Posted by Benton on Aug 17, 2011 in Family, Grandchildren, Real Life | 0 comments

He’s here and we now know his name. Jacob Christopher White – born to my son Christopher and his wife, Kajsa (pronounced – Kie-za) – Tuesday night – August 16 at 8:31PM. We never take it for granted when we say – “all are well!” We’re blessed that they are!

Here are the facts – some you might care about and others you might not – but I’m the grandfather – so you just have to read through it – OK!?

• 7lb. 3oz
• 19 inches long
• His eyes were wide open and he was as alert as some others in our family have been at birth!
• Contribute that to the fact his Mom delivered this 7lb fella – NATURALLY … NO DRUGS folks! This was after a 23 hour labor period that she wasn’t terribly happy about but she did it just the same! Superwoman Kajsa!
• He immediately found his milk supply within 1 hour of birth … (believe me – that is important as you moms know….)
• Jake shows up and asked – “Where’s my Poppy?” within minutes! OK – just kidding! This Poppy can wish – right!? 🙂

So young Jake joins a growing list of grandchildren we now have in our family. There is Elle, Maggie, Jack, Finnegan, Lily Kate (who is 2 years old TODAY!), Carolina, Charlie and now Jake! We are quietly putting together an athletic team of some sort. Not sure what the sport is yet but I’m thinking I can retire if I take this group on the road later!

This side of the birth experience is a joyous time in most all cases. There has been one delivery almost 7 years ago that was incredibly sad and we won’t ever forget the memory of that sweet little girl named Elle. But the rest – with some bumps in the road with a couple have all been God given blessings of joy. The moms of those children named above are members of a very elite group. See, my wife gave birth to our three daughters naturally – with no use of any pain meds, epidurals or other medication. EVERY ONE of the above children have been delivered that way as well.

So this Poppy has gotten to witness – from afar – my own group of SUPERWOMEN who have thought, as Martha did, that medical professionals or midwives are needed at birth but pain tools aren’t necessarily. Consequently, we have seen alert, kicking, beautifully crying babies each time and young Jake was no exception. Is it hard? You dang right it is! I have seen each lady sacrifice their comfort in order to be more aware during labor and experience what my girls think was God’s way of delivery. Although not for everyone, we have a crew here that would be glad to tell you the joy they have had in bringing their children into the world this way. Obviously, I am VERY proud of them all!

So my wife and I get home late last night and we realized one profound fact: WE HAVE NO COUPLE IN OUR FAMILY PREGNANT RIGHT NOW!!!! Put a pencil to it: 4 couples have given us 8 grandchildren in the last 7 years. We haven’t had a lot of time when we weren’t praying daily for that pregnant couple and the baby that mom-to-be was carrying. We’re not sure how we will act with this break but we’ll make the best of it. Oh – we think there are more to come. Based on our “grandparent prognostication” with some here say thrown in from the couples involved, we could see anywhere between 1 to 3 or 4 more in the next few years. If you ask our latest mom, Kajsa, TODAY if she is ready for another child right now – it’s a NO! But that may not be her final answer – we’ll see! Her husband has other thoughts but my advice to you, my son Christopher, bring that up a little later – OK?

BLESSED! That’s all I can say as I write this! I can’t believe I got to take my lunch break today, go to the hospital to hold and begin Poppy bonding with the first WHITE grandson in this family. He’ll carry on the family name and I’ll hold my head high watching him do it. WOW!

Jake my young man – you ARE proving 8 is GREAT! Thanks for joining us. We are privileged to get to watch you grow up in front of our very eyes! But grow quickly dude – there are several other cousins ahead of you that will be clamoring for the same turf! But that’s no problem – we’ll just extend the field of play. Don’t you worry!