Incoherent Scribblings

The Baby Book

Last Monday afternoon my sister called to tell us that she was going to have her labor induced on Wednesday. However, at 9:00 Tuesday morning we got a call from my brother-in-law telling us that Sis had gone to the hospital because apparently the threat of inducement (is that a word?) had encouraged the baby get a move on and he was on his way. I decided there was really no sense in hanging out at the hospital for who-knew how long, so I stayed at Mom’s and waited to hear the news.

A little after 2:00 pm I had to run an errand and as soon as I got home Mom was just getting off the phone. (Of course!) She told me to leave my coat on because it was time for us to go to the hospital. My nephew had arrived! (You can read his stats in the previous entry.) Mom and I then spent the rest of the evening running all over town spreading the word and basically acting like the crazy grandma and aunt we were.

However, before Mom and I left the hospital there was an “episode” involving the acquisition of a baby book.

Apparently the hospital used to present each newborn with a baby book, but unbeknownst to my sister, it seems that they stopped this practice sometime in the past few years. Because she expected to receive a baby book from the hospital, my sister hadn’t purchased one. When she learned that the hospital no longer provided baby books, she was understandably upset because she wanted the baby’s footprints in the baby book.

Everyone (meaning my family) then started offering to go get her a baby book and there was a heated discussion as to who should buy said baby book, but at the same time no on could agree on exactly who should buy it. These sorts of “discussions” always irritate me because no one can ever seem to make a decision, so I did what I always do: I made the decision. I said that I would acquire the baby book and I would have it there before they were released from the hospital.

It wasn’t until later that I realized I had sort of put my foot in my mouth. As most of my readers probably know, in America if Mom and baby have no complications and are healthy, they are released from the hospital in approximately 24 hours. This meant that they would be released from the hospital sometime around 2:30 on Wednesday afternoon and in order for me to deliver the baby book to the hospital in time for the nurses to put the baby’s footprints in the book before he was released, I really needed to get the baby book to the hospital before noon.

Now I am sure my friends and family can see what is coming next… this meant that I had to get up and be ready to face the day before noon! And I think even casual readers of the blog probably know that I don’t do that very well.

Nevertheless, I took my commitment to the baby book seriously and was up, dressed, and ready to go by 9:00 Wednesday morning. I found a really cute little baby book and delivered it in plenty of time to get the baby’s footprints in it before he was released from the hospital.

Since I hadn’t gotten anything for the baby yet anyway it was my present to her. And as I told her… you definitely know how much you mean to me when I get up before noon to do something for you!