The STREETS of San Francisco

My second grandchild was born three years after Ethan and has shown me a whole new level of grandeur.  A granddaughter!

My son, Tom Kearney and the lovely Maura announced their pregnancy and soon after started responding to the oft-repeated and occasionally annoying question:  “What are you going to name the baby?”  Their response usually gave people (including me) some pause for thought.  They said that a good name for a boy OR a girl should honor San Francisco, the city of birth in a special way.  “We’ve decide to name the baby Taylor Mason Kearney,” Tom said (with a smirk any mother could interpret).  “Then the hip-hop name could be Streets. “

 Yeah, right -- the Streets of San Francisco.

Tracey and I were on the team for Maura’s delivery and were living in Santa Rosa.  We’d gotten news bulletins all day about them going to the hospital, going home, and the last call from Tom was well into the December evening.  He conveyed that there was no real rush, we could go back to bed and come in the morning.  Which we did until Tracey got an intuitive flash.  She got me back out of bed and we had clear sailing down the 101.  We arrived at Kaiser in S.F. just about the time Maura requested her epidural.  With seven sisters, many who had been through delivery more than once, she had gotten the lowdown on the preferred medications.

Tom had brought a catchers mitt to help with the delivery, to catch the baby if necessary.  He did his best to keep us and the hospital staff amused; Maura, not so much.  

From our arrival on, Maura was a champ, with apparent ease delivering her baby girl in pretty quick fashion, Tom could have lent the catcher’s mitt to the doctor who was surprised by the rapid progression of events that culminated in our gorgeous, blue eyed wonder – Taylor Mason Kearney.  It was clear in a minute – this IS Taylor. 

My blissed out state reminded me about how lucky I was to be present with Tom and Maura at thler delivery time. And how glad I was that Tracey was tuned in to her sister-in-law.  We were honored to be included at this deeply personal and important time.  It created a deeper bond with Maura and a forever bond with Taylor my GRANDdaughter.