#1 Dad

Okay. So now it is time for the post dedicated completely to Murray because if you think that I was the star of this baby delivery show, you've got another thing coming. Murray has proven yet again to be the world's best dad and father.

First of all was the fact that he brought not just one camera, but an entire back pack filled with cameras to capture the magic of Baby's birth. Murray even bought a special camera just for Baby. Since Polaroid is dead, he found a cool Japanese version that takes credit card sized pictures, Polaroid style. Murray will post these pictures once the tenth and final photo of the first set is taken. Be prepared for some awesomeness.

The cool thing is that he threw this bag of cameras into the car just to go to a non-stress test. We didn't realize we'd be actually having the baby that day. Father's premonition, I'm sure of it.

Upon learning that I would, in fact, be induced on Thursday and we would, in fact, have to cancel class, Murray's first order of business was to call his mom to tell her to come to the hospital and his second order of business was to make all the calls to all our students. He seemed a little stressed, but as soon as that was taken care of, he came alive and seemed ready to have a baby.

During the day, Murray was the most supportive and most loving he could possibly be. He fed me ice chips like nobody's business (I didn't actually need them until after the baby came, so mostly we just made a joke out of it) and he was the appropriate amount of touchy-not-touchy. Without me having to tell him, he touched me at the right moments and gave me space at the right moments. He also declined to eat when we suggested he get something to eat, because it made him feel bad that I only got ice chips. But then of course I insisted that he get something to eat because he would need his strength for the delivery part of things, too, and I really needed him to have energy. But still. He won points for not wanting to eat just because I couldn't eat.

We had a nice time visiting and chatting and making jokes throughout the day. He was kind and good to listen to me describe exactly how my contractions were, and told me, "I want to know every update---when it starts feeling a little stronger and a little more intense. Let me know ANY changes."

When it came time for the epidural, the anesthesiologist saw our video camera and our Mac Powerbook and he was ready to talk computers and cameras. So all during the administration of my epidural, I was able to listen to Mac chatter as Murray informed the anesthesiologist about all the latest iMovie updates announced at Mac World. It was so nice, actually, not to have to be the one to make chit chat with the guy shoving the tube in my spine, but to be able to listen to a conversation that I was actually interested in. Yay!

When it was the pushing part, Murray stepped into his role very well. He held one of my legs and coached me and encouraged me. (It also helped to have the mothers and the nurse and the doctor all cheering, too---like having my own cheerleading squad.) Once the baby arrived, he took care of business by cutting the cord, supervising the cleaning up of the baby, and bringing the baby over to me to meet.

Then, he went with the baby to the nursery for him to be fully cleaned and took care of all that business while I had to finish up all of my crazy business---all that post-delivery stuff that you don't think much about.

Back together again that night (I think we reunited sometime after midnight), Murray slipped into the bathroom to get into the pajamas I'd packed for him in the hospital bag---the nurses were due to come into the room at any moment, so he used the bathroom for privacy. The nurses came in, and as they were trying to tell my weary brain all sorts of really important things, like how to use a nasal aspirator to keep my baby from dying if I happen to hear him stop breathing (like I can handle THAT information at such a time!), Murray emerged from the bathroom wearing my capri sweatpants that I'd packed to wear home from the hospital. The ones with a ribbon tie at the waist. I almost burst out laughing, but saved it for when the nurses finally left and I could point out that Murray was, in fact, wearing women's pants. Apparently, while Murray wins points for being the best husband ever, I had yet again fallen short of my wifely duties. I didn't actually pack him any pajama pants and I once again forgot to pack him socks.

Since Baby's birthday, Murray has continued to the best dad and the best husband. There's not a thing that I need to ask him to do twice, and most things, I don't even have to ask him to do at all. He just does them. Yesterday I changed my first diaper---it's not that I have an aversion to changing diapers at all. It's just that Murray beat me to it every time before then, asserting that this was something that he could do and that he'd like to take care of it.

And now, not to be too schmoopy, but I have to say that I've been surprised at the surge of extra love that I feel for Murray now that he's not only my husband, but that we share a baby together, too. He is in every way the best!

(Murray's first work portraying Baby---a sketch-photo composite.)