My New Nephew
After numerous "false starts," my nephew was born on Wednesday night at 7:39 pm. I spoke with my brother earlier that evening, around 5:30 pm, and he and Angie were returning home from the hospital. Apparently there had been some bleeding and contractions, but the Labor & Delivery staff checked Ange out and said to go home and rest because it wasn't time to deliver the baby yet. However, as soon as they got home, Angie knew that the contractions were real this time and the baby would be here soon. So, at 6 pm, they called to let us know they were heading back to the hospital. Mom, of course, was ready to drop everything and head to the hospital right then. But Ed and I talked her into having some dinner first. Elaborate plans were made to get Jeff and the kids home if the delivery lasted well into the night, and mom and I packed plenty of activities to keep us occupied as we hunkered down in the L&D waiting room.
Such planning proved to be unnecessary though - much to my mother's frustration. While we were all in traffic, heading to the hospital, Joe texted mom saying, "He's coming right now!" Jeff, the kids and I arrived about 5 minutes later, and mom and Ed got there not too long afterwards.
As we entered the L&D waiting room, a trio of people in their 60's (2 women, one man) greeted us brightly, syaing, "Who are you here for? You must be the sister!" I stared at them in confusion for a moment, wondering if they knew Joe and Angie, but they quickly cleared that up saying they had been waiting for their grandchild for over 30 hours! Their daughter (and daughter-in-law, I assume) when into labor the day before and was now being prepped for a C-section. Soon after this explanation, Joe came into the waiting room to collect us saying, "You guys ready to come meet him?" The trio's jaws dropped open in astonishment. "But didn't you just get here?!" they asked. Joe, in his soft-spoken, "Dude" way said, "Yeah, I know. Crazy, huh?" We left them sitting there, stunned speechless for a moment (hopefully they were able to see their daughter and grandchild soon afterward).
We shuffled into the hall outside the delivery room, joined shortly by mom and Ed, and waited to meet Tyson. We could hear him screaming inside, and this made the kids a bit nervous. I told them that he's never breathed air before, so it must feel pretty weird on his little lungs. When this didn't comfort them, I added that since babies don't know how to talk, the only way they can communicate is through crying. Vika and Eamon nodded in understanding at this and were ready to go into the room.
Ty was wrapped up like a little baby burrito, and for a newborn, he was really cute. I guess the quick delivery helped prevent him from looking all blotchy and squished. We passed him around, while Joe beamed in happiness and Ange smiled wearily. Vika and Eamon were fascinated by him at first, but quickly lost interest when they saw he didn't really do anything. Laurie, Angie's SIL, provided the entertainment for the evening. First, she discovered the placenta in a bucket by the sink. Never having seen one before, she was both freaked out and curious. Out came her camera to snap a quick picture of the gooey mass. Then she began snooping through all the drawers in the room, looking at instruments and exclaiming, "What's that for?!" It was quite amusing to watch. Finally I said with a laugh, "Laurie, the baby's over here."
Surprisingly, Vika had a hard time in the hospital room. She wasn't badly-behaved or anything, but she got that "small mouth" look that comes across her face when she's scared. Seeing the all the instruments and needles in Angie's arm didn't help, and I think the whole hospital vibe just threw her off. She finally curled up on the chair, covered her head with my jacket and tried to get some sleep. It was very strange to see my strong, confident little girl hiding away from the events going on around her. She told me later that she felt bad because "everyone was paying attention to Tyson, and no one was really playing with us." Poor kid. She and Eamon aren't the "new ones" in the family anymore, and she's worried that people will lose interest in them. Hopefully, over time, those fears will fade.
For now, I leave you with a picture I snapped of Ty in the delivery room. I love this shot because he's smiling! I know, it was probably just gas, but he still looks cute. So, without further ado, my new nephew, Tyson Anthony.
P.S. Fortunately, the whole "How did Tyson come out" discussion never came up. I've dodged that bullet for now!
Such planning proved to be unnecessary though - much to my mother's frustration. While we were all in traffic, heading to the hospital, Joe texted mom saying, "He's coming right now!" Jeff, the kids and I arrived about 5 minutes later, and mom and Ed got there not too long afterwards.
