Northside Hospital

Good Morning from Northside Hospital in Atlanta, GA.

We're on the sixth floor and I can see the endless headlights, on I-285, GA 400, or possibly I-75 - I'm seeing main arteries of this city and it's a bit hard to name them and know the direction.  But it's solid with folks getting somewhere - school, work, hospitals, work, airports - That is so not my cup of tea and I long for the slow roads of small town Alabama or Georgia.  I've discovered my favorite route from and to this city. Going home, the Adairsville exit is where I break away and boom, boom, boom, through state and county roads, I'm back in Scottsboro.  I even get to go through the scenic Mentone, AL.  All the rural homes and farms and land and cows and fields rest my eyes and soul.

How can I post about anything other than my newborn grandson who is incredibly strong and gobbling up his food?  The nurses are aghast at his energy and, oops, "high maintenance" temperament.  Laura Beth was hoping for a Scott personality instead of, well, her own.(I don't mean that she is H.M. now, but she's heard stories about her first year in this world. It was a bit trying)  Maybe he'll calm down - because when Ada was born and  first at home, she seemed rather sedate and laid back - yet - little did we know - she came very alive.  I think we might be in for some sleepy days ahead, adjusting to this newborn who will join them probably tomorrow.  LB goes home tonight without her baby boy - but he is doing so good and she will be back first thing early tomorrow morning.

I will go to McDonough around 9:30 to settle in for the proverbial "Grandmother-staying-to-help-with-the-new-baby Visit".  This time I will be assisted by Aunt Sarah, for just a while.

Anyone notice that Charlie seems to be missing in action?  Probably not - probably haven't even thought about it.  And Kate didn't show up on my post regarding John's Birthday.  Kate was there - but couldn't leave Auburn until about the time Laura Beth was pushing. She came later that afternoon.  Charlie has had to miss the whole thing due to a very intense murder trial which they have right now.  In fact, I didn't even call him Monday morning to tell him she was going to the hospital.  I would have had to wake him up and even though I knew he'd be going to work early,  I didn't want him to have all of that to think about as they started their first day of jury trials - so - I waited until she was about to push and called the office to tell one of the girls that "this was what was 'going down' " and that I would call back as soon as  John was safely delivered.  Charlie told me later that one of his guys had been texted from the office with my message, "Laura Beth is pushing".  He just flipped his phone open and showed it to Charlie.  Charlie was, of course, taken aback, because the last we'd talked on Sunday night, Laura Beth wasn't even hinting about labor and I was planning to return to Scottsboro.  He said his emotions almost got a bit, well, let's just say that as he sat there in the courtroom, he was having to "get it together and was wiping the moisture from his eyes".  He said he could only hope that the jury thought it was emotion over the murder victim and would feel sympathy for his case.  He wanted so badly to be here and then to get that extremely unexpected message.....

Okay....that's it....and I'm going to comb my brain for something to write about in the next days besides the birth of John.  I might all along write about the first days of John at home.....we'll see.  It'll be hard to resist pictures.  I'll be back in Scottsboro, probably in at least 2 weeks - so if anyone reads this stuff - after I go home I'll for sure change the subject.