Waiting for Eliana

Don't you remember you told me you loved me, baby?

    I’m too young to be a grandfather, but I was ecstatic when I heard the news my son and his wife were expecting their first child. Finding out the baby was a girl added another level of excitement. I grew up with three brothers, no sisters. I have two sons, no daughters. So the news of a new Mullowney girl caused quite a buzz within the family.

A projected due date of February 14th fueled more family excitement. A baby on Valentine’s Day! How romantic! And that birthday date is shared by two close members of my family so it was extra special. However, Valentine’s Day 2015 came and went with no baby in sight. I had brunch with the parents-to-be on the morning of the due date. 

     “How are you feeling,” I asked.

    “Fine.”

    “Not you son, your wife,” I said.

    “I’m fine too,” she answered.

    “Hmmm,” I thought. Not even the slightest hint that a baby might arrive any time soon.

     The week dragged on. No baby. My daughter-in-law continued to work at her job in Natick, driving through blizzards, ice-storms and sub-zero temperatures. She wanted to work right up until she delivered the baby. Both sides of her concerned family listened to the traffic reports every morning to see if any babies were being delivered by State Police on the Mass Pike. 

     Each day after the due date, I was sure I was going to get a call from my son telling me the baby was coming. The anticipation was taking its toll on the grandparents-to-be. According to the doctors, everything was fine, it just wasn’t time yet. 

     As the next weekend approached, the doctors said they would admit my daughter-in-law into the Winchester Hospital to induce labor. The only problem was there were no beds available in the maternity ward. We were just going to have to wait. And wait. And wait.

I got a call Thursday night from my son who was on his way to the hospital with his wife. This must be it, I thought. No such luck. Go home. Not tonight. 

    Saturday arrived, along with a phone call from my son telling me his wife was admitted to the hospital. Everything looked good, now we just had to wait. And wait. And wait. I didn’t sleep Saturday night waiting for a phone call from the hospital. The telephone never rang. 

     Finally on Sunday night, we drove to the hospital to await the arrival of our new granddaughter. My wife and I haven’t had any baby experience since 1995. Times have changed. Extended families are now part of the birth experience. In the hospital room, my wife and I visited my son and daughter-in-law, along with her mother. We settled into our chairs and chatted in the hospital room, listening to the soothing sound of the baby’s heartbeat on the beeping monitor. This must be what it was like in days gone by, sitting around a straw hut, waiting for the birth of a new member of the tribe. After the harrowing experiences my wife had with her pregnancies, this peaceful night was a stress-free relief –  the complete opposite of what we experienced when our children were born. If it takes a village to raise a child, maybe it takes a village to birth a child too. I was happy to be part of the experience.

     At 11:30 pm, the delivery nurse entered the room and matter-of-factly stated, “Can the family please move to the waiting room. The baby will be arriving shortly.” After waiting nine months, plus the additional agonizing last week, a few more minutes didn’t seem to matter. 

     At 11:45 pm, my daughter-in-law’s mother was summoned to the delivery room to offer her support. This is it, I thought nervously. It won’t be long now.

     At 12:10 am my cellphone buzzed and I looked at the screen to see the first snapshot of my granddaughter. It was love at first sight. I showed the photo to my wife and said, “Congratulations, you’re a grandmother.” We headed back to the delivery room to meet our granddaughter in person.

     Eliana Rose Mullowney was born at exactly 12:00 am midnight Sunday night/Monday morning. Perfect and alert, eyes wide open, dark hair, blue eyes and a hint of a smile above her tiny dimpled chin. Holding her in my arms and gazing down at her beautiful face made it so worth the wait. Welcome to the world, Eliana Rose, who by any other name, would still be as sweet.