Sunday, April 25, 2010

April 25th 2010 – New Life

I received a text message last night at 12:04 a.m. It was from Otilia – a member of the Pastoral Team who lives up in San Lorenzo (about 2 miles UP the hill from here).

It said: Hola amiga. Lo siento mucho por que no va a poder estar con Fátima en estos momentos por que ya es muy noche!
(Hello friend … I’m so sorry because you can’t be here with Fatima In these moments because it is already very late!)

From this I figured that Fatima had gone into labor. Darn! I was hoping to be with them. But midnight is not the time to be traveling unless it is a dire emergency. So I texted back that my thoughts and prayers were with them and how sorry I was also to not be there. And that God would protect them! I was praying for their safety and that there would be no complications – they were at home delivering.

Then I decided that I should NOT selfishly pray for the baby to not come till I could get there, but decided that that would have been rude! I remember the pains. I wouldn’t wish extra hours of that for anyone! I was tempted to wake up Blanca or Idalia and ask if they would go with me to be there. But I decided against that, too. I know they would have said yes… but again – it really isn’t a good idea to travel that late at night and I also knew they had a lot of commitments the next day.

Then again at almost 1 p.m. she texted:

Amiga …. Todavía no a nacido el bebe pero cuando nazca le avisaremos.
(Friend … the baby has not been born yet, but when he is born, we will notify you)

And again I debated to wake up the ladies…

Then again at 4:32 a.m. she texted:
Ya nacio el bebe!
(The baby is born!)

Then she called me! And I heard the loud lusty cry of a new born baby! He has a great set of lungs! I told her I would be up there first thing in the daylight.

At 5:30, Fátima called… basically asking if I was coming! So I hopped out of bed (I was up before anyone else today) and went downstairs for a quick clean up – hot water running today!) By the time I was done Blanca and Idalia were puttering and cleaning and I told them I was going for a visit. They could not come with me because they were responsible for liturgy and music today at the church. So I went alone.

By the time I got there, the baby was clean and bundled up in his layette and a towel. He was fast asleep. What a BEAUTIFUL baby.

He has no name yet. So as I held him I cooed to him: ‘hola, sin nombre’ (hello, without name). Otilia said he weighed in at about 7 pounds 2 ounces. He is beautiful and looks SO alert with big bright eyes. He has a great cry, but is easily calmed.

While I was visiting, some neighbors arrived to check him out. She said it was his first cry that I heard. He was born enbolsada (in the water sack). But great grandma was ready and was there to break the sack so he could breathe his first. And his papa was there with Fatima the whole time (a rare thing from what I understand). He chose to be with her rather than get some sleep! He did manage to cat nap while I was there though.

Everyone seems healthy - but very tired.
What a gift - new life!

Oh happy day.





















Look at those EYES!















Otilia and Grandbaby!





The new family










A beautiful new life in San Lorenzo

2 comments:

Alisha Lundberg said...

Oh my goodness! He is absolutely adorable!! Congratulations to the whole family! I hope you got a chance to hold him. Let us know when they give him a name.

kathy said...

I got to hold him two hours after he was born. What a joy. And it has been a week and still no name...
I call him "Sin Nombre"
He is a beautiful little boy.