The ABC's of Aiden: Friday's Fave Five

September 10, 2010
Happy Friday!

Thanks to Susanne at Living to Tell the Story for giving us the opportunity to share the blessings of the week. If you’d like to join in, just visit Susanne and get the details.

This is a very special FFF for me. I have to warn you, my post revolves around the ABC’s of one little person this week.

1. Anticipation. I’ve often thought of my sons being dads, so that anticipation goes way back. When my oldest and his wife told us they were expecting, we were thrilled. This would be our first grandbaby. The happy couple decided to be surprised by the baby’s gender, so we all waited in breathless anticipation to see if this was a boy or a girl.

Aiden Samuel Groves

As you can tell from his name, a boy it is. As I like to say (reminiscent of the old Sonny and Cher song, “The Beat Goes On”), the boys go on. When my son told me on the phone that the baby was a boy, I said, “Of course he is!” I’m not really surprised…I had a hard time imagining that a girl could actually come from this bunch!

The anticipation grew from the first phone call on Tuesday morning until he arrived at 1:35 on Wednesday, his due date. Things were moving quickly on Tuesday morning but, as often happens, they slowed and stalled. By evening we were fighting over the phone and fielding calls from brothers and grandmothers alike: “Any more news?” It was just awful around here. We couldn’t concentrate, couldn’t work, couldn’t sleep! My son texted from the labor and delivery suite and called once in a while to keep us up to date, but then he got rather busy and we were in the dark for awhile. That was hard. When the phone jangled at 1:35 on Wednesday morning and I heard, “Mom? You have a grandson,” joy just flooded in.

2. Brother bond. Two of my sons had the “privilege” of waiting in the waiting room! They’re going to college an hour away and they cut classes in hopes of being there for the baby. They were great support for both moms and dads – the new ones and the grand ones! (It was great to know they were there when we were two days away by car. They checked in and gave us a bit more information, too.)

Their support of the new parents and their wonder about the whole process was fun to behold. They’ve boasted on Facebook about being uncles and shared pictures, too. It’s killing my California son that he can’t be here right now!

3. Constitution – as in health, makeup, disposition. If not for my sweet little daughter-in-law’s strong constitution, I don’t know how Tuesday night / Wednesday morning would have gone. She’s not a big, muscular type, but she more than held her own during labor and delivery. This was not an easy birth, but she and my son were committed to natural childbirth as much as possible, and despite talk of c-section by the doctor, they made it. This little guy is not so little (7 lbs, 15 oz.) for one as petite as Mom is, and my son says she’s somewhat of a legend around the hospital right now!

4. Dads’ reactions - both of them. I’ll never forget my husband’s reaction. I grabbed the phone and he sprinted down the hall. He stood in the doorway and looked at me quizzically as I was listened to our son. I mouthed the words, “It’s a boy” and laughter just rumbled out of him. It was this incredibly natural, completely spontaneous overflow of joy.

Then last night I got to listen to our son’s glowing account of the entire day. His tale of the ups and downs was laced with his own feelings and reactions. He had that sense of wonder that captures most new dads, and that was so much fun to hear.

5. Exhilaration, elation, exultation, euphoria, you name it! So much joy spread around the family this week. In a couple of weeks, we’ll get our hands on the boy and I’m sure you’ll hear more then!

What a week of blessing it has been for us!!