Last week I wrote about taking my oldest grandkids back home to Virginia. They had been with us for about two weeks and ready to head home. What an adventure! I always like getting to spend time with them. They are just growing up too fast.

This week I got to spend time at the Bartlesville hospital waiting on my newest grandbaby’s arrival. My youngest daughter was not due until the middle of July. But, her blood pressure had started creeping up which concerned her doctor, and the decision was made Monday morning that she should go to the hospital and be induced.

Jill and I got the call around 10:30 Monday morning that Jessica was heading to the hospital after her doctor’s appointment. We were hoping to have a baby by the end of the day!

Jill and I finished what we were working on, made a few modifications in our schedules, and took off for Bartlesville early Monday afternoon. Once we got to the hospital the nurses were just getting Jessica settled in, as check in to any hospital never goes quickly (even when you are nine months pregnant). Little Liam was not cooperating either, as he was either laying on the umbilical cord or holding it in his hand, either causing his heart rate to fluctuate too much. After much moving and shifting of Jessica in the hospital bed, the baby’s heart rate settled down, and the medication to start contractions was administered. All of this taking about another hour and a half to two hours.

With everything now in place and the process started Jessica was now fully in labor and dilated to a four. Awesome, won’t be long now (could not have been more wrong!). When she was dilated to a five, her epidural was administered. “Going to be soon, I just know it!”

We were all so excited for little Liam Everett’s arrival. Why, the little guy had both sets of grandparents there, a set of great grandparents, two great aunts, a cousin, and a great uncle. We had quite a crowd in the waiting room. As a matter of fact, there were no other babies in the delivery unit, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves. The excitement in the air was electrifying!

But afternoon soon turned to evening, and still no baby. We would call, text, or someone would go back to the room and check for updates on progress. As evening came, we went to the cafeteria and grabbed some supper. Early evening soon turned to late evening and another trip to the cafeteria. Coffee and a snack were secured. All this waiting and anxiety made me tired…and hungry.

Late evening turned to early morning, and then finally the moment arrived. It is time for that baby to enter the world. He had just been delivered his eviction notice! Well, after about another hour and a half of hard labor and a lot of pushing (according to Jessica) at 1:39 a.m., Liam Everett Callahan came into the world weighing in at 8 pounds and 5 ounces and was 19 inches long.

A little later we all got to go back to see this precious new child that we has been so eagerly waiting to meet. We got to hold, love, and admire the newborn baby. He truly was beautiful, and I am not just saying that because he is my grandson, either (well, maybe I am).

At 3:30 in the morning, Jill and I are leaving the hospital walking on air, thrilled, excited and quite proud. And a good thing, too. During that two hour drive home it was quite a struggle to stay awake. I am too old for these 23 hour days.

All the waiting, expectancy, anxiety, and sometimes frustration (what is taking so long?) proved to be worth it, but it caused me to stop and ponder. Was there this much excitement for Jesus when he was born? I don’t remember reading there was a waiting room, let alone a room full of people waiting for him. As a matter of fact He wasn’t even born in a hospital…in a birthing room…with any nurses present or even a doctor. It was just Mary, Joseph and a bunch of animals that were present from the East who later all celebrated that wonderful birth.

As Jesus’ birth brought hope to the world, I pray baby Liam will bring much joy, hope and even be able to grow and make a difference

First Southern

Baptist Church, Gore