After waiting around in an empty room for twenty minutes, I got the call. Like a fighter called to the ring, I walked my adrenaline-filled self into the O.R., where my wife and about seven scrub-clad doctors were ready to welcome our son into the world. After a few minutes of reassuring my strong wife, Benjamin was raised into the air - a wonderful screaming baby boy. He was cleaned off and laid down on Anette's chest so that we could all immediately bond for ten or fifteen minutes: as mother, father, and son.
When Anette was recovering from her surgery, I had the opportunity to follow Benjamin around as he was taken to his recovery room, bathed, and inoculated. Little Ben was a champ, only crying the few times that he was removed from warm clothes, showered with tepid water, or stuck with needles. When he first tried feeding, Ben latched on like a leach and did his duty to fill his stomach (and his diapers). We have been so blessed to have a son that has been - to this point - completely easy to deal with and a quick learner.
Benjamin got to know all of his grandparents, many of his aunts and uncles, and a few friends today. We are looking forward to bringing him home to meet the puppies and get to know family and friends better. Thank you all, once again, for your love and support. Now that this whole "baby" thing has become completely real, I'm realizing what everyone is saying about how having a child makes you feel - mostly proud, cry-happy, and cloudy-eyed. And, dang...that skin is so soft and fragrant!