Double Digits, part II

The doctor made it back in by 01:00 and apologized for being held up with another delivery on the same floor. I nodded to the doc and shrugged, as if to say, "what can you do?" When doc again examined K, she was at 9 cm! No Cesarean section would be needed after all! The level of pitosin was increased again and I believe they introduced another medication into the IV bottle.

Then things began to heat up quickly. Within another hour and a half, labor pains increased significantly and came closer together. At the 02:30 examination, she was finally at 10 centimeters and the doctor could feel the crown. We were so close. The doc had me coaching K with her breathing while I was holding one of her legs and trying to encourage her to push, while another nurse held back her other leg. The doc was right there in the middle and for some reason I thought of Johnny Bench and salad spoons.

As the head came out there was a faint tearing sound and more bright streams of blood. Just a few more pushes. Just a few more minutes. Before I knew it, the doctor held up for all, especially K, to see a brand new person and the loud gasp for air that followed, as the baby let out its first cry. It was 03:10 and my eyes immediately focused on the baby's lower abdomen and immediately I knew. I announced in a loud voice, "K, we have a daughter! We have a daughter! V has finally come!"

K, tired as she was, looked at me with that look of utter tenderness and total satisfaction at her accomplishment, a look that I'll never forget. I leaned over and gave K a short kiss and told her that I loved her.

Meanwhile the superb doc and nursing staff were doing their jobs. The smiling doc reached out to me with what looked like giant hedge clippers. "Would daddy like to cut the cord?" Wordlessly I nodded and took the clippers and performed the ever important cut. Then the doc put the baby on K's belly and the mother/daughter bonding truly began.

When the doc had stopped the bleeding, she began to mend the tear. The nurse came over and took V to the supply cart. I went over to the cart with the nurses, who were cleaning up my daughter and congratulating the new dad. I grabbed the telephone in the room, dialed her parents house and handed K the phone so she could tell them that they were officially first time grandparents. Since it was the middle of the night, the call didn't last too long. I then called my parents to tell them the news. They were grandparents again. That call didn't last long either.

When V was ready, they wheeled her over to the nursery where official length and weight measurements were taken and ink was applied to the foot to record the official print. Officially V weighed seven pounds eleven ounces and was twenty one inches tall. (If only I was a gambling man!!)

K said that she was tired, obviously, and wanted to get some sleep. She told me that I should go home and get some sleep myself. I kissed K good night and told her that before I left, I was going to go to the nursery and hold V for a few more minutes.

We had decided earlier that I would come back to the hospital around 10ish, so we both could get a decent night's sleep.

On my way to the hospital later that morning, I stopped at the mall to get gifts for everyone. K got a plush bathrobe, I got myself an airbrushed t-shirt which had a picture of Fred Flintstone and Pebbles on the front along with the words, "Daddy's Little Girl" and on the back of the white shirt I had the artist write all of the pertinent info. V got some stuffed animal. I still have that shirt and to the best of my knowledge, K still wears that robe. Lord knows where that toy went.

I also stopped off at the gas station next to the hospital and bought every different kind of newspaper I could find for that day. Those papers are safely wrapped and in storage for the day when V will be old enough to appreciate them.

This happened ten years ago today. That's right, my oldest child is now officially a double digit girl. I still have a hard time dealing with this. Unbelievable.

H A P P Y
1 0 t h
B I R T H D A Y,
V ! ! !