- Born Tueday, December 7, 1999 at 9:28 PM
- Weight: 7 lbs. 3 oz.
- Length: 20 inches
- Hair Color: Red
- Eye Color: Blue
It had been seven months since my sister made her announcement
that she was "with-child" --
via a photocopy of the initial ultrasound tucked quietly into a
Mother's Day card -- at a Sunday Olive Garden luncheon
gathering for family.
The gestation period had passed quickly and she was now full
term. I lost track of how many times I replied, "Any time now,"
to the various queries lobbed my way.
The time of delivery was finally at hand and my
sister was eager to get beyond the pregnancy phase of this event.
My father and I visited her for a little while in the hospital
room that would become the delivery room. When we left for a
routine delivery check, we had no idea she would dilate very
quickly and go into "delivery mode."
We waited in the lobby for several hours, passing the time by
watching a
small television affixed to the wall near the ceiling.
I did not envy my sister's task since she spent a majority of
that time pushing, with my brother-in-law and mother
providing encouragement.
When my sister was at the brink of exhaustion,
the doctor assisted the birthing process and helped the baby leave
the womb.
The announcement was made: it was a baby girl. I had suspected
as much; not because of the "old wives tales" pertaining to pregnant women carrying
high or low, somehow indicative of the gender of the baby --
I just figured it would be a girl, contrary to the predition that
it would be a boy. I walked over to the other end of the lobby area
and made the announcement to a small group of my brother-in-law's
friends. They had travelled several hours just to be at the hospital
for this special moment. Truly an incredible group of people.
I entered the delivery room and saw my sister, fatigued but glowing,
holding my niece. The lighting was dim so the eyes of the baby were
wide open and very inquisitive, inspecting everything within sight.
I opted not to hold the baby, since that would require a massive
scrubbing with the prevention of spreading germs to the baby in mind.
I leaned
over and the baby instantly looked up at me. My sister introduced the
baby to me as "that voice you kept hearing all the time." While
my brother-in-law busied himself with the various multimedia he had
brought -- 35mm camera, Super 8 CamCorder, Polaroid camera, etc.
-- my sister occupied herself with her daughter. In a wonderfully
precious moment, she held the baby close and joyfully asked her:
"What'you thinking about? Huh? What'you thinking about?" My sister
does not recall uttering this to Josie but it is a moment I shall not forget.
