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Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Welcome to the World

I had been anticipating this day for a long time.  Rebecca has been promising me lots of grandchildren ever since she was a little girl, and we both anticipated that I would be there in the room with her when my first grandchild came into the world.  Since Richmond is a 6.5 hour drive from Knoxville, I was a little worried that she might go into labor and deliver quickly, and that I might not make it in time.  Little did I know that would be the least of my worries.  

My little grandson was due on our 30th anniversary (March 24), and I had started packing on about March 10th so that I could be ready to leave town quickly.  On March 13th, Rebecca had an OBGYN visit that led me to believe that things could happen quite soon, so I hit the road.  This turned out to be the day that the president declared a National Emergency due to Covid.  And you knew it was serious when the NCAA tournament was cancelled!  This is the week that 2020 took a turn.  

I arrived and spent the evening playing Pandemic with Joseph and Rebecca.  It's more fun when it's just a game.  


I commented on how cool it would be if her baby was born the next day - Pi day.  And sure enough, in the wee hours of the morning, I heard Rebecca get up.  She was pretty sure that labor had begun.  I was blessed to get to be with her as she labored for several hours at home.  






I still wasn't sure if they might let me in the room during her labor (the rules had just changed the day before, and I was hoping for an exception!).  Instead, they headed to the hospital at mid-morning. I tried to get permission to enter, but I couldn't even come in the lobby.  



Instead, I sat out in the parking lot and prayed and waited for updates on my phone.  Little "J" came into the world mid-afternoon, but I didn't get to see him until he came home from the hospital.  



Then we made up for lost time with lots of cuddles!  Terry, Joseph's parents, and Terry's parents all came to visit when J came home from the hospital.  While the rest of the world seemed to be going crazy, we were enjoying just hanging out with a little baby.








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