Falling in love with our Granddaughter

In Kennedy’s first 5 weeks of life John and I made three trips to Charleston.

After she was born on Saturday June 20^th, I stayed until the following Friday. John went home to work three days and returned on Thursday night.

It was quite a week!

I had forgotten how much work one tiny human was! I have a picture of Brittany in the wheelchair holding the baby carrier as we were leaving the hospital and she looked slightly terrified!

But Kennedy was sleeping a lot and not eating all that much, so we thought, “What an easy and sweet baby!”

Until her first doctor appointment on Wednesday when the doctor said, “She’s orange!” and tested her for jaundice. Sure enough, and not only did she have it, her numbers were high and we had to race to the ER at the downtown Children’s hospital.

That was why she had been sleeping so much and not eating! We all felt SO guilty for not knowing! I held her during the ER check in and the kind lady who was helping us asked if I minded continuing to hold her while they took her temperature (rectally). I wasn’t sure why she even asked, until I felt something warm gush down my leg!

It really lightened the mood and Brittany and Dan even laughed!! I was just glad I had on shorts (which it missed) and flip flops (which they let me wash off in the sink.)

The staff could not have been nicer. They set Brittany up with bottles and a pump, got Dan bedding since he was spending the night and calmed our fears that this happened all the time and she couldn’t be in better hands.

Still…..our baby was wearing black goggles and lying under a blue light. And she had to spend two nights there!

But it worked out and she came home late Friday morning so we got to enjoy her a little more before leaving that night. And then we were back a week and two days later.

I tried to help out with some of the overnight care and encouraged Brittany to run errands and for them to go out to dinner while we played with Kennedy. Often though the four of us were just clustered in a circle looking at her!

One time she cried and we just passed her around, each hoping they would be the one who could calm her down!

I don’t know where the time goes when we’re there. It seems like we are always feeding her, rocking her and then settling her down to sleep again.

But she’s adorable and we are all crazy about her!

So John and I will continue to wear out the road between here and Charleston!