I'm Finally Here

We have finally met......two weeks, and one day after she came into the world. Ken and I were on the road at 3:45 yesterday morning to manage arriving home in time for me to turn it around and come to Algonquin, usually a two hour drive. I decided to drive through Chicago since that is the path I know best and I thought I was early enough in leaving at two oclock to miss the beginning of the rush hour. My drive into the city was a breeze....one hour and I was just south of downtown Chicago. Just prior to my arriving here, the snow started to come down and the cars slowed down to a crawl. Bumper to bumper. , we drove at two miles an hour, once in awhile we managed to get to five miles an hour. I was on the large bridge just south of the circle and the sign over head said, "Forty minutes to the circle". I called Kendra and told her to expect me about six or seven o'clock. She laughed with unbelief. It took a total of five and a half hours for me to drive a two hour trip. All the major highways were in gridlock. The only good thing I could think was that the risk of an accident was rather small considering we were all going so slowly.

The wait was worth it. Emerson Mary Chatham is sweet as sugar. A newborn feels good, sounds good and smells good (most of the time). I am enjoying playing the grandma part of hugging, feeding her a vitamin bottle (yuk) and I even enjoyed sitting up with her until one a m when I finally passed her off to her mommy for a feeding. She hasn't gotten the hang of nightime just yet and doesn't like being laid down. She wants the comfort of a human set of arms around her before she will rest. I tried every thing this mom knows and nothing changed her need for huggles and snuggles. During the day, she seems content and sleeps restfully. It is just a matter of time before she catches on to the routine. I believe most of this has to do with her tiny size. She is just a little mite at around five to five and a half pounds. Needless to say, one sleeps with one eye open when one is on duty. Kendra kept her from one to six thiry and then passed her off to her daddy. He was successful in keeping her content until we all got up around nine. This schedule is so far from my usual fare. I certainly am feeling the loss of sleep from the night we traveled so many hours and from last night when I stayed up until one a.m. I'll catch up. I can't imagine how Kendra and Craig feel.

I certainly do not understand why the timing of Emerson's birth and our trip coincided. Somehow it doesn't seem right that Kendra's mom wasn't with her the last two weeks. I do trust though that God makes no mistakes and that His plan is much, much higher than mine. The important thing is that I am finally here in safety. I'm so grateful. Grateful that my daughter is healthy, grateful that my new grandaughter is well and progressing well. She is just beautiful. Of course that is what a grandma is supposed to say, right? May be true but pictures don't lie. Take a good look and you will agree.