Sandwiched
Three children and one in Heaven. Seven grandchildren. 19 great-grandchildren. And one great-great-grandchild. My 88-year-old mother has quite the family tree surrounding her!
I started counting everyone recently because my niece Melissa just had great-grandchild #19 a couple of weeks ago. Edmund Maximillian entered the world a little early and is Melissa’s seventh child. Yep, you read that right.
To say we were surprised when she gave us the news of her pregnancy last summer was an understatement. After the initial shock, however, our family soon began praying for both a healthy mama and a healthy baby.
Melissa could not go into labor for various reasons, so she scheduled a C-section for his arrival. Both my sister Vicky and I were nervous when she began having contractions that week. And we became even more nervous when the poor little guy arrived and had to be on oxygen and a CPAP machine for a bit.
However, Edmund did beautifully and came home to meet his grandma and siblings a week later.
With my mother barely able to leave her room at her facility thanks to COVID-19, her spirits have not been the best. Vicky tried to call her with the news to make her smile but couldn’t reach her for some reason. She gave me permission to share it.
I called Mom a couple of times myself before she finally picked up. Hearing her excitement and joy upon hearing the news made my heart soar. Mom LOVES babies, especially great-grandbabies!
So of course, I had to show her a picture of Edmund as soon as possible. I checked the weather and scheduled a “doorway visit” with her last week. I took my laptop so she could see great-grandchild #19 through the window and she beamed.
Now we have more pictures (thanks, Facebook and cell phones!) so that meant another visit yesterday. I’ve been extremely grateful for the occasional 40+ degree days we’ve had this winter so I can visit Mom and not turn into a popsicle!
When we all got the news last summer, we didn’t know what to expect with COVID-19. I think most of us thought it would have been almost gone by early 2021 … well … I won’t write any more about that.
Little did we know that Baby Edmund would bring a ray of hope to our family during an incredibly dark time. We’ve all been over the moon about his arrival. (And don’t get me started on the major cuteness – OH MY!)
As always, God knows what He is doing. I can’t wait to meet Edmund myself, hopefully this summer, and to see him in my mother’s arms!