Taking Care of Business

What is it about newborn babies that brings out the best in people? I think it is the way they smell. Or maybe the soft skin or maybe it’s the fact that they have their whole lives ahead of them that makes us feel so good.

I spent two weeks with my daughter Jennifer and her family after the birth of her second daughter Emery Kate Swing on February 1, 2011. Jennifer thought Emery would be easy to say along with her big sister Lexi which is short for Alexandra. Nobody ever calls Lexi Alexandra. And Lexi does not call herself Lexi. She calls herself Lou Lou. But Jennifer spells is Loo Loo and others have spelled it Lu Lu. But it doesn’t matter. If a stranger asked Lexi what her name is, she says, “Lou Lou.” And so far, no one has called Emery by her first name only. We all say, “Emery Kate.”

Babies change so quickly. I wanted to remember the way Emery Kate smelled and the sweet softness of her cheeks and forehead when I kissed her. I wanted to remember the way she sounded when her mother nursed her as if all the world was right. I wanted to keep the picture of her big sister kissing the top of her head and gently patting her tummy when her daddy held his two girls on the couch.

Every night Kevin would come in and build a fire in the living room. In between washing clothes and dishes, and helping Kevin with dinner (Jennifer doesn’t cook) and taking care of Lexi, most of my days are a blur. It was hard on Lexi, not to have a new baby in the house, but to not be in school anymore (no more daycare with mom home now); and not to have mommy lift and carry her (Jen had a c-section and so could not lift Lexi); and so she struggled with emotions that at times none of seemed to know what to do.

One day she and I drove to the train station and went downtown to the library for storytime. She loved it. For a few hours she was the center of my attention and for a few hours I had a glimpse of the precious granddaughter that is so quick to say “I love you Mimi.” I was only sad once during my stay in Charlotte. When Jennifer’s incision seemed to be not healing as it should, I drove her to the doctor’s office. Instead of dragging both girls inside, I drove around town for a while and then picked Jennifer up later when she finished. As we passed up KinderCare, Lexi’s daycare, she saw it and pointed to it saying, “There’s my school.” Jennifer looked back at her and asked her if she missed her friends, and she said yes. I looked in the rear view mirror and saw her look off into the distance and then she said, “Do my friends miss me?” Not quite three and her whole world has changed. But she is strong and young and a blessing to her parents who like her newborn sister is a miracle thanks to Jennifer’s difficulties in getting pregnant.

And so I left my daughter and family, but not after drowning her in advice in between all the other chores. I told her that when I left they would either miss me or sing, “the wicked witch is dead.” But it didn’t matter because in the wee hours of the morning when I rocked the baby to sleep while the rest of the house was quiet, I said my prayers and blessed them with courage to live their lives the way God intends them to live and be the people they are meant to be. What more could I want?