Noah's Arrival

Curtis - 23 MAY 2009 Noah arrived in great fashion... here is my version of the story.

We went to bed at ~11:00 that Friday night (I had a golf game the next day at Cherry Blossom) Around midnight Jen got up to use the bathroom, surprise surprise if you know anything about pregnancy. A couple minutes later, as Jennifer was getting ready to get back in bed, I was awoke from my slumber (VERY DEEP) by name being called out in Jennifer's lulled voice. As I spoke through my sleep I said, "what?" The next words I heard were, "I think my water just broke." In my least sensitive tone or voice I snarled, "are you serious?" before I even realized what I had said. She of course, courtly, said yes... yet in the darkness I could feel her eyes rolling!

Now was my time of ACTION, what all the books had told me to prepare for. We were supposed to go to the doctor the following Tuesday (Monday was Memorial Day) to schedule her c-section (Noah was breech). Obviously, Noah wanted to give us the full experience! We were going to use the long weekend to get "the bag" together; luckily my wonderful wife had almost everything on the kitchen table in a bag. Apparently some of my Army experiences finally came in handy as I packed a toiletry bag and extra clothes in a flash. We were on the road before 1:00 AM on our way to Norton Suburban. Just as The Grinch's heart grew 3 times larger, the love for my wife grew astronomically by the second.

Once out of the house, after severely chewing myself out for not having packed the bag earlier, we both became calm, cool, and collected. Jennifer was a rock who could have calmed the stormiest of seas. We rode in the SUV joking about stopping to walk around a park (something from the movie we watched in birthing class that became a running joke) and made some phone calls. We called her parents in Louisville, knowing they would head to the hospital and my parents (who completely canceled their long weekend of motorcycle riding) to let them know the news. Then we had to give Jen's cousin a call, due to a contraction I was talking to her. I quickly came up with a way to let her know subtly, as I knew I would waking her up. When she groggily picked up the phone, probably out of instinct more than anything, I told her to let her husband know Jennifer's father and I would not be making our tee time. She asked if everything was OK and that's when I told her everything was great because we were on the way to the hospital since Jennifer's water broke. later that morning she, along with her mother sat with my in-laws and stuck around... definition of family love.

Meanwhile, I am back with Jennifer as they are prepping her in a flurry whirlwind of activity. Sometimes practicing the patience golf taught me and others relaying my wife's fears. At 3:56 AM I had watched them cut my wife to bring our beautiful baby boy into the world. The last thing I said to her, before the nurses had me snapping photos like a world famous artist with my disposable camera the in-laws picked up for me on the way to the hospital (I left our good camera at school after taking a student to a state competition), was he has a head full of dark hair. There was a moment of concern on everyone's face when not a sound or movement was made after he had been ripped from his universe... then a little whimper and some movement as he cooled off. I will never forget the doctor saying, "he was asleep through all that! he was really asleep!"

The next hour was Jennifer fighting sleep as she held Noah until she felt she had to hand him off. After a prayer, she laid back and had never been more beautiful. I CAN"T WAIT TO SEE WHAT IS IN STORE FOR US!!! What a blessing, a healthy beautiful boy!