“There’s the heartbeat!” the tech exclaimed as we ignored our daughter and crowded around the TV screen. Sure enough, a tiny pulse of light beat out a staccato rhythm in the raspberry-sized formation—our grandchild-in-progress at seven and a half weeks gestation.
An awed silence filled the room. “I never thought I’d be present for this moment,” Pedro said. “I can die happy now.”
Don’t get me wrong—he’s not near death (as far as we know—only God knows the number of our days). But humor in life AD (after diagnosis) varies greatly from humor in life BC (before cancer). He said the same thing when each of the girls graduated from eighth grade, and then high school, and when he walked Laura down the aisle, and when she graduated from college.
Staring death in the face leaves a person with a greater appreciation for the present of the present. Click To TweetOne does not normally celebrate a heartbeat—but we did. We left the imaging center, piled in the truck and celebrated with a big breakfast at a nearby restaurant. The five of us laughed and enjoyed our last day of Christmas vacation together before heading back to Laura and Louis’ house to finish our remodeling job.
Late that afternoon, just as the sun started to slip below the low-hanging clouds, we gathered in the backyard and tried to get their dog to cooperate for a photo shoot. Only one of the thirty or so shots turned out (Bella insisted on moving—mostly to check out Pedro’s every move on the back porch).
And now, Laura and Louis are ready to share their news with the world via Bella’s announcement:
I have now attained grandmother-in-training status. What are your favorite grandma memories (either with your grandma or as a grandma)?
