One of the most profound experiences I ever had was witnessing the birth of my children. I am sure that even though the circumstances may be different, the overall emotions and experiences are the about the same for all who go through it. It is awe inspiring and terrifying and unexplainable joy all at the same time.
For me, there is also a sense of helplessness as I watched my wife give birth. She was experiencing things I could not truly imagine or understand and when she cried out in pain, there was almost nothing I could do to help. Being there as my children were born has given me an appreciation of just how strong a woman can be when necessary. If I had to be the one to get pregnant, the human race would soon be extinct.
Long before we had children, my wife and I had decided that if possible, one of us would stay home to take care of the kids. My wife, educated at Rice while I barely went to class at UT had the better education, job and benefits so I was to be a stay at home dad.
As a result, I quit my job about a 6 weeks before our daughter was to be born to get her room and the house ready for the new arrival. On the verge of becoming parents for the first time, we had grand ideas that involved a lot of painting and general work.
Our morning routine involved my wife getting up, getting ready for work and then getting me up to drive her to the train station. I would then come home, eat and work on that day's '"Honey Do" list. On the day our daughter was born, my wife woke me up at about the usual time to take her to the train. I remember getting up to get my keys when my wife told me she thought her water had just broke.
It was then that I said what may have been one of the stupidest lines I have ever uttered. I looked at my wife, and with absolute sincerity asked her, "Are you sure?" Needless to say, she was.
A mad scramble ensued. It was a Friday. Exactly three weeks to the day before the due date and we had planned on packing the hospital bag that weekend. We eventually got our things together and headed to the hospital.
The whole birth process was pretty uneventful as far as those things go. Kerry was not in labor that long and if it wasn't that they needed several attempts to get the epidural in her, it would probably have been one of the easiest labors in history which, of course, means it was still pretty hard on her.
Caelyn Natalie Stahl was born on August 5th, 2005 and she looked just like she had burst out of some poor unsuspecting person's stomach. She looked so much like a baby alien that I almost expected a second set of teeth to shoot out. But instead of that, she cried and I experienced the first of many amazing moments of being a father. I called her name, and she quieted. Not even out in the world but a couple of minutes and my voice stopped her cries. I still don't fully appreciate that power of that moment and maybe I never will.
Fast forward over 4 1/2 years later. There have been many different experiences. Her first words, her first steps, her first trip to the ER, her first surgery, her first day at preschool and many more firsts that all make for interesting stories I will relay in the future. But for now, here is a snapshot of who that little alien baby has become so far.
She is relentless, tough as nails and loud. Virtually fearless and quite possibly insane or at least a candidate for Ritalin in the future =-), she refuses to back down from anyone but doesn't hit, kick or bite. She is very sweet natured and empathetic. She has a craving for knowledge and peppers us with questions about anything that interests her. Lately, she has been asking more and more questions about God and has been showing me what is meant when the Bible speaks about the faith of a child.
She can also be quite volatile. Her first reaction to almost everything is to get in someones face and she wont back down even if the boy is twice her size. She would rather run than walk and never met anything that she wont jump off of.
Musically, she is a punk rocker. Other than a song of children singing contemporary Christian music (think Kidz Bop) and Laurie Berkner, the music she wants to hear "has to rock." For almost two years, the only music she would listen to in the car was The Ramones and they are still the most requested though she has branched out to bands like Rancid, Runaways/Joan Jett, Linkin Park, AC/DC and ZZ Top (whom she calls beards). I include the band notes because it a fit way of describing her nature.
Perhaps, though, the best way to describe our daughter's nature is to mention she had hernia surgery a while back that required general anesthesia. After surgery, before she woke, we were there with a nurse who watched her vitals the whole time. After she woke, she was then moved to a recovery area where she could rest a bit and it could be determined that she would have no trouble eating, drinking or using the bathroom. In that recovery area, less than an hour, hour and a half after surgery, she was jumping on the bed.
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