A Baby Changes Everything

It’s an interesting process to watch life appear before your very eyes.  Your wife is pregnant, everyday is miserable (especially towards the end of the pregnancy.)  In our case, a cesarean (C-Section) was the only way we could have our baby because she was breach.   So, we went in for our last checkup with the pediatrician, and we scheduled the delivery day.

So there it was, the morning of the delivery, about four in the morning, and we were on our way to the hospital.  We arrive, they take us to our room, and before we know it, she is swooped away to the operating room, and everything is starting to accelerate very quickly.  The moment we’ve been waiting so long for is approaching.  They asked me to wait  just outside the operating room so they could prep her surgery, until I was invited inside so I could sit next to her during the operation.

She was on the table, a large sheet in front of her to block what was going on, and the lights were blinding.  It was a dizzying feeling.  Before I knew it, they cut in, she felt an instant relief of pressure, bata bing, bata boom, a baby comes flying around the sheets being held by one of the many doctors in the room.  Baby gets checked out, forty-five minutes later, mom and baby were united, and it was something I will remember forever.

They rolled my wife and her newborn into her own private room.  Family comes in, it’s a big celebration.  It was required to stay three days due to being a C-Section, there were more risks of infection, etc.  The last full day of our visit, it dawned on me that I needed to do something special for her and our new baby when they arrived home.   I had to do some quick creative thinking.

I decided to make up an excuse to leave, I had some work to finish up at our shop.  I left the hospital, and her mother agreed to stay with her overnight.  Meanwhile, I drove twenty miles, arrive at our sign facility,  sat in front of the computer with Illustrator open, and pondered on what I could do to make sure her homecoming with our baby would be one she too would remember forever.

What I did was simple.  A banner with a photograph.  I decided to layout a banner with large ‘WELCOME HOME” and a nice photograph of my wife and our newborn.  I stayed for a few hours, my father helping me get the banner printed, cut to length, taped, and grommets inserted along the top of the banner.  The project, in my eyes, turned out perfect.

I went home that night, hung the banner where she would see it when she walked through the door, and it dawned on me, I needed more bling.

The next morning around 7am, I went to the store, had them fill up a few Mylar balloons, twelve or so colored balloons,  loaded up a cake, and grabbed a few bundles of flowers.  I was home by 8, and I began to arrange all this stuff.  I kicked the cats outside, took some photos, and did a quick cleanup of the house.  I then headed back to the hospital, and made it there by 9am.  Everything picture perfect.  The stage was set.

Back at the hospital, we would wait for a few more hours until she was released.  I called our neighbor, a close friend, who also has a five month old baby girl, and asked if she could sneak over to our house, and wait for us to show up.  On our way home, I shot her a pre-typed out text (I don’t text and drive, FYI) that said ’10 minute warning.’

We all pulled into the drive.  Our new daughter now at the home she will be raised in.  I’m nervous.  I’m on needles praying she gets the reaction I am hoping for.

She and our baby makes their way up the drive, into the garage, and to the door.  She opened the door, walked in, and a big ‘WELCOME HOME’ was shouted from inside.  It’s honestly very tough for me to describe the emotions, but I have never experienced anything like that before…it was awesome.

I would highly recommend any new parents (especially fathers) to take these steps, make homecoming special in some way.  And make sure you take tons of pictures, for they will be with you until you die.  Unfortunately, the moments that mean the most are here and gone before you know it.

My wife was overtaken by what she saw, and their homecoming was priceless.