Hotel Baby

We took our hospital tour last weekend. Our tour nurse was warm and welcoming. This way to the OR, this way to your room, be sure to take advantage of our continental breakfast and enjoy your stay.

This hospital isn’t as nice as the one I delivered my first kiddo in but it is WAY better than what had been described to me by the locals. I was told to expect drab, extremely dated décor and to have to share a room with another laboring/recovering mother. To my great joy they’ve remodeled in the last few years and ladies are now treated to their own space. THANK GOD!

Our tour led us to the nursery. As is the custom in modern times most babies room in with their moms so there weren’t many little ones to ogle. One small newborn lay under the UV lights of what looked like a mini tanning bed in order to treat it’s jaundice. Another larger baby was wriggling under the care of a nurse while a young woman watched enrapt outside the nursery door window. At that moment our tour guide asked if we knew the gender of our child and when I answered that it was a girl the young woman at the nursery window turned toward us, pointed at the wriggling infant (the one not getting a tan), grinned at us and said “Yeah, he was supposed to be a girl too.”

At this the darling hubby’s eyebrows shot upward and his eyes positively twinkled with the possibility. Earlier in the tour, outside the doors of the operating room, the nurse had explained to me that I could change my mind about having my tubes tied at the very last second, if that’s what I wanted. The doctor will essentially ask me, last minute, if I’m sure. Baby Daddy joked that he’d take that opportunity to knock me unconscious and tell the doc that I’d changed my mind.

A joke…..except that he’s kind of serious. I’m not sure he’s 100% comfortable with the idea of never having a son. Even though I’ve made all the compelling arguments against us having 80 kids…..or even just 3. Even though he has been surrounded by girls his whole life and really ought to be used to it by now. Inundated with them almost. From several great aunts in his early years, to a close relationship with his mother and sister, maternal aunties, a high majority of female friends including his best friend...…..OF COURSE his children will be girls too! But of course.

But I guess there is that who-knows-what percent chance that we’ll walk out of our stay at Hotel Baby with an unexpected son. And that wouldn’t be terrible. That wouldn’t be terrible at all. He'd better look good in pink though.