The Boy...
So Sunday afternoon I had a gig in New Jersey. I joked with the promoter that my wife was 9 months pregnant, and if he saw me running out of there to just pack up my stuff and leave it in the back somewhere. I'd come back for it. I didn't realize how close that came to happening.

Less than 24 hours later I got "the call", which consisted of 4 words. "Water. Broke. Home. Now." Jen apparently got up off her exercise ball to change one of Darren's more notoriously stinky diapers when she realized she was wet and there was water everywhere. Lauren, who is recently potty trained, noticed this as well.

"No, Mommy! Pee on the TOILET!!"

That was Monday afternoon. By Monday night we were at the hospital and things were progressing nicely. Since the water broke around noon there was a little but of urgency so they gave Jen some pitocin to move things along a little faster. At about 3:30 in the morning the doctor gave her another exam and declared the baby ready to come out.

Jen had gotten some pain medicine in her IV but did not get an epidural. For that reason she was able to feel the baby and exactly what was going on and it really only took her 3 good pushes to get the kid out. Note to future mothers: it's hard to push if you can't feel anything from the waist down. Try to avoid the epidural if you can. It'll make things go faster.

The other amusing thing was that a nurse tripped over the kid's monitor, which was attached to his head while still inside, and ripped the wires out of the connector. She was looking at the end of the wires like Ted Striker looked at the brake handle he pulled out of the cockpit on Airplane. She was frantically trying to rig something up to get the monitor working again when the doctor pushed her away saying "That's not my concern right now." He pointed and we all saw that the top of the head was sticking out.

After two more pushes the boy came out, the doctor quickly sucked out his nose, and then put him on Jen's chest to hold. Jen quietly sobbed "Hi baby!" and held him while the doctor clamped his umbilical cord. It was really sweet. I got to cut the cord again.

The nurses cleaned him up and gave him the once-over while I snapped a couple pictures. Then they wrapped him up and handed him to me. Despite being 9 pounds and 14 ounces he seemed really light in my hands.




Jeremy Thomas Rockwell





Jen with Lauren and Darren meeting their new baby brother.





After it was over we were all pretty tired.




Jeremy is still in the hospital for hopefully just one more day as he is a little jaundice. Otherwise he is fine. We came home for the night so we can sleep in our own beds and maybe actually get a good night sleep. Jen is doing fine, but she is very tired, sore, and VERY hungry.

Thanks for all the well-wishes, everyone!

->Later.....Spice