As we entered the L&D waiting room, a trio of people in their 60's (2 women, one man) greeted us brightly, syaing, "Who are you here for? You must be the sister!" I stared at them in confusion for a moment, wondering if they knew Joe and Angie, but they quickly cleared that up saying they had been waiting for their grandchild for over 30 hours! Their daughter (and daughter-in-law, I assume) when into labor the day before and was now being prepped for a C-section. Soon after this explanation, Joe came into the waiting room to collect us saying, "You guys ready to come meet him?" The trio's jaws dropped open in astonishment. "But didn't you just get here?!" they asked. Joe, in his soft-spoken, "Dude" way said, "Yeah, I know. Crazy, huh?" We left them sitting there, stunned speechless for a moment (hopefully they were able to see their daughter and grandchild soon afterward).
We shuffled into the hall outside the delivery room, joined shortly by mom and Ed, and waited to meet Tyson. We could hear him screaming inside, and this made the kids a bit nervous. I told them that he's never breathed air before, so it must feel pretty weird on his little lungs. When this didn't comfort them, I added that since babies don't know how to talk, the only way they can communicate is through crying. Vika and Eamon nodded in understanding at this and were ready to go into the room.
Ty was wrapped up like a little baby burrito, and for a newborn, he was really cute. I guess the quick delivery helped prevent him from looking all blotchy and squished. We passed him around, while Joe beamed in happiness and Ange smiled wearily. Vika and Eamon were fascinated by him at first, but quickly lost interest when they saw he didn't really do anything. Laurie, Angie's SIL, provided the entertainment for the evening. First, she discovered the placenta in a bucket by the sink. Never having seen one before, she was both freaked out and curious. Out came her camera to snap a quick picture of the gooey mass. Then she began snooping through all the drawers in the room, looking at instruments and exclaiming, "What's that for?!" It was quite amusing to watch. Finally I said with a laugh, "Laurie, the baby's over here."
Surprisingly, Vika had a hard time in the hospital room. She wasn't badly-behaved or anything, but she got that "small mouth" look that comes across her face when she's scared. Seeing the all the instruments and needles in Angie's arm didn't help, and I think the whole hospital vibe just threw her off. She finally curled up on the chair, covered her head with my jacket and tried to get some sleep. It was very strange to see my strong, confident little girl hiding away from the events going on around her. She told me later that she felt bad because "everyone was paying attention to Tyson, and no one was really playing with us." Poor kid. She and Eamon aren't the "new ones" in the family anymore, and she's worried that people will lose interest in them. Hopefully, over time, those fears will fade.
For now, I leave you with a picture I snapped of Ty in the delivery room. I love this shot because he's smiling! I know, it was probably just gas, but he still looks cute. So, without further ado, my new nephew, Tyson Anthony.
P.S. Fortunately, the whole "How did Tyson come out" discussion never came up. I've dodged that bullet for now!
Congrats! It's hard to say what goes through our kids' heads at times like these. Vika may be thinking not only about her loss of a special place in the family as the newest arrival but also wondering what it was like when she was born. He is a cute little fellow for a newborn, you are absolutely right!
Gas or not - it's a great picture! And, yes, I was very frustrated that Ty came so quickly. But now he's home, safe and happy, and eating every hour.
Your kids will learn soon enough that they have a special place in our hearts that can never be taken away. Tyson will have his own spot - but he won't get theirs!
It is hard to know what is going through Vika's head - I'm sure she only told me a small part of it. Eamon did say, "Remember when I came out of your tummy?" and I had to tell him once again that I didn't give birth to him. It's a truth he tends to forget.
Congratulations, Auntie Jenni! And, I love the name Ty. It was always one of my favorites. (Apparently, I like short and simple boys' names. :))
Funny delivery room story for you: few days ago, I delivered a baby and the patient's 10 year old sister came in to see her new nephew a few minutes after he was born. She was so excited and happy, snapping pictures and tearing up. Later, I saw her in the hall with her dad, and they were frantically looking for a bathroom and she was saying, "Daddy, I'm going to pass out or throw up! Daddy, I can't see straight, help me!!" Poor thing. It's a LOT to take in.
congratulations aunty.
Rachael's story has me "LOL"-ing! Congrats on your new neph...he's ADORABLE! (That other family must've hated you guys!)
Congrats! Yay for new baby smell!