Valiant Little Dog

I've been awaiting the birth of a very special nephew (whose pregnancy I blogged about a bit here). I have two other very special nephews and a niece (whose antics are recounted by their parents here). This eagerly anticipated nephew is my little brother's first child, making him a blood nephew. But more than that, this little one is my brother's child.

My brother is very special to me. We used to be as different as could be. I was the band geek/honor student, who had the pretense of being a good little girl. Little brother was the athlete/fraternity boy, who had the pretense of being a baaadasss. I don't think we're soooooo different these days. And he's the only person in the world with a shared growing-up experience, which gives him a window into my soul that few others have.

Weeks ago, when I was wrestling with the possibility that Bright Flower (now known as Kiran Jasmine) might come a bit early (at 36 weeks LMP instead of the ideal 40 weeks), my brother and his wife were so supportive and encouraging of me and my concerns. Then on the day that Kiran was born, my sister-in-law was on the way to the delivery room to join me when she felt a "gush". It turns out that the gush was amniotic fluid. My little nephew was threatening to come into the world much too early - at 31 weeks LMP. That would make him about 3 lbs and without full lung development. So what I was worrying about with Bright Flower is happening with my nephew.

My sister-in-law was admitted to the hospital one week ago. She has been been prescribed bed rest with full fetal monitoring under the watchful eye of her physician until the baby is born. The goal is to get to at least 34 weeks LMP, which is another 2 weeks.

My brother and his wife have already given their little one a name. He will be Riley Madden Law. Riley means "valiant or courageous" and Madden means "little dog". So this is my prayer for nephew - that he would fulfill his name and be a feisty little fighter, like his chihuahua "siblings" that no doubt inspired his name.

So hang in there, valiant little dog. Auntie Clarice loves you and wants you to come into this world healthy and strong.

Clarice