As you read above, Mandy’s Dr put her in the hospital for observation and testing on Thursday and decided by Thursday evening that they would induce labor. I called my work and made arrangements to have my 2 weeks off and decided to drive to Atlanta with the hopes that by Friday, my eye would be better and I could be there with Mandy during this exciting but scary time.
Atlanta is about a 12 hour drive and I knew I did not feel well enough to drive so I asked David if he would consider driving with me and then flying back on Sunday … he said of course, I knew he would say of course. I can always count on David.
We left home at midnight and drove all night, by Friday morning it was quite obvious that this Pink Eye thing was not getting better and that there was no way I would be seeing the baby right away. Instead of going to my daughters house, David and I checked into the hotel where my son -in -law works, he was able to get us the employees rate. We figured that Sunday would be day #5 for the pink eye and all would be well. No such luck.
When I woke up on Sunday, the other eye was now infected and I looked like I had just been through a heavy weight boxing match … almost thought I should have David go out for a raw steak for me to put on my eyes. I had to decide whether to try to tuff it out a few more days and hope to see the kids by Thursday, that would mean another couple hundred bucks in hotel stay, and the hassle of trying to find a doctor to see me in Atlanta with no guarantee that I would be better even then. The other option would be for David not to fly out that night but for the two of us to drive back home together so I could see my own Doctor on Tuesday. That’s what we did and today is Tuesday on my way to the doctor in a little while to see if we cant get this thing taken care of for good.
I did get to see the baby through the glass at the hospital, they brought her close so I could watch her sleep, stretch, smile and cry a bit … I was also on the phone with my daughter on and off through the entire labor process. Kareem (baby’s father) and Stephanie (Mandy’s best friend) were there with her the entire time, they never left her side except for some shift work sleeping. David did get to see Mandy and he did get to hold my Grand Daughter Maelei Rayne for a little while … Mandy said Kareem was so excited to see David, he handed him the baby and said Maelei … this is your Grandpa … go to Grandpa …
David is not really the Grandpa, at least not yet … but we have been best friends for a whole lot of years. One thing for sure is, he is really good to my daughter, my grand daughter and to me and that means a lot. We were there on Stone Mountain for a couple of days and really enjoyed having so much time together. I had to wear sunglasses when we went out in public because of my eye and every single time … all three days … he would put his sunglasses on when we went somewhere too, even if it was 9:00 PM on a rainy Sunday evening. I never asked him to do that (well not until he had already been doing it for a couple of days) That my friends .. was truly an authentically unique way to say I love you, without even saying a word.
* Coy *
I can feel the coolness of the palm tree canopy overhead ...
I can hear the words he was reading out loud to me as we sat on our blanket in the emerald green grass by the sea this week.