Fatherhood Trilogy ... Seth

Oops?  No way!  Bill and I always said, had we met and married earlier, we would have had a house full of children.  So when I hid in the bathroom to pee on a stick and saw that I was indeed pregnant we rejoiced at yet another child.  Actually, I had not even missed a month but knew I was pregnant.  Something was off and the day that I became nauseated with sour dough pretzels, well, it was nearly confirmed.  On our way back from our annual trip to my brother's place for Easter, I made up a bogus story about needing something at the pharmacy.  No sooner were we settled back into the house, I went upstairs to the bathroom.  After confirming the pregnancy, I came out the door and called Bill, fear and excitement colliding.  I had just miscarried not that long before and there was fear because it was too soon and excitement because after our miscarriage, Bill and I had settled into the fact that our family was not yet done.  There was a deep knowing chuckle and he called up, your pregnant aren't you!  Which is why I don't play poker!  We were back at being pregnant and of course all the jokes about ... Bill, give the poor girl a break!

To be truthful, I really thought that this was it.  It was finally going to happen, we would have our girl.   I had visions of a beautiful little girl with long dark ringlets and big brown eyes.  A beautiful girl who would be "Daddy's" little sidekick.  Then I got sick.  There was something very wrong.  On that very frightening Sunday, Bill took me into the hospital and after an ultrasound, we were given the bad news that I was most likely miscarrying again.  They kept me in the hospital, pumping morphine intravenously and limiting my food intake should they have to perform a surgical procedure.  For a full week we waited.  For a full week, my body was pumped full of morphine and starved.  By Friday, my regular OB came in, yanked the IV out of my hand and wheeled me for another ultrasound.  Looking at the screen, he promptly informs me that I was not miscarrying and that I was ready to go home.  Confused, I asked why the pain?  He said something I rather not repeat and signed my discharge papers.  I called Bill at the office and asked him to come get me.  We were both confused but happy that this little gaffer was holding on.  I had another attack on that same Sunday following my discharge.  I was back into the hospital but this time, a surgeon came to examine me.  I would require surgery but only after I had completed my 28 weeks of pregnancy.  I was losing weight fast.  All the while, I was rubbing my belly, encouraging my "Maggie" to hold on.  Surgery come and gone, I was scheduled for my follow-up ultrasound and we asked if this would be a boy or a girl.  We were told, with a great of certainty, that this would be a boy.  For two weeks, I grieved.  Then one Friday evening, while watching TV, I suddenly became very aware that I had not noticed movement in quite some time.  I became quite anxious all of a sudden and almost on cue, Seth kicked.  He kicked so hard, the remote that had been sitting on my belly fell.  Bill!  We have to give this baby a name!  When we were first pregnant, we had chosen both names, Benjamin and Casey.  We had settled on Benjamin but when we knew we were having another boy, we knew it had to be Casey.  So we were out of names and for some reason, I was desperate to give this child a name.  For the first time, we actually resorted to a baby name book.  We chose two, Seth or Samuel.  I was partial to the name Seth for it is the name of the third son of Adam and Eve and it also meant substitute.  There is nothing "substitute" about Seth.  He is unique!  What a precious gift from God - a blond haired blue eyed gorgeous baby! 

Bill enjoyed Seth's company.  It was made easy by the fact that they are so alike.  I often say that he is the perfect combination of my father and Bill with a unique twist of his own.  Seth and Bill shared much of the same interests and reacted to life much in the same way.  I remember a time when I was preparing supper in the kitchen and looked over to the den where Bill and Seth sat watching a football game.  Seth could not have been much older than four.  They sat side by side, both having crossed their leg over the other in the same way, popping peanuts in their mouths in tandem and commenting on the play.  Bill looked over and winked.  He had noticed that Seth was mimicking his moves.  They both beamed with a great deal of pride when I would call Seth "mini-me" making reference to how they were both so alike.

Seth was Bill's constant and Bill was Seth's constant.  Like father, like son.