Funny thing happened on the way to the office today...

Hi y’all,

So, it’s not quite another week, but there is some news that just won’t wait.

Over the course of history, it has always been the women who have been impatient, wanting everything yesterday, demanding things be completed faster than humanly possible, etc. Today, it was my boy. That’s boy #4. Harlow. He couldn’t wait for his allotted 40 weeks to be up, he had to come now. Today. At 4.05am this morning. No… not March the 5th as was expected by all, November the 19th. 15 weeks, or 107 days, early

The plot unfolds… [please note: this is from a man perspective, actual events may vary]

1. Phone call at 2:30am from Justine saying she was having contractions again.
2. Text at 3:08am from Justine letting me know she was back in the delivery suite.
3. Phone call at 3:45am (ish) from a midwife saying that I might want to come in, Justine is very upset.
4. Arrived at the delivery suite at 4:20am, to find I was 15 minutes late.

Bugger.

Using complex mathematics, a nuclear time piece and some frozen peas, that puts him at 24 weeks, 6 days. A little bit early.

Note: The delivery was a standard delivery, not the c-section which Justine had been told she would have. Also, when she had to push, she pushed once. Only once, and he was out. Ass backwards. With no fluids. Justine is one tough chick.

From there, he went to NICU for his grease and oil check where I got to hold his hand a bit. After Justine had some breakfast, we went back to NICU and Justine held his hand for a while. He has hoses/ lines/ cables/ strapping etc on him going every which way and is connected to some very impressive looking gadgetry. Beeping here, whooshing there, flashing and graphing everywhere…

His stats are good, there were several comments on how stable he is. His oxygen saturation is great, he is pink (a good sign apparently), his limbs are flailing uncontrollably (another good sign) and is just lying there, looking like a small pug dog with wet fur plastered to his head.

There’s a long road ahead, some big battles to be fought, but with a little luck, he will be right as rain.
Here’s hoping.

Cheers,

• Rich.

PS: I spelt his name wrong. Its Eli, not Ely. Me, his father, spelling his name wrong. –sigh–