MEET MY BHUTANESE GREAT-GRANDDAUGHTER

WHAT A WEEK!! I led her folks to the hospital last Sunday evening to get them settled. A few hours later I went home. The expectation, no pun intended, was that the little one would arrive on Monday.

SURPRISE!! Not Monday, not Tuesday, but, on Wednesday, she finally entered our world at 2:20 PM. 5lbs, 4 oz. 19".

I had heard the doctor and nurse [both wonderful] at about 2:00 say that if the baby didn't come quickly, the c-section would have to occur, no questions asked.

You see, besides the length of time, Wang had been pushing harder and harder for over two hours. The epidural placed the evening before had begun to fade quickly. Consequently, a new one was put in place. Somehow, the baby was simply stuck.

I had never been so involved in anything like this, being a not medically-oriented person. Both times I was holding Wang's hands during the epidural. Then, during the "pushes", I was holding her shoulders, back or legs, depending what was necessary ... I became exhausted, my muscles tense, to say the least. During the last "push", the Dr., two nurses, and I were hollering "PUSH. YES, YES!! AGAIN, AGAIN. YES, YES!!!" And when Sneha came out, I turned and looked at Sai standing by Wang's head, and I nearly burst into tears. The relief and joy were so overwhelming.

Blessings? Sai, for those 3 days, kept looking at me to be sure he was making the right decisions. He and Wang have been here nearly a year, and their "American English" is improving all the time, but he needs extra input, and I'm their chosen one. For instance, on Tuesday, at about 10 PM, the Dr. said I could leave for the night. Sai and I were sitting on the couch and Sai grabbed my leg and looked at me, big eyed, and shook his head "no" and then just sat there for a while, holding my hand. He was so worried about how Wang was doing and needed me to stay until he could handle the stress. An hour later he smiled at me and nodded. I went home.


Another blessing. Why do I call the baby my great-granddaughter? Tuesday afternoon Sai needed me to be with him for a drive. He said, "We call you 'Joanne', don't we?" [not pronounced that strongly, actually, in their accent.] I said this was true. He said, "We can not do that any more. From now on you are 'Grandma'. In our culture it is respectful to say Grandma; we will not use your name." I've been heavily involved with this large family since right after they arrived, and was never concerned that I was being called by name. From now on, however, I am Grandma. Consequently, Sai and Wang's baby is my great-granddaughter. This just amazes me.

I simply feel the blessings poured upon me by my dear Heavenly Father.

[In the morning, I am hitting the road and heading to northern MN, about 550 miles, to stay with Susie for about 2 weeks. As much as I'll miss my hubby, I'm desperate for rest and looking forward to being with my sister/friend.]