Sugar and Spice

A different day, a different time, a different country on the other side of an ocean, a different hospital, a different delivery and a different sex, but the feeling of becoming a grandmother again 20 days later is equally thrilling, equally amazing and equally emotional.

Unlike Kirsty and Lee's adventure, Scott and Heather knew that if the baby didnt come on her own before March 19th...that was to be THE DAY. Heather checked into J.N. France hospital at 9 on Tuesday night to have an induction starting at 4 a.m. Wednesday morning.
I cant really comment on labour via induction because I have never been through one but stories abound that because the medicine speeds up the entire process, the pain is more intense. These stories, added to the fact that there are no epidurals in St. Kitts had Heather sleepless and worried for days in advance but there was no turning back now.
When Randy and I headed to the hospital around 10 am, I thought that we were going to be in for a long day, but we were met with the news that she was already 4 centimeters and moving along.


Still hanging in....but man, this hurts!






Nobody is prepared for childbirth the first time around.... it is truly a journey into the unknown but Heather was a trouper. There was contractions every couple of minutes and she breathed through them just like she was supposed to, although I heard that Scott got an earful about putting her in this situation and it seems from her language that Heather must have been a sailor in her past life..LOL! ...Except for a headache...he didnt seem to bothered about any of it. I wonder why???? lol
About 11.30 am, Heather was sweating and they didnt have any disposable barf "hats" in St. Kitts to fan her with. I tried the back rubbing and putting a wet towel on her neck and not even the snack bar had a cube ice, so I decided that we should go and get some. At the same time I could pick up some lunch for Scott and Jason (Scott's first cousin, who is in the hospital because he hit a monkey while riding his bike on the same night that Heather was admitted. The monkey ran off, but Jason has 4 broken ribs and a collapsed lung). We divided the tasks..I went to the restaurant to get the lunch and the ice while Randy went to the grocery store to get the Tylenol and some Gatorade. We were back to the hospital by 12.15 and after dropping Jay's lunch to him, I marched back to Heather with the ice and a mission in mind.

Except, where were Scott and Heather??? Whaaaaatttt??? She had already been taken to the delivery room??? This is not the way it is with a first baby...I had just seen this take place 20 days ago and I had seen it 34 years ago.....and first babies are supposed to take longer! The nurse informed us that she was 8 centimeters dilated and the Dr. was with her. I called Heather's house to give them an update and I got her Dad...I told him what I knew...which was in fact, almost nothing, but I felt that since they couldnt be here, some sort of connection was definitely in order....I know that I would want to be on the phone for the entire time! lol I cant tell you how happy I am that Calleigh waited until I got back from England!

I had hardly put down the phone when a nurse came to me and asked me for the clothes for the baby. Nooooo!!! I had recently learned that I didnt know anything about clothes or blankets for that matter...I didnt want this job! lol I wanted to be the designated baby holder! :-) But a grandmother has to do what she is told and so I went in search of Calleigh's very first outfit. Before I got out of the room which was less than 20 feet from where we were sitting, Randy came and told me that she had been born. Whattttttt??? Holyyyyyy! The next thing I knew, Scott was out of the delivery room looking glassy eyed, totally dazed with a grin a mile wide...in other words..that first time father look! The same as a first time mother..but without the grin! lol He was there to get clothes for Heather. This was unfolding waaayyy tooo fast for me. It was like Noah's arrival but on fast forward!!

About 5 minutes later the nurse came along pushing a bassinette containing one battle scared baby girl and at that moment:

CALLEIGH SAHELY CHRISTINA
8 lbs. 14 oz. 23 in. long
Born 19 March 2008 at 1.15 pm
J.N. France Hospital, St. Kitts.

came into our lives. I immediately got back on the phone to let Heather's parents know that their first grandchild had arrived. Bob and I (no not that BoB! lol) had a small cry together while Zed zipped off the first pictures on his Blackberry. Calleigh's pic was in the US, Canada and England before her mother was finished being "repaired" to quote Kirsty..... Got to love modern communications. Noah and Calleigh are going to grow up in a world that we couldnt even have imagined when we were young. Ok...I really am turning into my father! lol

Heather arrived back to room looking no worse for the wear and "tear"! Sorry girl, had to put that in...lol... and with her inner Jessica Simpson intact...."Wow! That was a different experience" or something of that nature. Of course we all howled at her. In typical Astaphan fashion, the
proud Daddy was starving after the ordeal and dove into the now cold lunch while Mommy ate ice cream.
Calleigh had to stay the nursery for a while they observed her and so we decided to leave and leave the new parents rest.

Can anybody be any luckier than I am?? I less than a one month period of time, I had been given a tall, dark, handsome, melt in your arms grandson and a tall, blonde, cream puff with attitude grand daughter. I know that having babies and raising them doesnt come without hard work but being a Noah's Kadie and Calleigh's Grandma is going to be pure joy for me!
Having said that, credit must be given where it is due and as we were leaving...Scott said it best..."After seeing what I saw today, Kirsten and Heather are CHAMPIONS!" And oh yes they are!!! Thank you!!!