Friday, December 10, 2010

Best Christmas Present Ever!

Okay, the second best. The Very Best is the Child born in the manger.

But the second best is another Christmas child, born 3 weeks ago, and who, this coming Tuesday, is going to become my daughter's son. And Sydney's brother. And my grandson.

She was at Target this afternoon shopping when the adoption agency rang her on her cell phone, and she burst into tears.

We don't know anything about him except that he's 3 weeks old, healthy, and of African-American descent. Oh, and he's a preemie, therefore tiny.

Erin and Jeff don't even have any idea what they will name him. "All I can tell you," I said, "is what NOT to name him. Don't name him Egbert or Ethelbert or Nero or Moriarty. And probably you should avoid Oswald and Adolph."

"And we just ordered our Christmas cards!" says Erin, "With a picture of our family on the front, and now it's obsolete already!"

They are to meet the baby on Monday, together with his foster parents, who will fill them in on the child's schedules and health records and every sort of information Erin and Jeff could want. Then they are to bring him home on Tuesday.

The birth parents chose Erin and Jeff from the agency's website, which has pictures and blurbs of prospective parents. They have already signed all the legal papers and the waiting period for changing their minds has already expired. They have declined to meet Erin and Jeff.

Jeff has a business trip scheduled for Tuesday, immediately after the baby is turned over to them. He is going to see if he can cancel it.

I'll go down to North Carolina Sunday evening, and be there to help in any case.

"And we have plane tickets to Minnesota the 22nd!" says Erin. "Do I have to call the airline and tell them there will be a 4th person?" Yes.

They are spending Christmas with Jeff's family. His mother has already begun scrounging and borrowing baby things.

"I don't even have any boy baby clothes!" said Erin.

"We'll go shopping Monday night and get some," I told her.

"I dont' even remember what all I'm going to have to pack!"

"You'll pack a few changes of clothes, a couple of bottles and formula, and enough diapers to get you there, and then you'll buy more diapers and more formula when you get there."

I'll bet Nancy (Jeff's mom) will also organize a hasty baby shower. That's the sort of thing she loves to do and is so very good at.

"I don't even remember how to take care of a baby at home."

"You're a newborn baby nurse, for heaven's sake! You know better than anybody!"

"In the hospital. That's different. The baby screams and screams and nothing can make it stop, but you know you're getting off at eleven o'clock and you can go home. Having a baby at home is different!"

"It'll all come back to you."

"Are you going to start knitting tonight?"

No, dear, tomorrow. I never really thought about it, but of the 5 preemie blankets I've knitted recently, only one is for a boy, and it's a lightweight blanket, a summer blanket, useless in Minnesota. Well, I can remedy that in a jiffy.

A NEW BABY FOR CHRISTMAS!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

11 comments:

GretchenJoanna said...

What happy news! I am very excited for you, and glad that you can be a glad but calm grandma for your daughter's sake. Glory to God! I look forward to hearing what name is chosen.

Elizabeth @ The Garden Window said...

What wonderful, joyous news !
Congratulations to you all :-)

margaret said...

Mazl tov!

And I like Oswald ;)

DebD said...

what a lovely Christmas present. Congratulations to the whole family

amy said...

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!

..and I have to agree with Margaret, Oswald is a kingly name, indeed = ' )

Emily H. said...

Wow, how wonderful!

He gets a Mommy and Daddy for Christmas!

Anastasia Theodoridis said...

thanks, everyone!

I included Oswald in the list on account of a possible association with Lee Harvey Oswald. But maybe that's only for my generation?

Emily, for Christmas this baby got a mommy, a daddy, a sister, an aunt and uncle and 3 cousins in the same town and oodles more in Minnesota because they're Catholic up there, 4 grandparents, 2 great-grandparents... !

Wendy said...

Don't forget all the cousins and great aunts and such in other parts of the country! This is so exciting, and of course Erin will ease back into this with no problem. I'll bet Sidney is overjoyed!

Anastasia Theodoridis said...

Wendy, one of my first reactions was, "Take that, Wendy! I'm even with you in the Grandmother Stakes!"

Five grandchildren apiece before long! Not bad, is it?

Of course, after that it'll only take 1 more for you to put me permanently behind, I do realize. That's barring the unforeseen. But then you have an unfair advantage over me, four daughters to my one.

Wish you were coming here for Christmas. I miss you! New Years, maybe?

Maria said...

Praise God !How wonderful! I'm sure you all are over the moon. What better gift than a new addition to the family.

Steve Robinson said...

That's wonderful. We got our first adopted son on an hour's notice, our adopted daughter on 3 days' notice and drove to Colorado during finals week of my master's program to pick her up. She was 3 weeks preemie too. Adoption is an adventure!