Dreams and Nightmares 8: Quick! Give Us Everything We Need!


Quick! Give Us Everything We Need!


As the Chinese would say, it was an auspicious day! Saturday, June 23, 1990, is the day that our first son arrived in our home. At the meeting the afternoon before we were told to expect the delivery about 11:00.
Our social worker had told us not to buy things or prepare a room, because we didn’t know what the age of the child we would get would be, or even if we would get one. To prepare a nursery would just set oneself up for pain, longing, and possibly disappointment. So, we had nothing for our son. Earlier that day Vince and I took a drive to a baby store to get things we would need. We walked into the store, hand-in-hand, and met the first sales clerk. “We’re having a baby in an hour,” we said. “Give us everything we need!” I’m sure she saw dollar signs as she took us and our soon-to-be-filled cart through the store throwing in everything from rattles to diapers to bottles.
I dropped Vince off at the house to wait for Fredi and the baby, while I went to the store to get some formula. When I returned, I saw her car in the driveway and I knew that our son was inside. Our son had arrived! Many fathers have gone through the same experience, but rarely is it is sudden as ours was. They usually have 8 or 9 months to anticipate the event. Not even 24 hours earlier we had no idea this was going to happen.
I parked and went inside to find the baby and Vince on the floor, dealing with a dirty diaper. “Oh great!” Fredi said, “you’re here too, so I can watch you both change his diaper. Have you done this before?” I got down on my hands and knees with Vince. Fredi was patient as she watched us change the diaper. It was one of many, many to come.

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