10.28.07

She lay on her back inside the glass box like some fairy tale princess. Her eyes were closed, though her repose was not as serene as those twice told tales. Her body twitched now and then as if under the spell of some new dream. Her mouth alternated between a grimace and relaxed sigh. Her stomach pumped in and out in exaggerated rhythm. The blue light gave her skin an almost alien look. “It’s to help her skin get some color,” they said. That was probably why much of her body was left exposed to the air.

She looks about as big as a football, I thought. “How much does she weigh?” I asked.
“I don’t know… they have the weight listed in grams.”
“2.2 kilos is still a pound, right?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
I did some quick math in my head. “Four pounds something…”

***

“I’m feeling a lot better now,” J said. She sat up in the bed, pulling the blanket down a little. “Though I think I will spend the rest of the day in bed. I was up on my feet a lot yesterday… and I paid for it – felt it this morning.” She let out a chuckle. “But it was worth it. I got to hold her for an hour. I just happened to walk in on feeding time.”

AA sat in a chair next to her, beaming, while Mom and Dad, well, I could see excitement and encouragement on their faces. T, of course, sat in another chair next to the bed. His eyes and mind focused on the black Nintendo DS in his hands. He seemed oblivious to the rest of us.

“As you can see,” J said, “his sister got him an early Christmas present.”
“She loves you already, T,” I teased.
“Yeah, you should be good to her,” Dad continued.
“And you look out for her,” Mom added.
T smiled and squirmed under the scrutiny.
“She even got you out of school,” J said. “That’s another one you owe her. Isn’t she a cool sister?” I had forgotten it was a school day. I hadn’t expected to see T there, yet there he was.
“Would you rather be at school or here?” J asked T.
“Here,” he answered sheepishly.
“You should thank her for that one day.”
“Yeah,” he giggled.

***

The thing about babies – most of them look alike to me. Some people can pick out traits that remind them of a parent. Sometimes I can’t see it until a few months or so. Perhaps it is because I don’t have one of my own. At least that’s my theory.

She lay swaddled in another glass box. No more blue light treatment. I could see the natural tone of her skin in normal light. Dad explained to me what the lines and numbers on the overhead monitor meant. Everything pointed to normal and encouraging he said.

F and I stood next to the glass box, looking at the little person inside. Her eyes were open… half asleep, but still open. She looked at each of us in turn. “Hiya,” I said. I turned to F. “She looks more serene.”

***

J sat in a chair next to the glass box. She was leaning close into the crib and talking quietly to her baby when I approached. For her part, the baby looked intently back at J. J gently held out a finger. Her diminutive left hand reached out and grasped J’s left index finger and didn’t let go.

I leaned in closer.

So… you’re the one who kept kicking at your mother these past few weeks. You couldn’t wait to meet the world, so you decided to come out early, huh? You gave us a little scare there… I think you’re going to be alright though. Just make sure to keep your brother in line.

“Isn’t she gorgeous?” J smiled.
“Yes, she is.”

Happy belated birthday, CC… love, your uncle S.