Wow…
Asher has finally arrived. Asher ? Gauthern arrived into this world on 26th September, 2008 at 2:55pm. He was 8.5 pounds, and got top marks on his first exam, the Apgar.
His late arrival has left Carly and I wondering if this is a sign of things to come. I mean, I have turned up late to work in the past, and missed the odd class at uni before, and we were an hour or two late to our own wedding reception…. But two weeks! Well, he is here now and is just delicious… he is teeny and helpless, and handsome. His hands are like that of a miniature old man with the skin sitting loosely and folded. He has a cute little snort when he starts to breath heavily before grizzling. He is perfect.
It is striking to consider how different our lives have become overnight. Neither of us have slept for more than 3-4 hours for the last 5 days. It is as though a new sun has risen in our little world... One that shines brightest at night :) Suddenly the rotation of our lives has altered dramatically, yet naturally as well. The gravity of our priceless gift has instantly begun to tug our desires, interests, and affections in new and unchartered directions. Many things seem more in perspective now, illuminated by the brightness of our new sun.
This is not to say that his arrival was not without incident. Even while he was waiting restlessly in the womb adventures and misadventures were swirling about him. On our second night in the hospital, I decided to have a shower. The shower was fine but towards the end I noticed the room becoming slightly overcome with steam. Like many a household I had been in in the past the hospital shower had a cord to pull which I vainly assumed to be a ceiling fan switch. How mistaken I was. No sooner had I given it a tug a loud alarm signal sounded. Moments later the pitter patter of nurse sneakers hurriedly responding to the emergency signal. Realising my error I hastily attempted to dress myself. A nurses voice called into the cubicle, “are you alright in there”? …. I meekly explained my false assumption… from inside I heard the chitter chatter of nurse talk which carly later told me (as our room was directly outside the toilet) was the nurses saying “it’s a gentleman in there”, “a gentlemen?” “yes, a gentleman”. Finally one of them informed me that I was not supposed to be in there, and that it was a patient only facility. As I snuck back to our room I glanced at the entrance to the facility and noted the figurine of a woman in a dress on a plaque.
The following day while Carly was in recovery after delivering Asher I was preparing to leave and emptied all of our rubbish into what I thought was the rubbish bin only to learn later that it was a linen bag when a nurse came to collect it.
I will not say too much of the delivery, except that, Carly was amazing. She was strong, courageous, and resilient. Occasionally I felt somewhat discouraged when things were not progressing. She went through something that I could not imagine experiencing. I feel very grateful to her and for her. At times I felt guilty that she was suffering so much for something that I wanted.
And so, that is my version of Little Asher’s entrance into our lives. Asher means in Hebrew ‘blessing’ or ‘gift’. He has lived up to his name more than either of us could have imagined.
