Two years ago today, in the midst of a raging snowstorm, Caroline was born. Kath goes into detail on it over in her blog, so if you want the details of what it was like for her, I suggest you check it out on the sidebar. As for me, watching Caroline be born was almost like time traveling in my own body as I sat there, stunned, feeling exactly the way I had twenty three years ago, and nineteen years ago, and twelve years ago. That bizarre combination of roiling emotion and numbness.
I don’t say the morning Jewish prayers in which men thank God for not making us women. But if I did, it would have nothing to do with any sort of innate feeling of superiority and everything to do with being grateful for–among other biological tortures inflicted on females– never having to push something the size of a cantalope out a hole the size of an orange while my idiot spouse’s major contribution to the proceedings is to say “Breathe!”
I’ll never forget the drive home at night in the snow, skidding four times and nearly colliding with cars twice. And when I got home, the first word’s out of Ariel’s mouth were, “Can we drive back to the hospital to see Kathleen and the baby!” I said, “I really don’t think Kath would want us to die in an auto accident on your baby sister’s birthday.”
So today we had a small gathering with my folks, my sister and her youngest, and some folks from the neighborhood. Of course Caroline didn’t comprehend the whole “birthday” thing, but she knew people were making a fuss about her and giving her presents and cake, so really, what more did she need to understand?
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