Hurricane Baby

Emily Camille Thomer, born August 12, 2005

When the ultrasound in April confirmed that our new baby was a girl, Dave and I already had the name picked out. We both loved the name 'Emily' -- such a pretty feminine name... and a solid family name among my Gulf Coast ancestors (Amelia, Amelie, Emmaline, Emily). The middle name was easy too, for ever since I was a little girl I had wanted to name my baby after that hurricane - that catastrophe - that had long been part of coast history and its residents' psyche: Camille.

My due date was pronounced to be sometime in mid-August, but considering my tendency to deliver a bit early Dave and I both became pretty nervous when Hurricane Emily formed in mid-July. A record-breaking Category 5 storm at least once in its course across the Gulf of Mexico -- Emily passed through the Windwards causing heavy damage in Grenada, then slammed into the Yucatan causing an estimated $400 million in damage in Mexico. The storm officially dissipated on my birthday, July 21st, 2005. We all breathed a sigh of relief then as my chances of Emily being a true 'hurricane baby' had passed.

A couple of weeks later (and on Dave's birthday!), August 12, 2005 - Emily Camille Thomer was born. I called her my little hurricane - named for two category five storms.... I had no idea what was to come.

Emily & I had been home from the hospital for barely ten days when Tropical Storm Katrina was upgraded to hurricane status and made landfall in Florida on August 25th. We all watched the news with great anticipation as she entered the Gulf with a forecasted track heading straight for Pascagoula, MS. Dave began calling to make arrangements for a hotel room - but even then could find nothing available any closer than 300 miles from home. Neither the baby nor I were in any condition for such a long and gruelling evacuation and we prayed and begged that Katrina would not strengthen.

We were relieved on August 28th to see that the path for Katrina had edged much further west -- but horrified when we understood this was putting New Orleans directly in the path. By late that evening - the path was slightly west of New Orleans (which would have meant NOLA would take the brunt of the storm) -- and absolutely nothing in the meteorological reports suggested that the storm would take a northern turn any sooner than that. Our local officials had yet to issue any evacuation orders and we were told to prepare for tropical storm force winds with possible hurricane force gusts in our area....

We all know what happened next...

Somewhere in all the chaos and terror -- there was Emily. My little baby. Such odd memories I have of time shared with my newborn! I remember one of my cousins stopping by our house the day after the storm. She was dressed in shorts and huge rubber boots and came to our open kitchen windows while we looked out. "Where's the baby?" she asked. I brought her to the window -- dressed in nothing but a diaper and damp from being sponged off with water to stay cool. "What's her name?" she asked. "Emily...." "Her middle name?" "Uh.. Camille." I winced.

I remember lying her in the bassinet because there was no other clean spot in the house.. fanning her constantly -- trying to keep the flies off... I never held her to give her a bottle because I was much too dirty. Dave and I would try to prop her just right on dirty blankets and just hold the very back of the bottle -- always trying to keep our filthy hands as far from her as we could. When we retreated to my mother's house - we had no baby bed.. no blankets.. no room... and for twelve days she slept in her car seat. One night I tried to hold her to rock her to sleep and gave up when I could feel my arms giving out from the weight -- the long hours of shoveling muck and hauling debris in addition to the dehydration had taken their toll.

There were no baby showers. No visits from happy relatives. There was no time to coo and cuddle. The brand new baby clothes and little baby socks... baby rattles and beautiful blankets were found floating in sludge.

I wish I had a dime for every time I have heard someone say, "Oh my goodness - you have a baby? I had no idea!!"

I'm so proud of Emily - my little forgotten baby. She is beautiful and healthy -- and so quick to smile. She doesn't seem to mind all of those hours and weeks and months of patiently waiting for her day to come. She has been our inspiration. She is the reason we work day-in and day-out to make our house a home again -- despite the odds. She is the reason we would not retreat to hotel rooms or camper parks. She is the reason we are striving for 'normal' in such an abnormal place and time. And she's the reason we try to manage it all with a smile. She does not even know what she lived through... all she knows is that she is warm and safe and dry now. That's all that really should matter to any of us, isn't it?

So, Emily -- this one is for you. I am sorry it has been so long in coming. Welcome to the world, sweetheart. We love you.