He's Here

I've been absent for a while because we just became grandparents again!  Beckham Fredrick H-C (GS3) was born on May 15th - about a month early.  We knew he was going to be early because a few months ago they found out that he has a heart condition and would probably not go to full term.  We were praying that it wouldn't be too soon.

  

Our daughter and SIL had been making twice weekly trips from Newark, DE to CHOP in Philadelphia where they decided they were going to have him as it's one of the best children's hospitals in this area.  They had met with the cardio team there and it was possible to have the baby in the same hospital and not have to have him transferred there.  He went right into the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit and got the best care as did she.  

He was 7 lbs. 2 oz and remarkably didn't need to be put on oxygen as they thought he might.  He has a third degree heart block which means that the chambers of his heart are not beating at the same rate.  One is very low.  This is not repairable with surgery to the heart but eventually he may need a pacemaker to help his heart.  There was the unknown as to whether that would be right away, but he's got a strong heartbeat and the doctors were very pleased with what they saw so he was able to come home 8 days later and meet his big brother Maverick.

We have been traveling back and forth to Delaware to take care of Maverick while his parents were staying in Philadelphia at the Ronald McDonald house there so they could be with the baby as much as possible for feedings.  During those eight days he spent time at his other grandparents' house and some time with mom and dad when they came home to get their personal items and see him.  And we stayed with him at his house for several days.  It was important to his mom and dad that he stayed on his schedule as much as possible  - like going to daycare and his daily routine at home, so being there in his own house was a lot easier on him during this time.  

He helped Papa with a project - building a tomato enclosure for their yard - by using the heavy drill to put the screws in.  

He picked up a wagon full of sticks from the yard one day.

And he water-painted after dinner one night (Note to add: it was a purchase from the $Tree and one of the very rare times that I've been disappointed with the product.  It came with two posters that had the paint on them in dots and all you were supposed to do was use the paintbrush to add water to activate the paint.  Well, it didn't activate easily but he gave it a good try.)

Grandma and Papa did the best they could keeping up with a 4-yr-old and we're happy to say that there weren't any meltdowns during this time.  (But I can't say the same about HWNSNBP who tried my patience more than once.)  

As soon as Rachel and Ryan got home we left so that they could have their family bonding time and Maverick could welcome his baby brother.  Rachel was thinking ahead and had a gift for Maverick from Beckham and she sat right down with him to put it together while the baby was still sleeping from the car ride.  

I only got to hold him the day after he was born when we went to visit the hospital and purposely didn't go near him at their house before we left because I thought I was coming down with a sinus infection (which I was).  I know we'll be going back down soon though to get in plenty of cuddles.

And remarkably, the day that they called us from hospital to tell us that he was going to be born that day was the day that the little bluebirds fledged from the nesting box.  I was nervously waiting outside to hear from our SIL the status and got to see the 3rd and almost the 4th baby leave the box.