Kai Marston William

Born March 27, 2010

An early spring Morning. Aidan is watching the Purdue basketball game on the TiVo, and playing basketball with a balloon. I'm distracting myself on the internet. Jen is walking around, having contractions. I don't know how I will remember this day in the long term, but I hope I don't forget this happy little domestic scene, early on the day that Kai was born.

Shortly thereafter Aidan went off to stay with friends. Another hour and a half later, at 11am, Jen and I departed for the hospital. After hitting every red light in town, and a few more apparently installed just for the occasion, we arrived. Not long after our arrival, Jen got into the birthing zone. I'll skip the details; suffice it to say, Jen was amazing - calm when possible, brave when necessary, determined throughout. Jen's doula, the nurse, and the doctor all made for an excellent supporting cast. No c-section this time; at 1:28 pm, a scant two hours after we arrived at the hospital, Kai was born.

Right now it's about three hours later. What I've learned so far is that Kai is quite calm, as brand new people go. He seems to be exploring a lot, inasmuch as his newborn senses allow. He weights 7 lb. 12 oz, is 20 inches long, has reddish hair, and is just perfect. We are in love. Jen is well, dozing as I type, recovering from the demands of the day. Pictures from the day so far are below. More, of course, to come...