Yes, I know I haven’t filled in the details of the wedding and all that but I will eventually!
Exactly 9 months after Anthony and I got married, Ming was born. It was a dreadfully painful 500million-hour labour, but finally at 1am on January 5th, 1995, he emerged.
It was a pretty weird moment because all of the nurses and the doctor had rushed away from me into the next door room to attend to a woman who punctuated every second of her child’s birth with screams that sounded like she was being tortured whereas I did most of the suffering in silence.
Anthony wanted a son so much, so much, so much and, even though I know he would have loved a daughter just as much, he just wanted Ming and so did I, and I thought I knew Ming would be a boy because of my dreamchild thoughts before we were married. It was always a boy.
As Ming emerged, Anthony quickly called the nurses and doctor back and our scrawny little alien was delivered without any further drama except for Anthony exclaiming with undisguised joy: ‘It’s a boy!’ I remember feeling very relieved because I didn’t want to go through that again!
Then, just after the following picture was taken, Anthony said he was exhausted and had to go home to bed. You gotta laugh!
jmgoyder 
How funny!
(It’s not the first time I have hear of husbands being exhausted after a baby is born. Must be all the emotion that’s too much for them, ’cause they don’t really go through the pain & can’t imagine what that’s like).
Vicarious pain maybe – ha!
A beautiful baby!
Unswaddled, he looked like an albino grasshopper!
Oh dear! You’re either mean or too humble. 😉
Both.
I love it… when my first born arrived I so wanted a boy, she was born and the nurses showed her to me and I rushed off to phone my parents to tell them the child was born… the first thing my Mother asked if it was a bot or a girl… I did not know.. I just knew I’d had a baby with my wife.. the sex at that stage did not matter… she was healthy had all her toes and fingers and that was that… when I returned to work an hour later my boss phoned the hospital and lied that he was my brother and wanted to know if all was alright and what sex the child was… (I was too embarrassed to ask) it was then I found out I’d had a daughter… a most joyful time of my life…
Oh this is such a great story! I love it that you didn’t even know or care about the gender. I’m pretty sure Ants would have been fine if Ming had been a girl and we were gonna name her Jean after Ants’ ma if so but your story is absolutely beautiful!
It fair wears them out, poor things 😉
Poor, delicate little things – yes!
Haha He was exhausted…yet I guess it’s draining to watch the one you love in pain….
Silly old fool he was!
men! they just can’t handle what a woman can!!! lol
lol!
I am! 😀
So sweet and precious— Dad was exhausted – yes — know that drill too 🙂 xo
Really worried about you – will contact you on your blog.
Now tears came into my eyes …. your short stories about your love is so fantastic. How did you come up with the name Ming???? I really like it.
His name is Menzies (a Scottish name pronounced Mingus) so we just call him Ming. It was one of Anthony’s uncle’s second names – a bit complicated haha!
*smile … Like Menzies too .. worked in Scotland and there is a couple of them around. Ming is a great nickname.
Rick, too. Pansies. haha
HA HA, Such a man!
I was lucky. I barely got to the hospital fast enough to have Holly. After the dust settled, John went home and the next day, never showed up. It was Hoosier basketball season, and he fell asleep watching a game. Men.
Ha – that is so funny!
It always strikes me as funny how other people will say they are tired after a birth and need to go and have a nap as if the mother isn’t tired after doing all the work………….lol I remember when I had Kathy it felt like I was in labour forever………..when it was only 12 hours……..lol
Ming took 36 hours and was a tiny scrawny 6.5 pounds – argh!
Oh boy…bet you couldn’t wait for me to respond to this. Well, if not you SHOULD have been. You and I must be the only 2 women in the universe to have 500 million hour labors! Pinky swear, it’s the truth!
During the 501millionth hour…out came our 1st son…all 10 lbs of him. And dear Husband, having spent his 500 million hours sleeping in the chair, going out to eat, reading, pooping in MY bathroom, says, when all is said and done “OMG…it’s not done…put it back!”
Want to guess what 7 choice words I had for him? No? Well, here’s a clue…it was Not…”Gee Honey, that’s exactly what I was thinking.” No, it was a bit more COLORFUL.
Here’s to the Sisterhood of Pain and loving every second of it i(in hindsight of course). Welcome Ming and GOOD ON YA JULES!
You provide me with so many doses of laughter – I love it!
That’s my goal. 😆
Haha, men, too much stress. Wow, aren’t you glad you had a boy? What pressure! But I want to guess you would have had a daddy’s little girl just the same.
Yes I’m sure you are right!
Robbo had a foldabed in my room, he too fell asleep big smug grin on his face, and at the other side of my bed was our son Jimmy in the crib. I love how exhausted the dads are!! 🙂 Seeing Ming the other day, such a lovely lad he has grown to be!! U guys did very well !!!!!!! Awesome or fantastico!!??
You are such a jewel kid!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah, and women are the weaker sex, right?
Ha!
After all that labor, of course he needed a nap!! He worked hard!!