It's a BOY!

Ellis Moser and his Proud Parents

Of course, we knew he was going to be a boy months ago. There are few surprises in obstetrics anymore, unless of course, you are having a litter of septuplets that end up to be octuplets at the time of delivery. New parents are very excited when they spot the weenie on the ultrasound. In the old days, we had to wait until the baby was born to know what parts they wore. When I saw pregnant patient in those days, I would always guess the sex of their unborn baby. Surprisingly, I was right 50% of the time.

Since I am no longer in family practice, I really miss that aspect of medicine - informing a woman that she is pregnant. I would always ask during the exam, as I waited for the pregnancy test results, "What will be your reaction, if I tell you that you are pregnant today?" If they said they will be elated, I was happy. If they indicated that this would not be the best news, I would prepare myself. The greatest part of family practice was diagnosing a wanted pregnancy, and then having the privilege of watching that little baby grow up. The downside of family practice is that someday that baby may grow up and get pregnant and that this event was not anticipated.

Last Thursday, my daughter-in-law was induced about ten days before the due date. I was a little suspicious about this planned, early induction thinking the OB was just trying to get the delivery out of the way before Super Bowl Sunday. The delivery was uneventful and the baby was fine. I heard him screaming over the cell phone when I got the news. His name is Ellis.

We are glad our new grandson (my first biological grandchild) was healthy and glad he was just one, and not one of eight. I haven't seen him yet (just email pictures), but we are driving down in a few weeks when things quiet down a bit for the official "Ellis Meets the Grandparents" event. I desperately need to hold that little boy.

I talked to my son last night and the new father said that the baby cries from midnight to about three AM. I am quasi-sympathetic, because my son did that, too. Night shift with a new baby is a rite of passage. It helps to toughen up the new, sleep-deprived parents. Fortunately, both parents (and the new grandmother) are there to help him get through this initial transition.

I am glad that this wasn't a C-section. I always sympathize with the baby in this situation. Here you are...kicking back in your little dark room, when all of a sudden; a gloved hand reaches in, grabs you by the neck and pulls you out into a brightly-lit room full of noise and confusion. In my opinion, this is equivalent to me sitting in my reclining chair, when all of a sudden; someone rips a hole in the ceiling, reaches in and pulls me out. That would freak me out. I would much rather take my sweet ‘ol time "walking down the hall".

California, my adopted home state, is famous for alternative medical practices, like re-birthing experiences. I can't say that I would want to go through that again, although my memory of my first birth is nil. I am not really sure how they conduct that rebirthing thing, but I fear they may have some artificial vagina that you crawl through or something. Since I don't like caves, this would not be particularly appealing to me. I am here now. That's all that matters. I don't see how rebirthing is going to really help me in my life at this point. The "Curious Case of Benjamin Button", I am not.

I stared at those pictures of my new grandson and saw my son as a baby again. I was flooded with those wonderful memories. When you look at the face of a new baby for the first time, you see the future. A little boy with your same last name will be growing up, playing baseball, graduating college, and if you are fortunate enough to live two more decades or so, you may experience the eyes of another generation when he becomes a father. Babies represent newness and life, but sadly, they also remind us older folks that our clock is running down. I am not really worried about that clock; I am just going to enjoy the moment - the moment that I became a grandfather, and all of the years to come.

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