Whoa! Didja get the numbers off that truck?!?

June 17, 2003 - 10:57 p.m.

Good Morning

He announced his arrival early that Wednesday morning. We had been up late wallpapering the new walls in his room in preparation for his arrival. He was a planned C-section; he wasn�t supposed to arrive for another two weeks. But Son2 didn�t know anything about those plans, he was ready.

She never went to sleep that night; the contractions had already started by about one AM. She woke me at 4 AM, and told me it was time. We got stuff ready and I hoisted a very sleepy Son1 into my arms and carried him down to the car.

We dropped our little two year old at his Aunt and Uncle�s house at about 5:30 AM. He looked so cute, drowsy in his summer PJs. He didn�t realize he was about to be a big brother.

We arrived at the hospital at about six AM and began the monotonous regimen of walking around the maternity floor. The contractions were quick and strong, she had to stop sometimes, until they subsided. All the time she was complaining about how it was too early, we had planned this thing! I was glad he was finally here, an early riser like his dad.

Rules had changed since that last time I was there; they allowed me in the operating room. They got her prepped, put up the drapes and got ready to zip her open. This was all very strange and new to me, but to all but two people in the room, this was routine.

There was a clear hose draped across my lap. It was pretty close quarters there so I didn�t think much of it. Not at least until I realized it was a suction hose, and her vital fluids started flowing through it as the operation began. I knew marriage involved closeness but I was prepared for that kind of closeness.

It�s a boy!

He was so small and helpless, and healthy. All his eyes and nose and hands and feet were intact. Matching hands. Thank you, God.

As in Son1�s birth I followed him from the table to the Apgar test, to the cleaning up, and then they handed him to me. My little boy. He was smaller than Son1 at birth but still a respectable 8 pounds. He had a small shock of dark hair which he soon lost. And he calmly looked at his new world, and he studied me. I looked at him with love; he regarded me with quiet curiosity. I don�t remember anything else about that day except my first summer morning in a wooden rocking chair with my brand new son.

Happy Birthday, Son2. You�re sixteen now.

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