More New Baby

Baby Story Part 2

So as I mentioned before, my daughter was thrilled to get a sister, my son - not so thrilled. After making the announcement in the waiting room, I took my kids back to the room. My daughter's expression never changed. She went from thrilled to thrilled. My son, however, was immediately transformed into a little kid, no longer the youngest in the family, to a big brother, enthralled by the small size of his new little sister.

The next few hours were not too memorable. Family came to visit, friends came to visit. That night was filled with dim lights, intermittent sleep, and a continuous convoy of visiting nurses overcome with boredom, seeking to check the baby to fill their inactive night.

The night melted into daytime. The nurses' shifts changed, they introduced themselves, and took the vitals. I asked when breakfast was served. I was told 8:30. I wonder why they serve breakfast on bankers' hours. Or is it elementary school teachers' schedules? There was no way I was going to last until 8:30. I was forced to eat 3 bed sheets, 2 pillows, and 14 napkins. Fortunately, this held me over until 8:30.

That day we were visited by all the "experts". The house physician stopped by. She was very nice. She also mentioned that it was nice to visit a newborn who has a married mother and a father who is still involved in the relationship. Another plus was that we weren't teenagers. For a moment I thought I was in Baltimore City.

The last thing of our stay that stuck out in my mind was when the nurse came to debrief us before we left the hospital. She told my wife, "No sex for sex weeks", to which my wife responded, "you mean '1 year'?" The nurse laughed and said that "you'd be surprised. The 16 year old parents get really pissed off when you tell them that."

Come again? The 16 year old's shouldn't even be in the maternity ward unless it's to see the birth o their parent's "accidental & irresponsible night of passion" souvenir love child. There I go showing my age again.