Tuesday, July 12, 2011

the weekend that was....

It seems the calendar is always full...appointments and events.  For the past few weeks I've known that at any time, I would get 'the call' and it would take priority over whatever was written on the calendar.  The two out-of-town trips scheduled for the past several weekends...went as planned and now we would be close to home for the next while. Heidi's due date came and went...and we spoke on Saturday morning.  She had pretty much given up all hope of presenting Daddy with a baby girl for his birthday that day...but told me to be sure to take the cell phone along on our planned outing that afternoon.  But of course!


We spent the afternoon at Benanna Lake...a lovely picnic site on the private property of some friends.  (It's also the place where we send our heifers to pasture for the summer months.  I hope they know how good they have it!)  The occasion was a reunion for anyone who ever participated in the youth group of the country church I grew up in.  There's a reason you don't see too many young people sitting around the camp fire...it's been a few years since we were in the youth group!  It was organized by Walt...who also cooked up a fabulous dinner for all of us on his Mongoli Grill.  We all chose the meats and veggies of our choice and placed them on the grill...adding some nice zippy sauces to go with them.  After dinner we settled in around the campfire.  It was good to re-connect with friends from way-back-when in our old neighbourhood...and to hear the stories.  What we never heard was the ringing of the cell phone!  Apparently there is no cell phone coverage at this particular spot...and so Heidi tried in vain to call us.  When we saw Jeremy's truck (her brother) coming up the lane to the lake, we suspected he had been sent to fetch us.  Could we pick up Maggie ASAP...as Heidi needed to get to the hospital?  Yes...we could!  

Maggie was most thrilled that she was going on a 'holiday'...to Grammy's house.  We settled her in for the night...and went to bed with the phone nearby to wait for the news of baby's arrival.  It was 4am before the call came...and I immediately sensed there was something wrong.  Heidi called to tell me the baby girl had been born an hour earlier.  She wasn't breathing...and took awhile to resuscitate.  Then she was whisked away to the nursery to be monitored.  Tim was with the baby...Heidi was alone with no baby to hold.  I asked how much she weighed. She didn't know...they didn't weigh her because they were too busy.  How do you console a mommy who hasn't been able to hold her baby?  She never even told me what they had named the little girl...though Maggie had divulged that 'secret' freely long ago.  I tried to reassure her that everything would be OK...and that we would pray.  And so we did.  And that was it for our night's sleep...as we awaited further news.

It was many hours before we heard from them again.  Baby would be in the incubator until at least noon...but seemed to be doing fine.  We could bring Maggie up to meet her little sister in the nursery...



...and so we did.  Our beautiful little grandgirlie slept peacefully in her little bubble.  Twelve hours after her birth...she was able to leave her little chamber and Mommy was finally able to hold her new baby.

We gave Mommy a few hours to enjoy Baby Lucy...

...and then we returned to have our turn at cuddling!  Oh, what joy!

As for Maggie's holiday at Grammy's house...it went very well!


What's not to like...if you get popcorn twists for breakfast and immediately head out to the cycling circuit for the day?  Her mini-vacation ended yesterday...and she is now at home learning how to be a big sister.  We'll see how that goes!


14 comments:

  1. Oh Judy, I am so happy for you and your dear family. Congratulations to you on another beautiful little girl! As I read the words of this post, my heart stopped when I read that they took her away when she was born. How wonderful for all of you, that she is fine. The pictures you shared of both little girls and their parents are beautiful! Wishing you all the best in this new adventure.

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  2. Oh congratulations!I have tears running down my cheeks as I tap away on this keyboard. Sooooo glad that all turned out well. My heart missed a beat when I read that line about not being able to hold her baby and waiting all alone. (sigh)
    All the best to the new parents and grandparents.
    Cheers
    Helen

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  3. Oh my. One has no idea of the drama unfolding behind the scenes. I was just happy that Heidi hadn't had to wait too much beyond her due date. God is so good. It is a thrill to see the "end" though it is just the beginning of the story. Big sister Maggie looks as if she's going to take to the role very well. All smiles and love glow for now. Speaking of love glow...there's plenty of that on your face and Elmer's. Many blessings to Heidi and Tim and all the family.

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  4. Your time with Maggi looks like it was as much fun as my Silas day. It's fun to have those little ones play so innocently around the yard.
    Thanks for sharing your emotional story...as we sit and think how God always has enough to hand out for all.

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  5. Welcome Lucy! Oh she is already popular and doesn't even know how many are thankful she is breathing just fine.
    I love how you do your Grammy busines at your end. It makes me wish I had a Grammy like you ...and makes me want to be like you!

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  6. What a difficult time that must have been for you all...but the hand of God was truly over you. She is a sweet little girl, well, they both are!

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  7. First off, you and your friends know how to do a party! That mongoli grill is something else! How fun! I'm sure you will never forget the circumstances that brought little Lucy into the family. May God bless you as you welcome another grandchild into the fold.

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  8. So glad to hear Lucy's initial problems proved easily fixable and all is well now. Stories such as this is why I wince when I hear a mom gleefully planning to give birth at home. Our son had a similar beginning in life, it was almost a day before I got to hold him or see him again.

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  9. Oh the sweetness of those sister photos. So darn cute! So glad all is well with little Lucy.
    I'm so impressed that someone has their very own mongoli grill. We've really enjoyed our meals at the Mongolian Grills here in there in this area.

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  10. I'm so glad that all turned out well with Lucy! What a terrible scare!

    You are so lucky to be there to hold your grandchildren so soon after they are born. :) She is a beautiful baby!

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  11. Thank you for sharing this story, Judy. I can imagine the waiting and the praying and the hoping that went on. And poor Heidi. But now, I hope that they are enjoying getting to know little Lucy. Such a sweet family.

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  12. I am so thankful for the protection that Lucy had during that difficult time. They wouldn't have released Lucy if she weren't perfectly stable.
    We went through that in December when my daughter's baby was born 10 weeks early and she was left alone in her room while baby was whisked off to the NICU with Daddy and the team. But joy comes after the panic!
    God is good.

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  13. Congratulations Judy, how exciting a new little baby girl and such a pretty name. A very worrying time for you all I am sure but so good that you can call on our Father for His protection and love. I will be praying with you at this time. Lovely photo's!

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  14. My comment didn't make it onto here the day I read this...but I sat and cried (thankful tears) as I viewd this post. How blessed I am to have another healthy baby girl. Love you mom!

    Thanks for making Maggies big sis in waiting time special.

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'The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it.'
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson