My Grandchild’s Journey:

A little over 3 years ago, upon learning of the impending birth of my first grandchild, I decided to document my thoughts so I could share them someday with what I didn’t know at the time would be my first of 2 grandsons.  I ended up writing 8 short pieces over several months and then got busy on other projects and discontinued my journal.  Over the next few days I’ll publish these raw drafts as a tribute to my first grandson and his little brother who is now closing in on his fourth month among us. Since they were short entries, I’ll be posting them 2 at a time.

My Grandchild’s Journey: Part 3

At 18 weeks it’s official.  My grandchild is now my grandson.

At 18 weeks my grandson’s arms, legs, fingers, and toes are formed and functional.  His spine, ribs, and the rest of his 206 bones are clearly visible by sonogram.  The two hemispheres of his brain are easily seen even though he only weighs 7 ounces.

As my family and I viewed the sonogram, my daughter’s doctor pointed out the indisputable evidence that her baby was indeed a boy.

Now, picking a name and choosing the right room colors and baby furniture takes on a new sense of urgency for my daughter and her husband, while the rest of the family debates what football team’s colors the newest member of our family should wear on the trip home from the hospital next March.

At 18 weeks my grandson was trying to put his thumb in his mouth.  He was moving on his own and we could see his heart beating in his chest.

At 18 weeks my grandson is already a part of our family as we continue to watch him grow and develop.

And at 18 weeks, under current U.S. law, my grandson could still be aborted simply because his parents decided that now is not the right time to have a baby.

Thousands of times every day in America a baby’s fate is determined in this manner and the chance for a new life to make its mark on the world is denied.

My grandson will be given the opportunity to make his mark on the world and he’ll do it with the love and support of his family.

I can only hope that his presence in the world will inspire just one more person to make the right choice and choose life.

My Grandchild’s Journey: Part 4

At 20 weeks my grandson is the size of an eggplant and weighs about 11 ounces.  And my beautiful and very petite daughter has barely gained a pound.  She is, however, beginning to display a slight rounding on her normally flat stomach, evidence of the new and rapidly developing life nestled comfortably inside, having now completed slightly more than half his journey to birth.

At this stage of life my grandson is able to discern and react to sound.  He is becoming more active and the resulting feeling described by my daughter as fluttering in her stomach is becoming more frequent.

As his growth and development accelerates, my grandson is moving his new found arms and legs with more vigor, almost as if he were testing them to learn how to use them and discovering what they are for.

When my grandson is welcomed to the world next March, he will begin his life in a world full of unprecedented challenges and opportunities.  As a family, we will always be honest with him about life’s challenges while we teach him that the only real limits in life are the ones we place upon ourselves.

I hope my grandson will read this someday and know that my generation did everything in our power to make the world a better place for his generation.  I hope he will grow up in a society that has renewed its reverence for life at every stage, from conception to natural death.   And I hope that he learns very early in life, not to take anything too seriously.

And finally, after what I pray is a long and fruitful life, I hope he can look back and reflect on his life and know that the world is a better place because he was here.