LYDIA MAE

Lydia Mae Photo by Savanna edited by MOM

In the midst of drama surrounding my Dad, Tigger's baby decided she should make an appearance. She chose good timing, although it would have been nice to come a day earlier. Tigger had been having contractions for a few days and then appeared to lose her mucous plug so she and the actor got overly excited, thinking the babe would come within the 24-hours. Of course that doesn't ALWAYS occur and when the baby didn't come, the enthusiasm kinda died down. But early in the morning, her water broke and then the action began.

Lydia had a bowel movement while in-utero so it was important that they clear her nasal passages really well so she did not inhale the meconium. Unfortunately, she spent time in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit with tubes into her stomach syphoning out the mess. She was great as far as her lungs though. She remained on room level oxygen but the amount of oxygen getting into the blood stream was a bit slow in the exchange. After about 12 hours, Tigger finally got to hold her gorgeous little girl.



          

         

I think Lydia looks most like her dad and it will be fun to watch her personality meld her mom's and dad's together. Tigger and Lydia remained in the hospital for a couple of days before being released. They finally made it home on Thursday afternoon. As with every new parent with a new born, their first night was a night from hell!

I spent all day Friday at her home and she was actually doing a really good job. I felt she was fearful of doing something wrong. It is just a matter of mom and baby becoming accustomed to each other. And both parents learning that every noise does not mean the baby needs to be picked up. They are doing great. The Actor is totally in love with her!

This is a photo of Lady Bug holding Lydia at the hospital the second day they were there. We marvel at how long her fingers are and recognize that although she is sucking her thumb, which is suppose to mean that all is well in the Heavenly Realm, it is her right thumb. This probably indicates all is going as planned, but not necessarily what I would consider "well." We attribute her long fingers to her Great Grandpa Beardsley whose fingers are unusually long. Grandpa Beardsley died on Saturday, following the Tuesday Lydia was born. I told Tigger that perhaps Lydia passed Grandpa on her way and he "scared the shit out of her" as a way to explain the meconium staining at her birth.

photo by Colin Edited by MOM

I was able to spend all day Friday with Tigger and went home about 8:00 PM. When I arrived at home, I saw messages left on the home phone. They were from the Care Center and indicated a desire to place a catheter for my dad. I called the nurses' desk and told them no. He fights them when they try to clean him up and I was worried he would fight them during the insertion. If he was sedated, he would pull it out as soon as he discovered it. The nurse told me she really did not think he would survive the weekend, but she always put the caveat that one can never tell and recognized he has been around a lot longer than everyone thought he would.

On Saturday, my sister Teresa reported that he was sleeping peacefully. Even so, I called the nurses desk and told them I had changed my mind about waiting until Monday to have a doctor examine him. I asked that they have the on-call Hospitalist take a look at him so I would know if I should go back to Cody, or if I could wait another week.

Photo by Colin Edited by MOM

I took the OsmOne to Tigger's home to see the babe and watch movies with Tigger and the Actor while Grandpa OSM admired his newest granddaughter. As we sat down to watch movies,  I received a phone call. It was the on-call Hospitalist. Tigger and the Actor live in a basement apartment so I took the phone up the stairs and discussed my dad with the doctor by the entrance door. The Dr. told me that if there is anyone who needs to say goodbye they should come now. He told me he could pass away in the next ten minutes or in the next two weeks. I thanked him for checking for me and planned to head to Cody.

By the time I returned to the sofa for the movies, my phone rang again and it was the Hospitalist. He said he was sorry to inform me, but my dad had passed away. I said "right now?" He told me that he returned to his room when we finished our call, and the nurses were with him. He had died while I was on the phone with the doctor. Well, that meant I had to switch back to being dad's Power of Attorney instead of Lydia's Grandmother. But as soon as possible, I returned to hold this new little life who is surely speaking between the Realms.