You Can Call Me EditorGrandma

Just after 11 p.m. on May 14, I had crawled into bed, very tired but unable to sleep. The phone then demanded that I answer it; Ed was already deeply asleep and didn't hear it. It was Li calling to say that Anastasia "Ana" Kathleen* Sanchez, all 8 pounds 3 ounces (and 21.5 inches) of her, had arrived at about 10:45 and was happily breastfeeding in her mother's arms.

I woke Ed just long enough to tell him that he was a grandpa and that I was going to meet our new family member. I listened to triumphant late-night classical music on the car radio all the way over to the hospital (and later, all the way back home). By the time I arrived, it was just about midnight. The kind nurse, at Becky's request, had held off taking Anastasia to the nursery for the full measurement-and-cleanup routine so that I could hold my first grandchild.

Li, looking like a proud lion, his hair grown out into a long, springy 'fro, handed me the most beautiful little doll, who was sleeping contentedly because she'd just eaten and was snugly bundled. She's a soft dusky rose and, as Li and Becky agree, she looks at the moment like a miniature Li. She has a full head of wavy black hair, which is so much fun to see, as all my babies were blond and nearly bald at birth, not having much hair at all until they were at least 12 months old. Ana snuggled closely into my arms, humming away in her sleep. She recognized not only her mom's and dad's voices but also her grandma's.

Ed is taking today off work, as am I, and young Uncle Neil and Uncle Jared will miss seventh-grade classes and kindergarten classes, respectively, so that they can go with Ed to meet their niece and see their sister. Neil said before bed last night, "I miss my Becky. I want to hug her."

I'll post links to photos as soon as we can get a chance to download the images from Becky and Li's digital camera to my computer.

Now it's after 1:30 a.m. on May 15, and I really need sleep!

________________________
*Anastasia? "Because it sounds regal."
*Kathleen? To honor Becky's paternal grandmother, a sweet, kind,
*loving woman



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