Last week we had an addition to the family, my granddaughter Isabella was born on Tuesday July 29, 2010 at 11:26am. A whopping 20” long and weighed in at 7lbs. 4Oz ! Quite a feat considering that our Ellen is only 5' on a bad hair day and had to be 7 months plus to break into the third digit. It was an amazing day in all our lives, that I will remember for the rest of mine.
From the moment my daughter told me she was pregnant I knew it was Izzi, Ellen looked a little different this time, she looked excited and tired at the same time. I thought this was the first trimester drag at first but when I saw her open the refrigerator for the 5th time in 10 minutes, rip open a bag of greener select and fill her face with baby arugula and several other assorted sprigs of green, she was having a girl. She lost her appetite immediately with Gavyn, we used to have to make her eat.
Ellen has always been a picky eater, she had a total repulsion toward cheese as a child, with actual goosebumps on her arms over the very though of eating it. Rolls were always a source of a giggle in our house because my daughter would snatch off half a roll, eat it and maybe an hour later come back and rip a second roll in half, leaving the original wounded soldier in the bag off to the side to be picked over and moved around until it was the only thing left except of course for the other halves of rolls Ellen had made. I'm sure its some sort of an OCD thing but as long as its just rolls and so far we haven't found any half cats or anything so I think its more of a quirk than a disorder...and god knows we all have quirks, I make a living off of mine!
Well anyway, back to lil' Izzi. She was scheduled to arrive on the June 29. Ellen had to have a C-section with Gavyn and was told that would be the plan this time as well. Chelsea slept over Ellen and Eric's to watch Gavyn and his puppy Maggie the next morning while they went and checked in at the hospital. Dotty and I headed over at 8:30am and met Eric's parents, Paul and Debbie, with Deb's sister Peggy in the lobby.
They were buzzing with nervous energy just like us but they had a little extra juice because of a confrontation with the “woman at the desk” just moments before. These two blonde cougars are used to getting their way, especially when they are side by side tilting their heads and showing a lot of straight white teeth. Their voices jump an octave in pitch as they speak one at a time with the second nodding and encouraging agreement. But the “woman at the desk” would have none of it, she was immune to their charms. She could care less, she had seen and heard it all. She would allow Deb to come up but Deb alone. No Peggy! But...! No Peggy....Grandmothers only....but....No!
Dot was fine with that because after all she was one of the grandmothers and was included in the holders of the golden ticket that got you through the wall of senior citizen volunteers lurking at every corner asking to see a pass, we need to put these people to work in the airports, nobody gets by, nobody, no pass no entry!
I saw a young guy about 17 trying to get in and was denied entry after about 5 minutes he told them he needed to use the mensroom which was on the other side of the gate in the no man's land land between the desk and the elevators. He walked around the corner and right past the mensroom door he was making a break for the elevator, in my heart I hoped he made it...but the suppressed silence of the lobby was interrupted by the crackle of walkies-talkie static, “we got a runner” and within seconds liver spotted people appeared from everywhere. They stepped out from behind huge potted plants, one from under the dinner tray cart and some from doors that weren't there a moment before, wearing sunglasses over their regular glasses and talking into their wrists. “We have him secured”
While all the commotion was going on, Paul and I approached the “woman at the desk” “we're the grandfathers can we go up?” “Are you part of the support team?” she asked. We looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders, nodded and turned back to the “woman at the desk” and replied with as much confidence as we could muster “Yes?” She twisted her lips and lowered her eyebrows, “ I highly doubt that” “Have a seat I'll let you know when you can go up” she answered. “but we're the Pop pops!” both of us doing our most charming looks, trying to send out as much mojo as humanly possible. “have a seat” she was unmovable.
At about 12:10 they finally gave us the signal, a smile and a nod was delivered from across the room to the group that had convened in the lobby. By now it had grown to 9 people. Paul and I, Chelsea, and Gavyn, my Mom and Dad, my sister Dawn and Maddie, Peggy, Eric's brother Nick and his girl Abby. We charged the desk like they were giving away ipods. Everyone's hands extended out waiting to feel the illusive plastic jacket of that winning lottery ticket, they key to the inner sanctum, the most holy of holys...the pass to the 4th floor...maternity.
They gave us all passes! Every single one of us! We were in now, we were part of an exclusive club, we were maternity visitors! Baby celebrators! Free rein of the hospital, they wanted people to see us. We were good press, positive emotions in an otherwise dreary place. I could have sat in on a surgery if I wanted this was cool.
Baby Isabella was here, just upstairs and down a hallway my little granddaughter was waiting to meet me, it was the longest elevator ride of my life and when the doors opened that 8 foot section of hallway stretched away from me like something from a Stanley Kubrick film. We got to see Ellen first which is the way I wanted it, to make sure my baby was okay before I greeted the new woman in my life.
Ellen was beaming and radiant, exhausted and beautiful. I was so proud and in awe of this woman, I really can't express it fully through words. She was being seen by her doctor who was complimenting the tone of her body and how well she will heal because of her being in such great shape. She bought a treadmill the day after she was told she was pregnant and did several miles a day. She reached out her arms and I kissed her a dozen times all over her face. I couldn't hold back my gush of emotion as tears of joy and relief streamed down my face. My baby was good, better than good, she was great.
My little one wouldn't be in my arms until hours later when I had returned from eating lunch at the Colonial Diner with my Mom and Dad, Chelsea and Dot. The nurse had brought her in the room. I waited my turn, patient, excited she was here and would be for good. Finally after Dot had her for a few minutes she was passed to me. I held her in my one hand, this tiny person in my care. I had grown that day, I had to, if not I would have burst open, I was that happy! She was beautiful! She was here...
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