The Arrival of Tyson

No burying the lead here: Tyson came into this world strong and incident free.

I must admit I was a little surprised to see eight people standing patiently at the bassinet awaiting his arrival into the world. This was a clear indication that they were expecting complications. But he was near perfect. 

I say "near" because his heart issues did not miraculously disappear. But at least we avoided that first surgery point. And everything else about him is great! He is a strapping 7 pounds 3 ounces, has all his fingers and toes and scored well on his Apgar test.

And he has the distinct cleft chin that tells me he is mine. It is a Gregg trait that unfortunately has ensnared my children. The sunken chin gives the appearance of a scowl or dour mood. His may be more distinct than mine or Sydney's.  But I was glad to see it, because, prior to the birth, when my wife was filling out paperwork and the hospital employee asked if the baby would be the same race as her, I sensed a little hesitation in her voice when she said yes. I was sweating bullets for awhile. 

The day started out with a few complications. Emergencies pushed us back a couple of hours and forced us to switch delivery doctors. I was not happy with this. As evidenced by the eight people standing bedside for our birth,WE WERE AN EMERGENCY! I wanted the doc my wife was comfortable with. 

Also, that forced Brooke to wait a few hours on a really uncomfortable stretcher. I used to work for Hill-Rom, the largest hospital bed company in the world. It was my job to help sell our products. I know a little about these things. We were on a competitor's product and it was a piece of crap. Right across the aisle was a Hill-Rom maternity stretcher. I so wanted to pull a switcheroo. 

I expressed my displeasure about the stretcher on Facebook. Shortly after we delivered, I got a call from Good Sam's corporate offices wanting "to hear about my recent dissatisfaction with a stay my wife had at the hospital." Now I don't know if that call was prompted by the Facebook post or a comment I made to the nurse about not being happy with the doctor switch, but that was impressive. We were barely out of the delivery room when that call came! I politely told the guy I wasn't looking to get anyone in trouble and backed out of the call. 

They just saved my kid's life; I wasn't going to ruin someone's annual evaluation. 

The delivery went well. No bloody noses for me. My wife was an absolute trooper. I tried to tell her a few jokes to keep her mind off the fact they were carving up her belly like a side of beef at a slaughterhouse, but she seemed in a good mood anyway. 

In an attempt to get a picture of Tyson, I did make the mistake of looking on the other side of the curtain, if only for a brief second. My advice to prospective fathers: NEVER, EVER do this. 

After birth, the little guy was taken to neonatal intensive care, where they hooked up the lines for his medicine. I went with, while Brooke went to recovery. When I got there, they told me to take off all my scrubs. About five minutes after that, they told me what they were doing required a sterile environment and I would have to leave. Well why the hell did you tell me to take off my scrubs?

After they hooked him up, they brought him to see his parents and grandparents. Sadly, we only got about ten minutes with him. The whole time, he was in this specially designed transport vehicle that looked like a souped-up incubator. It was actually kind of cool. He also had his own four-person transport team for the trip, which was only a couple of miles. 

Once he got to Children's Hospital, it took them a few hours to get him situated. They kept me out during this time, which worried me, but once I got in, they advised me he was doing good and everything was fine. 

Then the big news: the echocardiogram. It revealed exactly what we expected. He's got a narrowing on the aorta -- a coarctation -- and the Double Outlet Right Ventricle. He will need surgery next week on the coarctation and they will decide Tuesday whether they open him up and do the while kit and kaboodle. I think things depend on where these deformities are located, which also determines severity. We are eagerly awaiting the big Tuesday pow wow so we know our plan. 

Until then, I will stay with him here at the hospital. His mom is trying to get a pass from the other hospital to come over. I pity the fool doctor who stands in her way. We are even going to bring wild woman Sydney to see her little brother today. That should be an adventure. 

So here is what I can tell you: despite the chin, my boy looks to be a handsome young fellow. He is healthy outside of the heart and even looks a little strapping, like he might some day be an offensive tackle. He may need that weight, because he doesn't get to eat for awhile. 

He is much loved by his parents, grandparents, extended family and community -- all of you. If prayers and good thoughts count, he will get through this.