May 28th, 2010: The Newest Arrival

The reason we've come to god-forsaken New Jersey in the first place is because my brother and his wife were due to deliver their second child via c-section this morning. To be honest, given the challenging reasons I've traveled home for six weeks, knowing that I'd start off my journey by witnessing this newest arrival was incredibly inspiring. And the little guy didn't disappoint, he just jumped the gun a bit early is all. Although we'd planned to get to the hospital this morning at around 8am for the surgery, my sister-in-law's water broke last night at about 11:30pm.

...about fifteen minutes after Mom and I had each taken a sleeping pill.

So while my brother went off to the hospital with his wife and in-laws, Mom, Dad and myself stayed in the hotel, got some sleep and shuttled off to the delivery unit this morning around 10am. Ny nephew arrived early this morning at 1:59am, tipping the scales at 7lbs, 7oz and has more hair on his head than some of my friends (sorry, Stuart and Wyatt, but it's true). My brother and his wife are very tired but doing fine and just thrilled that their newest baby is healthy.


Holding a newly born infant is an incredible experience. They are soooo tiny and have perfectly formed lips and fingernails and ears and toes and they smell like vanilla cake with yummy frosting and they taste just like rainbows and honey. Or maybe I'm just really excited to meet my first nephew. I spent most of that first visit snapping photos of him along with the other members of the family.

New life: it ushers in a breath of fresh air, a ray of hope, another reason to live, and a cause for celebration at a time when celebration is needed most.


So, to my nephew, the newest arrival: thank you for arriving when you did. Like all good comedians, you've already started to master that most important concept of delivery: timing.


Love,
Uncle David