It’s finally happened for me. After what seems like a lifetime of waiting and waiting I am FINALLY a grandmother!

The majority of my friends and one of my sisters are all grandmothers before me, and they all had the same thing to say to me in the months leading up to “the arrival”.

Just. You. Wait.

And they said it with such inflection in their tone, like they all shared a world that I knew nothing about. As if they were a part of a secret society that I was getting ready to enter, yet could not comprehend the life awaiting me.

Flash forward to nine months of waiting. Praying for this new member of our family. The anticipation of the reveal party when we learned we were having a girl, the planning of an enormous shower in the middle of winter on Inauguration weekend.

OK, back up a minute. Did you notice how casually I mentioned we were having a girl? A GIRL!!!!! After three amazing sons, who I adored with all my heart…God granted us a granddaughter. We were tremendously excited and slightly terrified. Even though I grew up in a family of all girls (as did my granddaughter’s mother), the Harkins family had not produced a girl baby in 66 years!

We commenced into the world of all things pink with careless abandon. And I happily remain there today.

The first few months of pregnancy dragged on forever (for me!), and then we hit the holidays and life got kind of crazy as it does for all women. The first of the year came, and the other grandmother and I threw a big, ole fun shower for 80 people, including my sisters and my parents who flew up from Atlanta. (But they had to fly into Philly because all the flights to BWI were full of Inauguration weekend/protest rally people.)

After the shower, I was out of town a couple of times, including a mission trip that left me only a few days before the baby’s due date, so I had a “talk to the belly” before I left, asking her to kindly stay put till I got home.

I woke up at 1am the morning I was to fly home. My DIL and the baby were on my mind and I had an overwhelming need to pray for them. So I did and fell back to sleep. At 3am the same thing happened. I was a little more concerned, because I have learned throughout my life that the prompting of the Holy Spirit to pray is not without reason.  Again, I prayed for the safe delivery of our precious one.

At 5am, my alarm went off to get up, and I checked my phone and there was a text from my hub, saying that our son and DIL were to the way to the hospital, her water broke. I quickly texted my DIL a bunch of emojis that looked like praying hands, clapping hands and party hats.

My phone rang immediately.

It was my son and DIL on the car speakerphone, as they were driving to the hospital. They were calm and in an almost festive mood yet I felt the urgency to get home ASAP.

Long story short: I made it home in time to be here for the BIG ARRIVAL. My DIL was a labor rock star and our girl is here, just like Mary Poppins: practically perfect in every way.

I am now a full member in the society of grandmothers. I look at this little miracle and my heart is full of instant love and thankfulness for her life. I am excited for all the potential in this little baby girl. I’m already planning big things for her and me. I have to keep most of it to myself, lest I overwhelm the rest of the family. But it’s there believe me. Pinned all over my Pinterest Grandkids board.

This week is Holy Week. Of course, this year, my little one is too young to do traditional Easter activities. But I look forward to the day we will dye Easter eggs, make a bunny cake and talk about Jesus and the cross and the empty tomb.

Cause that’s part of what grandma’s do.

My grandma name is MaeMae.

My granddaughter’s name is Karalin Grace.

We are going to be big friends. And we are gonna have big fun. Bigly.