Braedwyn was born at 12:35 on Sunday, June 6th, 2004 at Samitivej Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand after a 36 hour labor. Yes, that's right. Labor began Friday night at our apartment on Sukhumvit Soi 18. Come Saturday morning, we rang the hospital and took the elevator downstairs. I ran across the street to ask for a ride to the hospital from one of the taxi drivers who always sat across from the entrance to our building waiting to land a tourist from the next door hotel into spending a day on a tour in his taxi. He was up and in his taxi immediately once he understood what was transpiring. Bangkok for once was not a log jam and we were soon at the hospital where the driver refused to be paid and wished me well.
At first it seemed to go well but then Nicole had spent too much time in the birthing tub or some such malarkey and it became hospital staff versus the parents-to-be right through to the end. In spite of the staff's best attempts to create a less than harmonious delivery, I watched his head and body emerge and breath fill his tiny lungs. He had a quizzical expression on his face and his eyes seemed focused. I know, the eyes don't focus until blah blah blah and blah, but I've seen plenty of unfocused eyes in my time, and these were not.
He latched onto boob like a fish to water, nay like a bear to salmon and began a two year love affair. He slept that night on my chest and I felt his strong heart beating. Two days later he had his picture taken by the hospital staff and he looked like some young tough. The eyes said: "Don't mess with me."