First – everyone is fine and home and doing great. I did discover that my Mama Bear is just as fierce with this one as the ones I carried. He was 7 pounds, 3 ounces, 20 inches long with light brown hair and dark eyes that we really couldn’t tell a color because he didn’t want to open them very much. He was smaller than either of mine, so literally the smallest baby I’ve ever “had”. 

We arrived about an hour after he did, looking like we’d been on the road for some time and I’m sure I looked like I could take on any of the damn truckers that had been in my way. The room was full with the other set of grandparents, a set of great grandparents, an uncle and a great aunt, but my precious DIL looked up at me and smiled and handed him to me.

Yes, love at first sight does exist.

We had a wonderful two days to bond and visit and just hold him. I’d forgotten how soft newborn’s skin is. I had to look to see that I was really touching him at times.

Then the Mama Bear came out. A doctor, not his regular pediatrician, gave him the going home exam. Pompous old guy came into the room and said a lot of good things, poop turning green, peeing regularly, good ears, etc. then out of the blue the doctor says that he’s not uncurling fast enough and they want to do an ultrasound to find out if there’s a problem with his brain. Then the old fart turns and leaves the room. No explanation, no time for questions, he just walks out. Now my job is to work with words – yes, I have the luxury of editing and rewriting, but I also have the responsibility of crafting my words. So did he. There were 27,000,012 ways to say something like that to this young couple and that wasn’t any of them. I wanted to race down the hall and rip his throat out for being so damn careless and, yes pompous.

Like I said before, everything turned out fine and they’re home and happy, but the frozen looks on their faces are still with me. I unswaddled the baby and let him be free – something the hospital apparently doesn’t approve of – and he stretched and explored and opened his eyes the widest I’d seen them to check things out.

So kid, you’re got a terrific set of parents who adore you, but remember, you’ve also got an old bear who doesn’t mind making waves and who’ll always have your back. Just let me know.