Double Chai*
Not the tea-like drink.
Today is my brother's 36th birthday. Like a dope, I didn't call: he's on the East Coast, I'm on the West, and it's tough to find a time when we're both awake and home and not trying to feed our kids dinner.
It's hard to believe my little brother's on the downward slope to 40 now, just like me. I remember walking next to my mom while she pushed his baby carriage along a path in Riverside Park, and old ladies stopping us so they could coochie-coo at him.
Today is also the day one of my best friends became a mother. Her partner gave birth this morning, three months early. There hadn't been any sign of trouble in the pregnancy before last night. Birth-mom and baby are in one of the best hospitals in the region; the baby's in the NICU on a respirator.
If you believe in prayer of any sort, to any deity or combination thereof, and feel like sending one out for this baby girl, it would be a really, really good thing.
*"Chai" [with the "ch" pronounced as in "Chanukah"] is the Hebrew word for "life." The number eighteen is spelled using the same Hebrew letters as the word "life," and 18, and multiples of 18, have come to signify life in the Jewish tradition.
Today is my brother's 36th birthday. Like a dope, I didn't call: he's on the East Coast, I'm on the West, and it's tough to find a time when we're both awake and home and not trying to feed our kids dinner.
It's hard to believe my little brother's on the downward slope to 40 now, just like me. I remember walking next to my mom while she pushed his baby carriage along a path in Riverside Park, and old ladies stopping us so they could coochie-coo at him.
Today is also the day one of my best friends became a mother. Her partner gave birth this morning, three months early. There hadn't been any sign of trouble in the pregnancy before last night. Birth-mom and baby are in one of the best hospitals in the region; the baby's in the NICU on a respirator.
If you believe in prayer of any sort, to any deity or combination thereof, and feel like sending one out for this baby girl, it would be a really, really good thing.
*"Chai" [with the "ch" pronounced as in "Chanukah"] is the Hebrew word for "life." The number eighteen is spelled using the same Hebrew letters as the word "life," and 18, and multiples of 18, have come to signify life in the Jewish tradition.
posted by elswhere | 9:52 PM
2 Comments:
My baby was a also NICU baby. I don't know what is going on with your friend so I can't say it will be all right, but I will say a prayer and have faith that it will be ok. Can you tell us the baby's name?
Carrie and Sarah-- thanks so much for sharing your stories and for your thoughts. I honestly wasn't sure whether to write about all this on the blog, since it's not exactly my own experience, but I'm concerned for the baby and the moms and it's helpful to me to hear about your experiences. So, thank you.
The parents aren't telling anyone the name for a while, I'm not sure for how long. In addition to everything else, they weren't expecting to be parents for a few months yet and are still regrouping. I'm hoping to get to see them in the next few days.
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