One year ago. I boarded a plane in the morning, switched off my phone and read a book. It had been weeks of wondering and waiting, so I decided…. “The heck with it, I am going down there NOW!” I made a reservation the next morning, and now found myself sitting on the plane, headed to Tacoma. When the plane landed, I turned my phone back on and was bombarded with missed calls and text messages. My beautiful daughter Sarah had gone into labor while I was on the flight. I think I actually squealed, and nearly pushed my way off the plane. I ran. RAN. to get my bags, and waited, pacing, for my dad to pick me up.

Thinking I had had all the time in the world, I had scheduled a lunch with my dad and Linda, and now, here they were, 1:00, hungry, needing to eat before a road trip to Tacoma, “Babies take forever, we can stop for lunch,” but  we did decide to bag the plans at the fancy restaurant, and settled on a nearby Denny’s.  Yes.  Denny’s.  I quickly scanned the menu, chose a club sandwich and tapped my foot willing both my dad and the waitress to hurry up.  The moment my dad decided his order I waved my hands in the air – “We are ready!  Hello!  We are ready.”  My dad and Linda exchanged a glance.  “I know,” I said, “I am being extremely rude.”  I took a deep breath and allowed myself to enjoy this lunch and their company, they were, after all, as excited as I was.  We ate our lunch and then we hit the road.

An hour later I rolled up to the hospital and was dropped off, luggage and all, at the front door.  Linda was was under doctors orders to stay away from hospitals if possible, so I waved at them and promised to call and send pictures.  I raced down the hall, backtracked, tried another hall, took an elevator up, took an elevator down, that hospital was a maze I tell you!  Finally, with permission and showing of ID I was allowed into the next maze where I stumbled around until I found the room.

The room my grandson was born in was beautiful, it was a suite.  A large tub, a couch that reverted to a bed, recliners, the newborn bassinet and a disappointingly ordinary looking hospital bed, with curtains, tubes, blinking lights and monitors.  And on that bed was my daughter, in a hospital gown, looking a little groggy, but all in all she seemed OK.

I had made it.  I had arrived in time to be there for the birth of Weston Finch Brandt-Kasper. I am not going to describe the birth of course, that is Sarah and Katie’s story to tell, but I can tell you this…. he waited for me!! My grandson waited for me.  Weston waited.  The joy in that room was palpable, from Katie and Sarah, to Katie’s Family, to me.  We all fell immediately in love with that little guy.

Over this past year I have had the pleasure of seeing my daughter in the role of mother. I marveled watching she and her wife, Katie work as a team to raise an amazing boy. I am so proud of them, and so enamored with that little guy.

Tomorrow, I will get on a plane and help him celebrate his first birthday. I could not be happier!!