Story of how Storks delivered the baby

Sajni,my darling.. this is appa's narration of how you arrived in to this wonderful world

It was 5.15 am and neither Sun nor I was ready. She comes and says the water might be broken. The possibility of the event and the ramifications of the same
required no cognitive interpretations nor time for sending up a gush of nervous energy up my spine. Uptil now, a wishful mind had always thought that it will not be before Friday, and Friday is in the long away future. But not anymore.. there is no distance between the critical moment and now. I cannot say - lemme sleep for another half hour and I shall compensate for that with increased efficiency tomorrow. No sir.. time to be what you are.. that is.. in this case, a man.

After such cognitive feedback, I cool down. I call my friend, namely, Google. What is the difference between water break and water leak.. or is it the mucous plug? Thankfully, she was well prepared for such moments.. she had been packing and ready with the hospital bag weeks ago. I am so glad that she had more forethought than me - this was my afterthought. She says... enough of the surfing.. lets start driving. We look back our house, probably for the last time as non-parents. And as we drive in the car easily wading through the sparse traffic that is helping us (I am the odd man who is *not* driving to work today), everything looks unreal and beautiful. The cartoon comes to my mind, which says that this is the last moment to talk to each other freely that would not involve our future daughter.

At the hospital reception, our report is taken very casually as we are probably one of the many that happened many many times, as they resume their conversation after asking us to wait in the lounge. The nurses are very friendly and congratulate us as they confirm that the transition has happened. We are getting excited now... it is now a definite event, though we do not know how it is going to evolve in the next hours. We keep updating our folks at home.

We are now in the delivery room.. with our ipod running soothing Bach's sonatas. The proverbial push has come to a shove. We are waiting for the doctor.. as the nurses keep changing shifts. We are chatting and watching TV and looking out in the windows to pass the time that seems to have come to a stop. The nurse announces that the doctor has arrived.. now we are further close to the moment. The transition is further down... and the doctor says pushing time. With the nurse and me giving the moral support for pushing, she does exceptionally well in spending the energies during the contractions to aid them, increasing the stamina and duration with each. The doctor and the nurse are so wonderful, their expertise showing in this critical time, how they are able to so fully concentrate on the task as well as keep the cool.

The doctor says the baby has a lot of hair and I see it - she is still inside though. One final push is needed. The doctor applies some gel like stuff.. and the nurse jokes that
the doctor is going to charge for a hairdo for the baby. I am fully trying to motivate her for that final push.. though I sense that it may take even an hour or so... the doctor is showing concerns that she doesn't want to go to a C after so much effort. So we are trying to channel that pressure to deliver... and as we are working on it, I hear the high pitched cry of a baby... and it startles me. It has finally happened and the nurse is showing the baby that is fully awake and crying and covered in a fluid.. is she from the Wax Museum? It is quite unbelievable though all is happening before your eyes and you are not just a mere observer.

The baby gets the first wash and I keep looking at her eagerly. This is her alert time, the first forty minutes or so, and I clearly see it. She is moving her eyes and zooming and testing and seeing the world for the first time. Experience sans pariel. The nurse clothes the baby with a nice color dotted swaddle. And I notice how cute the baby looks, and am glad that this ended so. She is happy as I give the baby to her. We are being congratulated by all as we take pictures of ourselves and the team. She is going to be tall, as she is twenty inches for a six pounds and nine ounces - though these parameters are going to change quickly in the near future.

And of course, as I am writing this, she and her mom are blissfully sleeping next to me, enjoying an existence that is well earned. We all have done this - without exception.
What a wonderful life this is - and true appreciation would be to celebrate it without reservations.