Dinky's Docket

Happy Birthday! The first baby girl was born to the Chickenshorts Clan today, and she came out fighting to stay in. All was going well until the doctor realized the baby was facing the wrong way. This happened with our first born, but while he rotated at the last second and popped out, our stubborn little girl would not and had to be taken c-section. This was not fun for Mom, who hates hospitals and especially surgery. (She thinks I'm nuts because I like surgery. I love being knocked out, waking up with it all done, and, especially, the wonderful pain killers and everybody pampering me.) For those who like the numbers, our little girl weighed 8 lbs. 3 oz. and was 19 in. long. She has the male-pattern-baldness thing going on and she looks like Ed Asner. I wanted to stay with my wife because she seems knocked for a loop by this unexpected turn of events and very lonely. But I had to get my three boys from our neighbor's house and feed them. We've talked on the phone. She doesn't seem much better. I hope she bounces back. This was supposed to be simple. We still aren't sure about a name. All the hospital documents say "baby girl" on them. Naming a girl isn't easy.

I started bawling as I held her for the first time. You'd think I'd be jaded by now. Maybe it's because she's the first girl. Or maybe it's the whole "Alien" thing: Seeing her head poking out of her mom's belly, crying, and mad as hell. That's a lot to deal with. A lot of emotion.