One week ago, Christen gave birth to Elijah Wesley. He’s our first son and our first child. Although we’ve been prepared just a bit for the experience by having Baxter, our puppy, the experience is still overwhelming.
It was certainly overwhelming last Thursday, when we went to the hospital unprepared and earlier than expected. (Many thanks to Aaron, who helped us through that turbulent time.) It continued that way through the night and into labor on Friday. And then, the emotional flood during Elijah’s healthy delivery was immense.
We didn’t know whether the baby would be a boy or a girl; Christen had suspicions that we’d have a boy, but that’s all she would say. When he was born, the doctors let me announce it to my wife and everyone in the room: “It’s a boy!” I cut his cord. I was with him when a nurse weighed him at 5 pounds, 10 ounces. I saw her measure him at 19 inches. I was there with him for his first moments. I was with him when he was re-introduced to his mother, whom I love so deeply.
For the few days, we’ve been at home, loving him and learning to take care of him. We share the new toils and the exhaustion of first-time parents. While Elijah and Christen have both been healthy, he’s still had doctor visits. Just preparing to go out for those, given the bitter cold and wintry snow that has descended upon us, was draining thanks to our sleepless nights.
So, I’ve been a little hesitant to post about Elijah on this site. There are certain implications for committing something to the Web; it’s not necessarily easy to retract, should we want to. He doesn’t need to have his life start on the Web, to grow up on the Internet; I feel somewhat squeamish about that, because he has a right to privacy. There was also the issue of wanting to have a post with pictures—should I post an announcement at all—and I have a lot of pictures to sort through (and oh! if I could just learn to focus).
It’s easier to talk about a lot of things other than this change to our family—because an event like Elijah’s birth is deeply personal and I’ve moved away from that kind of sharing while blogging. It’s not that I don’t want to share, or that I’m not proud and elated at this moment. I just feel like I haven’t had time to weigh all of these considerations. Many people have wondered why I’ve gone dark and have been avidly watching my RSS feed for news. I’m getting some good-natured teasing for not writing about his birth, or writing about something else first.
Frankly, it’s been hard to write the meaningful story I wanted to write, with so many thoughts swirling in my head.
But here, finally, is the post about my wonderful little boy. I love you, Elijah. May God bless you, today and always.