Walter is here, Grandpa’s still there

Walter is here – at least, he is in the hospital with his mom and dad. Maggie delivered him this morning at 5:15 a.m. He weighed 9 pounds 14 ounces. No one can denigrate Maggie’s tolerance for pain on that front. She, like Mama years ago, gave birth to a three month old. Both mommy and baby are healthy and doing well. We are expecting them to come home tomorrow; the day before we leave. The timing could have been better but at least we did not miss the birth.

Cathryn, Mama and I went to downtown Juneau yesterday evening after the baby big sister got up from her four hour nap. New cruised the shopping district for about three hours and then went to Fred Myers for another hour so we could return an item Mama had bought and get some things for dinner. By the time we got home it was almost 8 pm. We were all worn out.

We put Curious George on the tablet that she knows how to operate and she nodded in front of the player for about thirty minutes before Grammy put her to bed. It will be another hour or more before she is awake as I write this note. Today we will go easy on her and only keep her out for two to three hours total.

I realized as I was sitting with Mama in the quiet of the evening that I had walked about three miles from the glacier to the house and she, Maggie and Cathryn had walked bout a half mile with me on a little trail around the observation deck adjacent to the glacier prior to my long walk home. We are still hoping to see bears and fish in the creeks at the observation area. So far we have been skunked.

We will go see the baby, or I should say, Cathryn and I will go with Mama to see the baby later this morning. Maggie woke Mama at 4 a.m. to tell her she was pushing. (Maggie is a play-by-play type of person. I know this because she called us as well as Cori to a update her progress every time she dilated further.) She called back when the baby was born. Mama was dressed and out the door within five minutes. Now she (Mama) is frustrating herself tying to post this morning’s events on Facebook.

Grandpa is improving in spite of the fact that there has been no mention of want the root of Grandpa’s health problem is. Mama was told that he received blood through the night – which is what I suggested to her should happen early yesterday – so he has shown marked improvement. Still they continue waiting in the hospital as the doctors try to pinpoint the cause.

I can understand the consternation on the part of the medical staff because this has been an ongoing issue with Grandpa for many years. I also understand the angst on Grandma’s part and the hesitancy on Grandpa’s part in getting the diagnosis set because Grandpa’s brother died of colon cancer and his father died of prostate cancer.  For Grandpa, it could be something more simple than that – like a very poor diet – but we will not know that for a few more days yet.

From Grandpa’s perspective, knowing the issue is more frightening than ignoring it.