There are events in everybody’s life that come unexpected, but one can still be prepared. And then there are events that are completely expected, so much so that you might know the exact date of occurrence, but you are still not fully prepared. Yeah right; if it was two months back I would have given a high fiver to those of you who said “exams”, but as I recently discovered, there are more things in life than exams that can give you sleepless nights, literally, and the worst part is that you’ll never know whether you’ve passed or failed in your effort until after a couple of decades.
For starters, Junior (let’s call him that for the time being), showed no signs of coming out even after the expected date. My meticulous contingency Plans A, B, C and D would have easily made me eligible for a direct entry to US Secret Services; the 4 different routes from my home to the hospital along with the specific times of the day when each route would be ideal had been finalized after many trial runs. A neighbor’s car was booked as a backup, my in-laws were on standby and colleagues alerted that I would dash out anytime. So, I am not really sure whether I was relieved that we could drive down to the hospital leisurely or utterly dismayed that our trip to the hospital was so devoid of any drama when the doctor said “You guys come in whenever it’s convenient and let’s get it done with”!
I had always thought that being in the presence of beautiful people alleviated any pain and suffering that you were going through. Well, my wife seemed to disagree. The cute junior doctor trying to explain things to the suddenly very attentive, interested and curious husband seemed to have flushed out some never heard off before hormones in her. She gave me her trademark one eyebrow raised stare while she was wheeled inside the OT for delivery and I knew very well what that look meant – “Don’t you dare flirt around with any of the staff, Mister, else don’t even dream of coming anywhere in the vicinity of Junior for a long time”!
To cut a long story short, Junior came into the world, or rather, a swanky labor room to the sounds of his mother screaming at the top of her voice which was further drowned by the metallica belting out of VH1 on the 42 inch plasma. Junior did not cry on arrival, giving us some really anxious moments and unfortunately, we lived in the dark era of primeval medical science where the wonder drug called “All is well” had not been launched. Hence, the doctors had to use traditional methods to make him cry. His first proper recital after a few hours brought in much needed relief, but ever since that, thou shan’t knowth what peace meanth!
I had always felt it to be highly unfair that paternity leave is only for a couple of days while maternity leave extends for a few months and my wife repeatedly points it out to me with a sneer “Its proportional to the effort that you’ve put in the whole process”. Objection overruled. Case closed.
Every day is a discovery. I am in the process of perfecting the most discreet ways of taking ‘power naps’ in office, the only glitch being that I’ve not yet mastered the art of waking up from it. The last time I sat in an aircraft and the engines started was the first time I appreciated the marvel of engineering in making such big pieces of machinery so silent and noiseless. I despised clearing my daily household garbage which I have now volunteered to do in return for, well, let me just say, not being asked to do certain other things. But all that said, nothing compares to the absolute, unadulterated and purest form of happiness that wells up inside when I see that elusive smile, or when he looks into my eyes and tries to express something, or when he grabs my finger. Every materialistic thing ceases to be important in front of him. Above all the bunch of emotions that we go through every day, is the most important one of all - the intimidating responsibility that we have at hand in shaping him up to be a good human being; someone who is adored by his friends, relatives and the society alike. We are keeping our fingers crossed.
Dedicated to my Mom and Dad
For starters, Junior (let’s call him that for the time being), showed no signs of coming out even after the expected date. My meticulous contingency Plans A, B, C and D would have easily made me eligible for a direct entry to US Secret Services; the 4 different routes from my home to the hospital along with the specific times of the day when each route would be ideal had been finalized after many trial runs. A neighbor’s car was booked as a backup, my in-laws were on standby and colleagues alerted that I would dash out anytime. So, I am not really sure whether I was relieved that we could drive down to the hospital leisurely or utterly dismayed that our trip to the hospital was so devoid of any drama when the doctor said “You guys come in whenever it’s convenient and let’s get it done with”!
I had always thought that being in the presence of beautiful people alleviated any pain and suffering that you were going through. Well, my wife seemed to disagree. The cute junior doctor trying to explain things to the suddenly very attentive, interested and curious husband seemed to have flushed out some never heard off before hormones in her. She gave me her trademark one eyebrow raised stare while she was wheeled inside the OT for delivery and I knew very well what that look meant – “Don’t you dare flirt around with any of the staff, Mister, else don’t even dream of coming anywhere in the vicinity of Junior for a long time”!
To cut a long story short, Junior came into the world, or rather, a swanky labor room to the sounds of his mother screaming at the top of her voice which was further drowned by the metallica belting out of VH1 on the 42 inch plasma. Junior did not cry on arrival, giving us some really anxious moments and unfortunately, we lived in the dark era of primeval medical science where the wonder drug called “All is well” had not been launched. Hence, the doctors had to use traditional methods to make him cry. His first proper recital after a few hours brought in much needed relief, but ever since that, thou shan’t knowth what peace meanth!
I had always felt it to be highly unfair that paternity leave is only for a couple of days while maternity leave extends for a few months and my wife repeatedly points it out to me with a sneer “Its proportional to the effort that you’ve put in the whole process”. Objection overruled. Case closed.
Every day is a discovery. I am in the process of perfecting the most discreet ways of taking ‘power naps’ in office, the only glitch being that I’ve not yet mastered the art of waking up from it. The last time I sat in an aircraft and the engines started was the first time I appreciated the marvel of engineering in making such big pieces of machinery so silent and noiseless. I despised clearing my daily household garbage which I have now volunteered to do in return for, well, let me just say, not being asked to do certain other things. But all that said, nothing compares to the absolute, unadulterated and purest form of happiness that wells up inside when I see that elusive smile, or when he looks into my eyes and tries to express something, or when he grabs my finger. Every materialistic thing ceases to be important in front of him. Above all the bunch of emotions that we go through every day, is the most important one of all - the intimidating responsibility that we have at hand in shaping him up to be a good human being; someone who is adored by his friends, relatives and the society alike. We are keeping our fingers crossed.
Dedicated to my Mom and Dad
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