Skip to main content

Helpless Father

I felt helpless and he was helpless ... what an amazing way to start a life.

"I think what scared us the most was they hand you this helpless thing, wheel you down to the car, and wave goodbye as you drive off.  And, there is no owner's manual; nothing to help you with the next 18 years." (J. Higgins) 
Wow ... there's more than a little truth there.

 The first few days in the hospital were pretty good.  There were plenty of people to help, both hospital staff and family stopping by ... they'd even take him (happily) if we needed rest.

 I did learn, while we were there, how protective I could be.  Patrick was circumcised.  And, almost an hour after they took him for the procedure we walked down to get him.  Big mistake.  Apparently, we should have waited ... the doctor had finished just before we arrived.  As the nurse applied an ointment, Patrick let out a wail unlike anything I've ever heard before or since.  Had the doctor been within arms length, I probably would have decked him.  That scream hit some primal nerve deep within in my head.

 Then, as in Johnna's quote, we got walked (Jen was in a wheelchair until we got outside) to the car ... I will say that the hospital staff did an amazing job making sure we were as OK as possible before we left.

 Very quickly it was just us ... I don't think I've ever driven so carefully and been aware of all the other cars around me, as well as both of my precious passengers.  Only a few decades to go ...

 I am a guy after all, as well as a father ... who really needs an owner's manual, we can figure it out.
Labels:
Location: Columbus, OH, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Getting Involved

This is the second night in a row that we were able to spend time and Grandma and Papap's ... Patrick enjoys it so much! We even had a rousing rendition of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" with all five of us involved ... yes, Patrick is pitching in now. He runs from person to person, giving a bit to each one of us ... there is never a dull moment. Tonight, he repeated a new activity from last night. Last night, it was getting everyone involved in chasing him around the house ... tonight, we had this activity, but what we saw was that he wanted to play different games and wanted certain people involved. This is when he went to each person that needed to be involved and grabbed a finger, pulling them along. He even checked every now and then to make sure they were still following. Such an amazing child ... knows how to ensure that we sleep well.
Post a Comment
Read more

Outside Play

Patrick loves to be outside. When he arrived home yesterday, I was just getting finished with some weeding ... he and Jen immediately jumped in to help. We dragged branches to the pile in the back yard. Then, I found Jen and Patrick getting ready for a bike ride. Wanting to spend time with my wife and son, I opted into the ride. We didn't go far, my back and legs were a bit sore at that point ... but we did get out together as a family. The bike seat we have is not the kind I remember as I grew up. Patrick's is pretty close to my seat, in fact my heels hit the lower part of his seat if I am not paying attention. Despite this, we have a lot of fun. He loves to look around and notices things ... at one point, Jen wandered off and he started calling to her until she headed back to what he considered a safe distance. He is also a boy and likes to play. He "high-fived" my back and spent a few minutes pulling my shirt out. I hope I never forget the head-butt...
Post a Comment
Read more

Family Time with Shoes

Last night was cool. Patrick was in a playful mood ... dumping food and drinks all over the place, sneaking toys over the back of the couch (then getting upset when I passed them back to him), and climbing over everything. He also got a family game going ... with everyone ready for bed, he had us put his shoes on, then Papa and Mama had to put on their boots. It was all very funny and exciting ... mostly watching his intensity. Then, we had to follow him ... around and around we went. Through the kitchen, into the dining room, through the family room, past the front door and into the kitchen again ... over and over, around and around ... stomping our feet in some sort of family train! Every now and then, Jen or I would fall behind and invariably, Patrick would stop to make sure that we caught back up. We played other games, as well ... but we always seemed to head back to the train ... oh, and don't forget the shoes ...
Post a Comment
Read more