April 22, 2004

Today is the day that begins the rest of our lives.

As you may have guessed, Harry finally decided to show up today.

Kim began having contractions in earnest around midnight. By 2:30am, they had become regular enough and close enough to head to the hospital. Off we went to INOVA Alexandria. Friends had warned to try not to get there before 6am, as before then, the only open entrance is the Emergency Room. I must admit though, that coming in when no one else was around worked out very well. No traffic, no lines, no waiting anywhere. By 3am, we were settled in to our delivery room. My spot for the next few hours was a more comfortable than expected couch in the corner.

So as the day went on, so did the many phone call updates, lots of breathing and plenty of resting for what lay ahead. After a quick late lunch in the cafeteria, Kim finally got to start pushing at around 4pm. After an hour or 2, it was decided that Harry was facing up rather than down. The doctor was able to turn him over and get him facing the right direction, but still no luck with the pushing. Apparently he was going to be big. The the vacuum contraption comes out. The doctor did a wonderful job explaining everything that he was doing throughout the delivery so far, but was quick to point out that because they were making no progress with the vac, that a C-section would be done.

Cue the flurry of activity.

Within minutes, there were more nurses and related specialists in the room than I think I had counted all day. One of them handed me a set of scrubs, and instructed me to change, and what was going to happen next. Shortly thereafter, Kim was taken down the hall to be prepped for surgery, as I made another round of quick updates to family & friends.

Cue the surreal calm of the operating room.

The surgery begins as the nurse who fetched me explains who everyone is, and what they're in the room for. The Anesthesiologist, the Neo-natalogist, our doctor, and several other assistants, all there to bring Harry into the world. I have to say, that from my perspective, this was easily the fastest part of the day. In what seemed like only minutes, I was holding my son. Choked up a bit too much from the overwhelming emotion of it all, I had completely forgotten that I was holding a camera. Good thing they reminded me.

As quickly as it had all begun, is as quickly as it was over, and we were back in the delivery room just gazing at each other, and waiting on what to do next. So of course the phone calls begin again, and we report in to everyone, and get them up to date.

Mitch Albom's the five people you meet in heaven begins with a very appropriate passage:

"...All endings are also beginnings. We just don't know it at the time"

So here we are at the end of Kim's pregnancy. It's been a very interesting 9 (10 depending on whom you ask) months. I wish I had begun keeping this "journal" earlier along, but somehow I think we'd all be a little bored by now. There's nothing that can make you feel more helpless than watching someone in labor. As much as you want to help, to make the pain go away, to make it easier, there's not one thing you can do but stand by her side, and make sure she's got enough ice chips to keep the whistle whet.

And, we're also at the beginning. Actually several... the beginning of Harry's life, the beginning of our branch of the McDermott family tree, and the beginning of raising our child.

Oh the places you'll go!