There's a Brand New Little Girl in Town!

There’s a brand new little girl in town!  

Unfortunately, she doesn’t live in OUR town, but there’s a brand new little girl in a town in Oklahoma! We know first-hand that this is true because we got to spend time with her (and her big brother) all last week, right after she was born.

For those of you who have no idea what in the world I’m talking about, our daughter, Megan, gave birth last week (July 30^th) to a baby girl. Megan and her husband, Joe, named the baby “Annie Grace.” She was 6 lbs, 10 oz, and 19 inches long. What a sweet little pink bundle she is!

When Jake, their (now) three-year-old was born, Todd and I didn’t go to visit them for two weeks. They’d wanted to use Joe’s paternity leave from work, and asked us to come to Connecticut (where they lived in 2015) once Joe went back to work. This time they knew they’d need us to watch Jake while they were in the hospital, sooo…

Todd and I drove to Tulsa on Saturday, July 28^th. With a couple of stops along the way, it generally takes a solid 12 hours to get there. We arrived early evening, and were still able to share supper with them, and enjoy some time together before bed. On Sunday morning, we all went to church together. Joe made burgers for lunch, Jake (and maybe even I) took a little nap, and then we all went to their neighborhood pool. Around 6, we went over to their town’s Riverwalk, and enjoyed a nice dinner out – the last one they’d have as a family of three before the baby was born.  

Joe and Megan left for the hospital about 6 a.m. Monday morning. Todd and I took Jake to his little pre-school program, and everyone excitedly asked us about the baby. It was wonderful to get Joe’s notification that Annie was born at 9:04 a.m. and that all had gone well with the birth. Though all had looked good on tests, ultrasounds and scans, it’s still a relief to confirm all is well… for real.

Todd and I had promised Jake we’d take him shopping for his birthday present, so after school we let him pick out some new cars. My oh my, how that child loooves cars! We really appreciated that a friend of Megan’s offered to watch Jake for us that evening, so we could go to the hospital and see the baby. When we entered the room, she was in her little cart, all wrapped up in a pink blanket and infant hat, complete with a bow. What a sweet little package she made. What amazed us the most was the amount of black hair that hat was covering. My goodness, how does one even begin to describe so much ‘cuteness’!?!?  

It was nice to be able to talk to Joe and Megan, and hear all about their experiences of that day. They seemed tired, but very happy too – now a family of four. As planned, we took Jake to the hospital the next morning. When he entered the room, Joe was sitting on a large chair with the baby in his arms. Jake climbed up onto his knee to take in the new scene, up close and personal.

It makes you wonder, doesn’t it? I mean… obviously you tell your older kids there’s going to be a new little brother or sister coming along, but at age three, do they even comprehend what that means? Looking at pictures of babies in books is one thing, but a real live pink bundle, cradled in your dad’s arms…? Well… maybe that reality needed a bit of processing. Jake sat very still for a while, looked out of the window, then finally smiled, and became interested.  

Joe carefully placed Jake in bed next to Megan, and we snapped some nice family shots. With some help, he even sat still and held the baby for a few minutes. All in all, a very good first meeting. The only time things got a bit shaky was when it was time to say “Good-bye” to his parents that day. I think Jake thought he should be staying, or they should be leaving, or anything but him leaving without them. But… after a few minutes, he was okay again. 

We took him to McDonald’s for lunch, and got him a Happy Meal. He ate the fries and the Go-gurt, but left his McNuggets for Todd and me. The three of us also went to see a WWII submarine that is “docked?” in Muskogee. It’s kind of strange… Back in the 70’s, the sub (USS Batfish) was brought up the Arkansas River with two barges. They dug a channel to bring it to its resting place - a huge hollowed-out field in eastern Oklahoma. As boaters, we are always interested in stories such as these. Jake seemed to think it was neat, walking through the narrow old hallways, but we didn’t take much time there. Perhaps we’ll go back when we can spend more time. 

On Wednesday morning, we got word from Megan that they were letting them come home later that day. Sooo… we took Jake to the mall, and he helped to “Build a Bear” for his new baby sis. We also stopped at a small airport nearby where we sat and watched the smaller planes take off and land.

When Todd and I were on vacation in June, we bought some plastic dinosaur shapes with which we made popsicles. We had mixed up some grape juice, and froze it. We all laughed really hard at the T-Rex and Stegosaurus pops. Jake loved this silly activity, and I highly recommend it. *Note, fruit juice works better than Kool-aid.  

The kids got home around 5:00, and though tired, seemed excited and ready to be there. It was such a joy to have everyone in the same room, and to freely snuggle and pass our newborn granddaughter amongst each other.

On Thursday, Todd and I took Jake to the Aquarium, which was highlighted on The Today Show this year during Shark Week. After lunch, Jake dozed off in the car, so we drove around and saw some parts of the Tulsa area we hadn’t seen before. When we got home, we all hung out in the front yard, chatted with neighbors who wanted to hold the baby, etc. Todd grilled pork tenderloin and I smashed up some potatoes for dinner.

On Friday morning, Todd and I felt privileged to witness a particularly sweet moment. Annie was on the floor and Jake gently laid down next to her, just to look at her. It was quite dear, and I believe made us all happy that he seemed to be adjusting so well. After that, Todd and I took him to the pool where we engaged in a game of “Crocodile Grampa.” 

We had cooked, cleaned, and done dishes. We spent quality time with Jake and the family. The week went by quickly, and before we knew it, it was Saturday morning, and time for us to head home. Leaving is never easy, but honestly, things seemed to be in good order. Joe still had a whole week off, so Todd and I knew Megan and the kids would be in good hands.

As we drove northeast through Missouri and Illinois, I reflected back on all we’d done and witnessed that week. I closed my eyes and said a prayer, thanking God for Annie, her safe birth, good health for both her and for Megan, for future smooth adjustments with Jake, for Joe and Megan’s solid marriage, and for everything else a Gramma can think of. Suffice it to say our family has much to be thankful for…

#BlessingsAbound

Katie Kolberg Memmel is the author of three books: “Five Fingers, Ten Toes – A Mother’s Story of Raising a Child Born with a Limb Difference”; “Silly Stories and Sentimental Stuff”; and “From This Day Forward…” For more information about Katie, her family, and her writing, visit her website at www.katiekolbergmemmel.com