11.05.2009

Jack-a-potamus:

So on Tuesday, I got a call from Rachel, letting me know she had just received her epidural and Jack was on his way.

This was such a big moment for me because this was the first Chamberlain baby I had spent the most "unborn" time around. Aside from that, it was big because Rach and I were experiencing all of this for the first time.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love having sister-in-laws all around me who have been through every phase of child rearing, literally, but there's something special about talking to a woman who's just given birth an hour or two before you showed up, and for the first time. It sounds strange, but I needed to see Rach so soon after to better imagine myself there in less than three months. What I was not prepared for was the flood of emotions I would have.

As soon as Ross and I walked in, we saw Ned sitting in the post-partum room with Jack. I felt like I was walking in on a very private moment, but I couldn't look away. Suddenly, I began to understand what people mean when they say that having a baby changes your whole life. In that moment, I realized how much this little person was going to need his daddy the rest of his life. I was about to get over to Rach when out of the corner of my eye, I saw what still makes me tear up even now. Ned was talking with the head nurse, and Jack, who was looking at Ned, stretched his little arm and reached for Ned's finger. As his tiny little fingers wrapped around Ned's one large finger, Ned looked down and just smiled. It's one of the sweetest moments I will ever experience, and I'm so glad I was there to see it.

Altogether, Jack is a total toe-head, has the sweetest little face, and is officially a Chamberlain. It's pointless to say I love him, but I honestly do.

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