SLATER IS HERE! I'm A GrandPA!

 I am a bit speechless. Not a good thing for a blog! Last night I officially became a grandpa. My little girl had her little boy. Man how time flys! It was only the other day that I was holding her in my arms. And then coaching her in basketball.....and then walking her down the aisle at her wedding. ZOOOOM, where did the time go?

I had gone to church yesterday morning and then spent the rest of the afternoon......and into the evening working on some of the office renovations. I was putting up the wood wall panels up on the reception wall. My wife had came up just about 5:30 to see how I was doing. Just a few more pieces to put up and I would be finished.

And then my wife received the text message from our daughter. They were heading to the hospital. It was time. The message read: "Having contractions, going to the hospital." 5:43PM. Great Googliemooglie! I quickly wrapped up what I was doing and we jumped in the car headed to Bon Secours DePaul Medical Center. She had planned planned on doing a natural child birth....with a hot tub.....and using a midwifery.........whatever all that means. (Actually, I do know what all that means but I am going to pretend I am more manly than that and not talk about it.)

We got there about 6:45 and had the thought that maybe it was just false labor pains. But my wife said that she sounded like her breathing was the real thing. And she was close to her due date of Thanksgiving Day only a few days away. Once we got there, we headed upstairs and the place was pretty empty and quiet. The desk sent us around to the actual delivery area. A nurse came out of a room and we asked about our daughter. The nurse was hustling and said that yes she is here and we could sit in the chairs outside the room as it probably wasn't a good idea to go in right now.

OH THANK GOODNESS! I certainly didn't want to go in there! Been there! Done that! Just want to there near by if she needed me.......otherwise.....I going to the waiting room.

Off we go to a little tiny waiting room with a dinky television mounted to the ceiling that looked to be 20 years old. You would think that a big medical center could swing a few hundred bucks for a flat screen? After all we figured we would be waiting in this room until midnight. I quickly went around the channels to find a football game. The match up between Peyton Manning and Tom Brady was to happen this evening. 

Oh, and another thing......wouldn't you think a hospital could get a few good channels? Never mind. This channel came in clear enough. I laid down on the sofa....if you wanted to call it that. A quick inspection of the ceiling tiles realizing that maintenance switched out some tiles at some point with once that didn't match the originals. Three different tiles in one small ceiling. And what the architect thinking about when they laid out the six non symmetrical down lights? Sometimes it is bothersome being an Architect!

The game was about to start and I was also about to fall asleep. Might as well get some rest. We hadn't heard anything and it was about 10 til 8PM. I told my wife to go check since it seemed the nurse had kind of ran us off and might not have told the kids that we were even there. We needed game time updates with stats and play by play account........not really that much information needed!

As I drifted off to sleep, still annoyed about the ceiling tile thing......did I mention sometimes it a pain being an Architect! My wife ran back in and said he is here! Who is here! Stupid response. He was born already. Wow! That was fast. We got to the room and they were just cleaning him off and wrapping him up to give to his momma. 

So cute, so tiny, so precious. Momma and Daddy looked pretty happy and pretty proud. All were good. A couple of quick peeks and then off to the corner for me. The nurses were very nice and encouraged "grandma and grandpa" to come get a closer look. Pretty awesome!

November 24, 2013

7:47PM

7.3 pounds

19 1/4 inches long
 

My first grand child......Slater Von Showalter is here.......Just in time for Thanksgiving!

We left about 9:30 to let them all rest but not before I got to say the first prayer thanking God for the many many blessings and this wonderful gift. God is good! Very good!

I am sure many pictures to follow from this grandpa!

Eugene "Papa T" Thompson

ET This I Believe