Letters to my Grandchild

Hello little Em, Wednesday was a strange day. It was warm in the morning , then it got cloudy in the afternoon, started thundering and a very strong wind - like a mini-hurricane - came from the north-east. It blew and rattled our blinds, sent branches and leaves flying over the house and within half an hour the sun started to come out and a beautiful double rainbow arced across the horizon. You will love rainbows - they are so pretty and they tell us that the rain is almost over. What a lovely surprise to have you and your Mom and Dad at Patty's family dinner last night! I didn't think Mark and Tammy would want to drive all the way from Glen Anil with a tiny baby but they had you warmly wrapped up and you spent most of the evening swaddled in your little orange carry chair like a cocoon! Patty is my only sister and is your grand-aunt. She is 3 years older than me but she is quite frail. Patty has COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder) and feels that her years...

Hello little Em, We went to visit you all this morning - Grumps cut the lawn and tidied up the flower beds and I helped Mark and Tammy by washing the dishes. Mark cooked dinner last night - roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. It was their anniversary so he wanted to do something special for Tammy. Tammy calls you Birdie - because when you are hungry you open your mouth and cry just like a hungry little bird. Actually, you are almost full term now. Originally the gynae set your birth date at 5th November - then 29th October. So, you should only have been born tomorrow. You are growing before our eyes! You are only 12 days old but already your eyes stay open longer and you seem to follow sounds. I chatted to you and you smiled at me! I'm sure it was a smile and not just a burp face! I wonder what colour eyes you will have Em? At the moment they are like little kitten's eyes - slate grey and unfocused. Your Mom has dark brown eyes and Mark has hazel/green eyes. It is g...

Hello little Emily, This is a picture of you sucking your Daddy's finger. Finn and I visited you yesterday and it was so nice to hold you, to look at you and just spend some time with you. I was able to hold you for a while and talk to you. It seemed as though you were listening - perhaps you recognized my voice? I told you that you were my little 'Milly and that I was your Silly and that we would be friends forever! You are tiny! You've got fair hair - quite a lot of hair. You have got a straight nose - Mark calls it a plastic surgeon's nose because it is so perfect. You've got Mark's little pointy chin (perhaps that is the Aadnesgaard genes? Your fingers are long and you've got perfect fingernails. Your little arms and legs look so skinny and your feet are long! I counted your fingers and toes just to make sure that they are all there. After Tammy fed you I held you against my shoulder to burp you and you fell asleep! We stayed for a little w...

Hello little Em, You've had quite a rough time my darling. First you developed Jaundice and had to go under the blue light. Then you lost 300g, which is a lot for a little body that only weighs 2.9kg. You've had X-rays, blood taken and a feeding tube up your nose. Because you have been under the blue light, we haven't seen you since Friday. Tammy was discharged but is staying in the hospital as a boarding mother so that she can still feed you and be with you when you need her. Mark phoned this morning to say that Dr Roos had checked you and was happy that you had put on 110g and might be able to go home later on today. Mark has been sleeping over with us - we are only 7km from the hospital so he gets to stay longer with Tammy at night. We all want you to go home now sweetie. Love you, Silly

Today, my baby had a baby, T oday, my child became a Dad. Yesterday I was a mother,    Today I am a Gran! Mark phoned us early this morning to say that Tammy had been admitted, Doctor Batchelder had examined her and said that yo u were on the way. Now, I had planned on taking photographs of the sunrise on your birth day. Sunrise today was 05:18 but it was misty and raining so I went around the garden taking photographs of some of the flowers that are blooming now. It is springtime and the Azaleas are spectacular: the Wisteria is in bud, the Petrea is a cloud of blue and the wild Iris are all pregnant with white buds. A theatre was booked and at 9: 05am you were delive red weighing just under 3kg - a perfect size for a little girl! M ark was there and he and the anaesthetist to ok many photographs of your first few minutes in the world. Dr J Roos, the paediatrician, was there and he examined you and...

Hello little Em, Officially there are two weeks left until the date you are due to arrive - but, if Tam has a Caesarean on 27th October, there are only 12 more sleeps left!! Finn painted a chest of drawers for your room and the nursery looks ready - all it needs now is a precious little girl to occupy it!! WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Mark phoned to say that they think you might be trying to make your way into the world tonight! They phoned the ante-natal sister and the hospital and they were to wait an hour, see if there are any changes and then make a decision later. Everything is ready for you Em. I actually hope you don't come tonight - or even this week because I've had a cold and it is still there and I won't be allowed near you until I'm 100% better. So, wait a few days my girl! Let me get rid of this sniffy nose and irritable cough before you arrive. I can almost hear your voice now! Stay safe, we are all longing to see you and hold you, Silly

Good morning Little Em, Last Saturday we had a 'Baby Shower' for you and your Mom and Dad. Usually only women go to Baby Showers but Mark wanted his friends to be there too, so we had a few Daddies and wanna-be Daddies and a few guys who seemed bemused by the whole thing! Lauren brought her precious little 5 week old Taylor. I kept looking at her and wondering if you would like like her! The party was at lunch time so we served a light lunch. Patty and I found Polka-dot plates, place mats and serviettes so the theme was Polka-dots - just like some of the accessory in your nursery. You got so many gifts Em - I don't know where they are going to put them all. You have already got enough clothing to last you three years at least! It was a lovely party and you were the main attraction! You are going to be welcomed into a community of friends and family who all love you alre ady. On Monday your Mom went for another scan and it showed that you have moved sides. They h...