A Child is Born
"A baby is a blank cheque made payable to the human race." ~Barbara Christine Seifert
I'm a new Aunt. My brother and sister in law had their first baby yesterday. My kids are so excited that there is another cousin in the mix that they have been buying items since last year for the baby. Tori is exceptionally thrilled because her new cousin is a girl ~ Emma.
Having a baby in the military can be an amazing thing. Our most memorable addition was when Victoria was born in Korea. Everyone on assignment in Korea is far from home, so you make your neighbor your surrogate family and military units become exceptionally close. This was definately the case for us. Vic was in Command of the Whitehorse Company and the whole Brigade had become our family. Our doctor was Dr. Miller, a Family Practice doctor who had convinced me in the first place that having another baby was a good idea. We delivered her believing she was a he until she cried and Vic told the nurse that "he" didn't sound like a "he" at which time the nurse said that "he" was a "she". We had our girl! Within hours the visits began. One military family after another from our unit came by to say hello and see Tori. Everyone walking in with large vases of pink flowers. The Korean lady who owned the flower shop on post, Grace Moon, (Tori's namesake) had predicted that our baby was a girl, much to my arguing, and I believe she prepared for this. My hospital room looked like a garden. When one of the last visitors came that day, our Chaplain, he came holding a plant. "Grace said you would understand, she sold out of flowers." was all he said. It was an amazing day.
The second day in the hospital, I was visited first by Dr. Miller who was checking on me after a shift in the emergency room. He told me that an older lady kept trying to die on him the night before but he had told her that she couldn't die on Victoria's birthday. On his scrubs under his nametape were two pieces of medical tape. Written on those pieces of tape were words that said "Delivered Victoria Grace Lindenmeyer "and the time of delivery with all of her stats, weight, length, etc. He had worn that on his scrubs all night. Later in the morning I was visited by Vic's Colonel for the second time. He was on his way to a meeting, but wanted to stop in and see how Tori and I were doing. He sat with her in the rocking chair just staring and rocking and talking to me about how blessed babies are. Here was a man who had so much that he needed to do and he spent a long time with me. His driver came in several times to remind him of his meeting and that he would be late, but COL Mundt kept rocking.
These moments make such a lasting impression on how I see the military. Having a new baby is a significant life changing event. It is scary. It is exciting. It is a time to be celebrated. Vic and I would go excitedly to the hospital when one of his Soldiers had a child. I went alone during the years he was in Iraq. Always with a camera and always with time, because COL Mundt had set in my mind what was important. When a new baby is born, being there is the order of business.
Today, from across the miles, I'm thinking about my new niece and hoping that she and her mom and dad are surrounded by love like we have been. I'm also thinking about all those that joined in with us as we celebrated Tori's new life so many years ago and wishing them well.
Time to find a florist, there are pink flowers to be delivered......
I'm a new Aunt. My brother and sister in law had their first baby yesterday. My kids are so excited that there is another cousin in the mix that they have been buying items since last year for the baby. Tori is exceptionally thrilled because her new cousin is a girl ~ Emma.
Having a baby in the military can be an amazing thing. Our most memorable addition was when Victoria was born in Korea. Everyone on assignment in Korea is far from home, so you make your neighbor your surrogate family and military units become exceptionally close. This was definately the case for us. Vic was in Command of the Whitehorse Company and the whole Brigade had become our family. Our doctor was Dr. Miller, a Family Practice doctor who had convinced me in the first place that having another baby was a good idea. We delivered her believing she was a he until she cried and Vic told the nurse that "he" didn't sound like a "he" at which time the nurse said that "he" was a "she". We had our girl! Within hours the visits began. One military family after another from our unit came by to say hello and see Tori. Everyone walking in with large vases of pink flowers. The Korean lady who owned the flower shop on post, Grace Moon, (Tori's namesake) had predicted that our baby was a girl, much to my arguing, and I believe she prepared for this. My hospital room looked like a garden. When one of the last visitors came that day, our Chaplain, he came holding a plant. "Grace said you would understand, she sold out of flowers." was all he said. It was an amazing day.
The second day in the hospital, I was visited first by Dr. Miller who was checking on me after a shift in the emergency room. He told me that an older lady kept trying to die on him the night before but he had told her that she couldn't die on Victoria's birthday. On his scrubs under his nametape were two pieces of medical tape. Written on those pieces of tape were words that said "Delivered Victoria Grace Lindenmeyer "and the time of delivery with all of her stats, weight, length, etc. He had worn that on his scrubs all night. Later in the morning I was visited by Vic's Colonel for the second time. He was on his way to a meeting, but wanted to stop in and see how Tori and I were doing. He sat with her in the rocking chair just staring and rocking and talking to me about how blessed babies are. Here was a man who had so much that he needed to do and he spent a long time with me. His driver came in several times to remind him of his meeting and that he would be late, but COL Mundt kept rocking.
These moments make such a lasting impression on how I see the military. Having a new baby is a significant life changing event. It is scary. It is exciting. It is a time to be celebrated. Vic and I would go excitedly to the hospital when one of his Soldiers had a child. I went alone during the years he was in Iraq. Always with a camera and always with time, because COL Mundt had set in my mind what was important. When a new baby is born, being there is the order of business.
Today, from across the miles, I'm thinking about my new niece and hoping that she and her mom and dad are surrounded by love like we have been. I'm also thinking about all those that joined in with us as we celebrated Tori's new life so many years ago and wishing them well.
Time to find a florist, there are pink flowers to be delivered......
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