Baby Freedom Is Now Cecilia Jane

Pity the poor expectant mother who goes through an ordinary labor—she will have nothing to share with friends or family about the travails of her delivery. Ellie, on the other hand, no doubt will have plenty to tell about the birth Tuesday of her and Donny's daughter, Cecilia Jane Novak, their first offspring, Gilda's and my third grandchild.

I'm under strict restrictions not to reveal details but I can tell you that CJ, formerly known as Baby Freedom (conceived on the 4th of July and born during the festival of Passover, the liberation of the Hebrews from hundreds of years of bondage in Egypt), belied her nickname by staying inside the womb a week longer than forecast. She was riding high inside Ellie when last we saw her after the second seder Saturday night.

Contractions started Monday morning but Ellie didn't go to the hospital until after midnight. CJ made her entrance  at 10:38 am Tuesday.

I don't mean to suggest extended delivery is harder on grandparents than parents but it is rather difficult just waiting around for news. As type-A personalities Gilda and I are not the best bystanders. The no-news-is-good-news mantra just doesn't cut it when waiting for a grandchild to show up.

But all is cobetzedek now that Cecilia Jane has arrived and everyone—mother, father, child and grandparents, in New York and Omaha—is resting comfortably.

(For those who might wonder, cobetzedek is derived from the Hebrew words hacol bestedek which translates to "everything is all right.")

Baby Freedom Is Coming. Just Not Yet

Soon, any day now, Baby Freedom will paddle down the birth canal inside Ellie and present us with our third grandchild. Her due date was March 31, but you can never tell with first pregnancies if they will culminate on the appointed date.

You may be wondering why I referred to our soon-to-be granddaughter as Baby Freedom. Count back nine months and you will note conception most probably occurred over the Fourth of July holiday.

Moreover, revealing her dual heritage, Baby Freedom will pop out before or during Passover, the holiday that celebrates the release of the Hebrews from bondage in Egypt, their exodus and formation as a united people.

Whatever Ellie and Donny choose to name her, she will always symbolize freedom to Gilda and me. It will be tough not using her nickname of the last half year, Freddy.

Medical Update: Nothing new to report on the kidney stone front. No pain. No sign it has passed.

Meanwhile, it appears that rather than pain from a TMJ disorder I have a nerve problem in a bottom molar, tooth #30 for you would-be dentists. Seeing a specialist Thursday morning. Either a root canal or an extraction replaced by an implant looks to be in my future. In the interim, as Gilda can attest, I am not suffering in silence. Whimpering abounds. 

Solar Update: Four days into our solar panel project we have saved a whopping $5. I know. It doesn't sound like a lot. But we are only expecting to save about $1,000 a year which is about $2.75 a day. Given the mostly overcast weather of the last few days we might not be too far off from projections. We could make it up when it is truly sunny out.