Father's Day Post: Thinking about being a dad

I've been thinking a lot about being a dad, and was pleasantly surprised to find my journal entry from 1 week about the actual process, and thought I'd share a bit with you here (this was originally posted on my blog Yonked.com....)

This was nearly five years ago!

AA at birth, and AA at 4.75.  They seem like entirely different kids!

I am happy to report that there is a new star in the Gertsacov Circus!
Aaron Kyle Gertsacov was born at 7:08 pm on Tuesday 9/2/08
Tuesday's child, full of grace
And here's the OTHER famous things that happened on Sept. 2.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_2
Most notably, it's a German national Holiday! Sedantag!
He was (as Shakespeare says) Untimely ripped from his mother's womb-- although I would like to point out that the ripping was more than timely, as a delay may have been very poorly timed for everybody involved.)
Here's the scoop:
At 4 am on 9/2 S went into pretty serious labor. After about 4-5 hours of searing pain at 11 minute and shorter intervals, and timing contractions, We called our doctor, who said don't go into the hospital, come into the office. As we prepared to do that, (shower, leg-shaving, etc) the contractions got more serious-- we decided to go directly to the hospital.
Do not pass GO.

Do not collect $200.
We'd actually been there the night before, thinking we were ready, but they sent us home. It was Quiet there-- when we asked them if it was always this quiet at night, they asked us not to use the Q word.

S. was not ready, and they sent us home.
This time not Q at all. We waited about 90 minutes in the waiting room (of 6 minute contractions) before we got a bed in triage, and then in triage for awhile before we got admitted. (although we already had a 7 pm induction appointment)
At around 6:30, S was about 6-7 centimeters dilated, and it looked like we were going to be able to have a vaginal childbirth. They gave her the epidural, but that made the baby's heartbeat crash-- and they didn't like the way the baby's heartbeat was recovering after every contraction-- so they converted to a C section.

We didn't know it was going to happen, but there were suddenly about 50 doctors in our room checking stuff, (probably about 6, but they just popped up suddenly, and everybody started to go to work at once, prodding S, and trying to figure out what's going on.
At 6:45 that decision was made-- she got put in an operating room, I got dressed in greens that BARELY fit, and went in.
They tell you not to look over the curtain and I didn't.
I sat with S who was very brave and held her hand-- suddenly we heard a crying, and somebody said "It's a boy!"

And then it was congratulations all around. I went over to watch them prep and clean the baby and take lots of photos, and watch S as they sewed her up-- it took forever for them to finish.
The baby was incredibly cute and beautiful (I guess I'm as sappy as any non-sappy person can be) and S was simply glowing. I was elated!
I did look over from where the baby was, and didn't see S's guts lined up on a table, but did see a very large steel bucket full of blood. Yikes!
Everybody is doing great, baby and mom. And the Dad is just along for the ride.
Although clown routines about changing poop-filled diapers can not be far behind.
Aaron Kyle Gertsacov
6lbs 11 oz.
19.25 inches
blonde hair
blue eyes.
As Stan Lee would say,

 Excelsior! (which is Latin for onward and upward, and forward, and used to appear at the end of every Marvel comic letter section. What can I say, I'm a comic book geek guy. And probably, my son will be one too.

Oh my god, I have a son!