the underwear drawer

cal has a girlfriend

(I just wanted to knock that belly shots post off the top post in case someone thought I was running some sort of Body Issues website.)

Anyway, just got an e-mail this morning that Ray and Susan had their baby. Their predicted due date was exactly one week earlier than ours, so it was all very exciting to hear that they had made it over the finish line. I am wholly, inelegantly jealous.

We stopped by the hospital after work (they delivered at [East Side Affiliate], not at the home institution) and checked out the scene. Of course we wanted to see the baby, but mainly I wanted to get the lowdown from Susan. What's the scoop with labor? Was it terrible? Was it not so bad? And when did they let you take a shower when all is said and done? I have this big fear of being all rank and sweaty in that hospital bed, all gory and blooded up down below like some kind of murder scene.

The main piece of advice that Susan passed along, however, was to get the epidural as early as possible. As if she had to convince the anesthesiology resident of that. Preaching to the choir, here. And yes, I know the conventional wisdom about getting the epidural too early and the possibility of arrest of labor with increased incidence of C-section, but there was that study that came out in the New England Journal this February that disproved that theory. And I am not ashamed to say that we have printed out said article and it has been neatly folded and tucked away into our hospital bag. Oh lord, we're going to be the most annoying patients ever.

Anyway, their little girl is beautiful. I know people say that all babies are cute, but this is just not true. There are ugly babies. Luckily, Ray and Susan dodged this bullet, their kid is actually adorable, not puffy or smushed up at all. After fully slathering ourselves in Purell, Joe and I both held her--kind of a practice session for Cal. As I carried her propped up on my shelf-like abdomen, I encouraged her to tell Cal how GREAT birth was, and how he should totally join her on the outside. We have TV and candy out here. It's awesome.

Currently reading: "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." Haven't made much headway yet, but this is not my choice--now that I'm not taking the subway to work, there's just not enough time in the day to read anymore.