Welcome to the World Baby Boy

First let me tell you thank you all for the kind emails and comments about my mother. I truly miss her this time of year. Now let me tell you the good news I got last night around 8 p.m. my time. It is proof that Meme lives on in her children, her grandchilren and her great grandchildren.

First let me tell you that I have really crappy phone service. It stinks and I have two phones. You can read about it here: Can You Hear Me Now? So the fact that my daddy called me 42 bajillion times this weekend is a miracle in and of itself. It is not so much a miracle as the birth of my great nephew Opie.

Anyway my niece, Gabby, was expecting a baby around Christmas. Now this is my brother’s one and only daughter. She is a kindergarten teacher and has more patience than Job and has lots of booger stories. Anyway she has been BIG and pregnant and she is usually little and petite. She was due December 27 which just so happens to be Tadpole’s very own birthday. Anyway Gabby kept getting bigger and bigger and I think they were afraid she might explode so they told her to come in and they would see about talking that baby out.

Come out little Opie. You are giving your mommie stretch marks on her stretch marks. Come on...it's not that bad out here.

My brother who is a very attentive daddy and I’m sure will be an even more attentive granddaddy was beside himself with excitement. My own daddy has generated his own share of excitement. You see even though Miss Priss was his first great-grandchild, the new baby is set to be his first great-grandson. My daddy has visions of little tiny overalls and little tiny hunting boots. Anyway, my brother has been hospital sitting and told my daddy that he would call him as soon as little Opie pushed his way into this world.

So starting Saturday my daddy would call me and give me the update. First he told me she went to the hospital but they turned her away because they were overburdened with pregnant women. Just how many prenant women were there? I mean did they have a sale on babies or something? It's not like she lives in New York City where there are millions of people. Plus who sends a woman in labor home because it’s too crowded. I mean what do they say. Gee we are really sorry but there just isn’t room for one more swollen stomach. You will need to just cross your legs and go home. Now at this point the person saying this would then be turned inside out in their own skin by not only the pregnant woman but by the pregnant woman’s family. They just want the alien removed and they want their sane sweet daughter/wife/sister/aunt back.

This is Gabby before the evil alien took over. Her cousin Tadpole is trying to warn her of the effects of being taken over by an alien as she is feeding one in the background.

Sunday he called me and told me she was at the hospital but it would be awhile. They had given her a PIT drip and told her that they would give her an epidural when the time came. Now when I had Tadpole, we got to the hospital a little too late. So not only did I not get the then too dangerous epidural but I got nothing. No medication of any kind. No deadening, no morphine or darovon or whatever they give you to dull the pain. Come to think of it I think they should skip the drugs when you give birth. Remembering that pain is the best form of birth control. Except you get something this cute and sweet and cuddlie that all that pain goes right out the window.

This is my grandbaby when she was a baby.

Next phone call was one of anxious anticipation as she was fully dialated and it was just a matter of time. Kahuna and I went back to watchin some highly insightful educational program such as "The Incredibles" or "Cars" or "How the Grinch Stole Christmas". Oh come on you know you watch them too.

A little while later the phone rang again and it was the proud and excited Great Grandaddy or as we call them in our family "OLD Grandad". He said that she had gotten her epidural and had finally woke up her husband, Sleepy. Then with a grunt, push, slap, whaaaa, little Opie was born.

Here he is in all his 8lbs 2 oz.

Welcome to the world little Opie. I sure am glad you’re here and I can’t wait to see you and kiss those little Opie toes. Oh and for Gabby and Sleepy, Merry Christmas you have just been given the gift that keeps on giving. He will give you poopie diapers when he’s a baby, poopie attitude when he’s prepubescent, poopie language when he’s a teenager, poopie clothes to wash when he is in college and then one day he will be handed the same gift.

As Meme would say you did good kid!

He is smiling because he knows what kind of havoc he is going to play on his mommy and daddy's life.