Yet Another Hospital stay

I am at the hospital with my youngest daughter Hope. She is in labor with her son, and we are patiently waiting for his arrival. Hope’s contractions are getting more intense. She isn’t allowed to have visitors at this time.
The baby will be a month premature, so she asking that people who would like to meet him wait for a couple of weeks. He will have to stay a minimum of five days after his arrival. Hope and I will stay with him. Hope brought a photo of Alex to be her focal point during contractions. It is an exciting day, but we all miss Alex’s presence, as she was supposed to be one of Hope’s labor coaches. As new events and additions to our family take place, it becomes more real that Alex is no longer here. My heart is so full of pain and sorrow. For a woman, being in labor is such a powerless experience..can’t change our minds at that point..the baby will come, only after horrible pain for various periods of time. Isn’t it ironic that losing a child can be so similar..horrible pain with such an intense feeling of powerlessness. The difference of course is that after experiencing labor, comes the joy of having the child. Hope is an amazing young woman, and will be a good mother. She is incredibly loving and fiercely loyal, with good instincts. Thank you to Laura and Jeannette who are helping through this..the surrogate Aunties. Landon will not lack in love or support in his life.