GRANDPA MICHAEL’S PERSPECTIVE- What a joy it was to walk into the hospital room and see Jessica quietly laying in the dimly lit room with Poppy in her crib next to the bed. Immediate excitement came over me as I realized that Poppy was well enough to leave the NICU, and that meant Jessica was able to spend some time with her baby.

Grandma Shelly and Dave were visibly missing, so I presumed that they were letting Jessica rest while visiting Rolf in the NICU.

Jessica lit up and said “Dad, I am so glad you are here, You have got to hold Poppy.” And with that I immediately gazed down upon this beautiful bundle of joy and scooped up my first grandchild for the first time.

IMMEDIATE THOUGHTS - Poppy was so small and precious. The first reaction is to notice how absolutely beautiful her appearance is. There are no blemishes or birthing evidences and her skin is so soft. Poppy’s head is perfectly shaped and her desire was to keep her eyes closed and sleep. Poppy did not mind a bit being touched and I opened her blanket to find her wearing the sweater crocheted by Grandma Shelly. From the end of the arm holes came these tiny little perfect hands with incredibly long fingers. Did I say long fingers? I meant to say basketball palming, piano playing, talk to the hand long fingers. Poppy’s feet were similar in that they were small but extremely long with perfect long toes.

PERFECT LOVE - It is incredible to watch the “Circle of Life” take place right before my eyes. I sat there for quite a bit of time holding Poppy in the chair at the foot of Jessica’s bed, while Jessica beamed with joy from her bed. Jessica was completely thrilled to be able to share Poppy with me and talk about the events of the day... Most of her conversation was about Poppy and her features. “Do you see the notch on her right ear?” “Look at her long fingers.” “Look at her feet Dad.” And on and on... Without any other distractions in the room I was able to be overcome with a perfect love for my daughter and her daughter... I must admit that I silently carried out the scenario as we talked... Let’s see, if Poppy follows Jessica, then in just over 20 years she will be giving birth. 20 plus my almost 49 equals 69 years of age before I become a Great Grandpa. Add another twenty and I will be 89 when I become a Great Great Grandpa... Okay, Okay, back to the current reality.

PROUD FATHER - It was really special to have a few minutes with just Jessica and Poppy. The other players are important, but things had been so hectic that this was the first time in quite a while that it was just Father and Daughter, with the bonus of Daughter being able to show off her pride and joy. I was very proud indeed.

BACK TO REALITY - Jessica was recovering well and had had Poppy in her room starting at 4:30 AM with a 3 hour reprieve sometime after the sun rose. There was still a disconnect with Jessica and Rolf because she still was kept from seeing him in anything other than pictures and videos. In the evening the doctor came in and confirmed that at 10 PM she was going to get to be wheel chaired into the NICU and be able to hold Rolf. It was thrilling to be able to see her bond so well with Poppy, but almost unfair that she still couldn’t bond with Rolf. His feelings of love were just going to have to come from Dave and the other visitors to the NICU.

DAVE - PROUD FATHER - EXHAUSTED - Dave was doing his best to cover all of the needed bases. His family went from 2 to 4 just like that. Having a divided family under his care kept him moving from one part of the hospital to the other and back again all day long. What he really needed was to drive home, take a nap, take a shower, change clothes, and then come back strong. It was doubtful that he was going to heed the advice, but the current pace is going to leave him absolutely worthless and frazzled once the doctor says Jessica can go home. As a proud Father, Dave is doing the best to be everywhere at once... Say a prayer for his strength. The new Father is often the most overlooked in the birthing scenario, yet his exhaustion is real.

ROLF - NICU - After the 7 PM shift change I was able to make it into the NICU to see Rolf. The NICU is an uncomfortable place where people are around and the entire time you want to disturb as little as possible. With a half a dozen other children resting in the darkened room I wanted to get just a couple of flash photos and then get out. Rolf was resting comfortably and was in no mood to be picked up, moved, or cuddled. His bruising and coned head from the day before was so much better. He is very handsome and is progressing well. Look forward to more photos in the days ahead.