Letters to my Grandchild

Hello Emily-Ann!! Yes, we now know that you are a girl and we are over the moon!! I had a feeling all along that you were a girl and even thought of you as Emily. You are the first girl in our family for many years. I have two sons, Patty had Shawn, and Jeff and Gail have got three sons, Richard, Craig and Brian. How WONDERFUL it will be to have a little girl in our family. When Mark phoned to tell me, I got quite emotional and could hardly say the words when Finn asked me what was wrong - I was grinning from ear to ear but also tearful! (He hasn't seen me with tears for at least 10 years!) I collected Patty and we went straight to the baby shop and I bought you all sorts of pink things - little vests, dresses, jackets, baby-grows, leggings, little caps and so on. Patty bought you 100 new born disposable nappies and two lovely baby blankets. Your mom and dad came to have dinner with us and showed us the video of the scan. Emily, it was amazing to see you moving about,...

Hello my darling grand-child, Yes - this is a picture of your mother and father's hands, with an engagement ring on Tammy's ring finger - they got engaged in Cape Town ! They couldn't get to the top of Table Mountain because of the wind and the weather but Mark proposed to Tammy that evening and she accepted and we are so thrilled! I'm sure you are too because it must make you feel more secure knowing that your mother and your father are planning on staying together to care for you. They are very much in love and are so excited about having you. I have been thinking of you today because your mother isn't well. She has a sore throat and a cold and was put off work for a few days. She can't take anything stronger than Panado and that is because whatever she takes will filter through to you. I read today that you could be developing a sense of taste and I don't think you would like the taste of Panado anyway! Today when I was in the Davenport Centre doi...

WOW! You are 20 weeks old and your mom says that she can feel you turning and stretching all the time. I drove you and your Mom and Dad to the airport today. I was so conscious of having a precious cargo that I drove extra slowly. You are flying to Cape Town for a holiday - and guess what?? This is a secret, but I'm sure I can tell you. Mark is going to propose to Tammy - on top of Table Mountain if they can get up there today!! Isn't that wonderful news? I wonder if you can feel the love of those around you? I wonder if you can feel your mother's love when she holds her tummy and your father's love when he lays his hand on her tummy and tries to feel you move? It's quite strange to look at Tammy and realise that she is carrying our grandchild inside her! Isn't that a miracle!? So, what do yo u look like now? What development has taken place in the last two weeks? 20 weeks - Foetus may suck on thumb. Extremely rapid brain growth; eyebrows and scalp h...

Dear Grandchild, Your mother told me today that they don't like to call you 'it' so they call you Squashy!   Isn't it funny how we call our babies by different names - Junior, Squirt, Dude, Squashy - all because we don't yet know whether you are a girl or a boy. Perhaps they will be able to tell your gender when your Mom has her next ultrasound. You don't have to be concerned with that - an ultrasound examination shows a picture of the inside of the mother's womb - without the use of X-Rays - which could be harmful. It involves high frequency sound waves that are transmitted through the skin and reflected by the internal organs and structures. These "echoes " form a picture of you on a screen which can be examined for any abnormalities. Most pregnancies are now monitored by ultrasound examination to assess the age, health and position of the unborn baby. These are good things to have because if you have a moderate to severe form of OI...

Dear Grandchild,   A baby is such a precious thing. We humans must have a protective, nurturing gene that switches on when we know that a new baby is going to come into our lives. We are wired in such a way that even the thought of a baby switches on an emotional response. I've never really thought about having grandchildren. There didn't seem to be any prospect of having a grandchild in the near future and I didn't even think I wanted one. But, now that we know that you are on the way, I find myself thinking of your arrival as a momentous event! A brand new, never seen before, absolutely unique human being is going to come into this world in a few months time - and it will carry the genes of two parents, two sets of grandparents, great-grandparents, etc etc....... Its awesome!! Scary!! Exciting!! For the first few months of a baby's life it is completely helpless, defenceless and dependent on others. So, how come I feel so nervous about meeting you or lookin...