Aaron Thunder Coleman

As I play with my delighted grandson, I can only think about how I found out he was on his way to turning my world upside down. It is a pleasure to smile at him now, but just a few years ago I could only cry and worry about him. It was such a different world and we had no idea how he would end up today. After two and half years, I have found peace with my decisions and myself since finding out the shocking and upsetting news July 5, 2007.

I decided to let my three children visit with their dad, their grandmother and their great-grandmother in the summer of 2007. The visit seemed normal during the month they stayed there. I received regular phone calls from everybody and the kids called me every night before they went to bed. I was anticipating their return the night before they were due to come back. I received an odd phone call from my grandmother; my life has never been the same.

“Adrienne,” my grandmother began say on the other side of my cell phone, “Arielle is bigged.”

“Mamou, what does ‘bigged’ mean?” I asked with complete confusion.

“Baby,” she paused, “Arielle is pregnant!” Those words hit my heart like a ton of bricks. I could not believe it. My baby is only 14 years old how could this be? I thought about the previous months and the last time I had seen her. She showed no signs of being pregnant. The pictures they sent me of what they were doing showed nothing.

That was probably one of the most difficult night sleep I have ever gotten. By the time I went to get them from the airport, it was the only thing that was on my mind. How could my 14-year-old daughter be pregnant? When she stepped off the plane, I saw exactly what my grandmother was talking about. The plumped face and the slight baby bump was a for-sure sign. How could this be, Lord?

All of the clinics were closed due to the July 4^th holiday. Therefore, I went to Walgreens and purchased two tests hoping they would come back negative, at the time. I was still in disbelief when they came back positive. I called my best friend, Arielle’s godmother, and vented to her about everything. She told me to pull myself together and stop crying because Arielle needed me now.

The next day I took her to Planned Parenthood, and again, the test was positive. We were sent to a gynecologist where they administered an ultrasound. The doctor verified, what I think was, our worst dreams.

“Yes ma’am, this young lady is definitely pregnant.” the doctor in blue jeans scrubs told us as he began to clean up the equipment. “Are you her mom?”

“Yes.” I answered as I looked down and saw my daughter crying. Little did she know, I wanted to cry myself."

She is term."

“Term? I know what term is, but what do you mean term?” I was not fully coherent of what was going on at this time. How did I let her walk by me and play with me for nine full months without noticing! I had to sit down. I use work with pregnant people and I could not spot it out in my own daughter.

Ma’am, I will send you and your daughter to the University Hospital because this baby is due any day.”

The nurse walked out of the room and with her went all of my tears. I started to think a little harder about my daughter’s activities. She ran track, played volleyball and basketball, and--oh Lord--the medication she had taken for back pain. She took a lot of harmful medications, when she had the flu and her strong gastroindegestion medication--Tamiflu, 600 mg of Ibuprofen, Theraflu, Pepcid AC, all of the medicines you are to avoid taking when bearing a child-- and her illnesses goes on for days. My poor grandchild.

Just weeks later, literally, my daughter had a caesarean section and gave birth to a healthy baby boy (that was announced to be a girl during later ultrasounds). He was 8 lbs 10 oz and 20 ¼ inches long at birth. Between my grandmother and I, we named him Aaron Thunder Coleman. I was still in disbelief during all of the commotion associated with a new birth, but I have overcome it all and so has my daughter.

Arielle has graduated from Rangeview High School, and she is attending the University of Denver. I was at a loss for words when we were told she was pregnant at 14 and at an even greater loss for words when she was accepted to DU on Christmas Eve. Aaron will be starting His pre Pre-K school as well. Through it all, I have slept in my own room peacefully every night as she took care of her “little monster” alone.

Arielle is a normal seventeen-year old girl with much high priorities. Aaron keeps her busy and she keeps him with her everywhere. She has lugged him to her school when she had to take finals and he had Scarlet Fever. She has kept higher than a 3.5 grade average since having him. Many girls would have given up if they went through what she has endured in the past three years, but my daughter has kept her head held high and has overcome everything.

At almost three years old, my grandson is the light of everybody’s eye, as well as mine. He is so advanced and active in so many ways. I just hold him and look at his button nose as he sleeps, after being hidden away from me for almost nine months he has surely made up for the lost time. I am his “Nana Girl” and that is my “Thunder Pie.”