There are just no words

First of all ~ It's a girl!!! Charlie Madeline was born on April 22nd (Earth Day) at 1:05 pm. She weighed in at 8 lbs 6 oz and 20.5 inches long. She is healthy, beautiful and just perfect.. as is Mom Jennifer.

There are just no words to describe the emotions and the love that I am feeling right now. The first time I saw her, as they wheeled her into the nursery to run all those test, and poke and prod her ~ she just took my breath away. And then when they placed her in my arms.... I still tear up just thinking about it ~ the overwhelming sense of love... and so much more. It's so totally different than the love of a child from a parent but I honestly don't know how to describe it. This little girl has captured my heart and my soul so completely. It's amazing and yet feels so natural.

And as impossible as I would have told you it was, it actually increased my love for Jen. To give me the gift of grandmotherhood is the most incredible gift ever. I am so proud of her and my heart is just swelling with love.

Charlie was born via c-section and I was with Jen up until about 15 minutes before they came to take her to the OR. We all (me, Julz, her Dad and his wife)left to give J&J some time alone. As I walked out of the room and down the hall, I just lost it ~ just started sobbing. Poor Julz didn't know what to think. I think it was the build up of a lot of things leading up to this plus the concern for Jen, about to undergo major surgery. I managed to make it into the rest room and dab some water on my face and calm down and come out just in time for them to wheel her past me and into the OR. She was sitting up and smiling and I blew her a kiss and smiled back as best I could but she saw (she told me later) that I was a wreck ~ aw crap, just writing this has got me going again!!!

Anyway.. it seemed like she was in the OR forever! They took her in right about 12:15 and as I walked to the waiting room ~ there is her doctor at the nurses station, eating his lunch and dictating notes from his previous case into a recorder. He went in about 12:30 or so. I couldn't  sit! I paced the halls the entire time. One of the things this hospital does is, when a baby is born (really a few minutes after) a lullaby plays over the PA system. We waited for what seemed like an eternity until finally at 1:11 I heard it! I yelled (very quietly I might add) to Jen's stepmom ~ "Listen, that's it ~ that's our baby!" We were all going nuts. Just before that though Jen's dad asked me "Boy or Girl?". I said all along I have been thinking it would be a boy but in the last couple of days, I've switched to girl. He said he's been saying girl all along but thinks it will be a boy. Too funny.

It wasn't too long (maybe 10 or 15 minutes) and they brought Charlie out. Jeremy came out with her and announced ~ "We have a girl!" They slowed down as they brought her past us so we could get a good look and snap the first pictures of this adorable baby. So much cheering and hugging ~ it's all kind of a blur. We watched through the window while they ran all the standard tests. We took pictures through the glass ~ we made dozens of calls ~ we texted pictures ~ we all fell in love with Charlie.