Someone suddenly dropped the end of the bed down and my feet were in stirrups. I thought, Okay, this is it! But then, I looked around the room and thought, Wait, where is the doctor? The labor team, a midwife, and the medical intern were all there, but where was the doctor who broke my water? The question quickly passed as I was attacked by another contraction that felt like it was going to make my eyeballs pop out. The contraction passed, and I surveyed the room again, hoping to see the doctor, but no such luck. I could see whispering among the staff as they poked their heads out the door. Now my contractions were seconds apart. I did two practice pushes that obviously made some progress, because the poor intern finally stepped up to the plate and mentally prepared to deliver my child. The poor girl looked over her shoulder for the last time and finally said, “All right, Mrs. Wetzel, give me one more push.” So I did, and out came six-pound, eight-ounce Harper Lynn Wetzel. I lost it when I saw her, and so did Josh. They cleaned her and wrapped her up to hand her to me. She looked me straight in the face like, “It’s nice to put a face with the voice I’ve been hearing for nine months.” She was so striking and calm, as if she realized that she was just a few years from being an adult herself. I thought I was never going to put her down. She was the first newborn I had ever held. I was so in love with her and with her dad. Watching Josh hold his first child melted my heart. He was meant to be this girl’s dad. All my lack of confidence about being a parent subsided when I saw the ownership Josh proclaimed over this little girl. I thought, Yep, this guy’s about to wear all the crowns, drink all the tea, and learn all the manners from Harper Lynn.
JOSH
I completely and fully understood the term bundle of joy as I looked into the eyes of my little girl. Gosh, she was amazing. Paige was amazing. My wife is just a teeny bit independent with everything, and when it was time to go to the hospital, I was instructed to get out of her way. I even offered my wheelchair, but she was moving so fast that I ended up hopping in the wheelchair just to keep up! When it was time for Harper to enter the world, I suddenly became so nervous. I started fidgeting and getting in people’s way, but Paige got this look of determination on her face like I had never seen. Seeing my child come into the world was a true miracle. What my body had been through was unique and difficult, but it amazes me how childbirth is considered a normal thing for women.
I stood beside the cleaning station as they weighed and measured my baby girl. I could not stop crying. It’s a hard feeling to describe, but she was just so precious. I had waited for her for months. I sang to her and played tag with her every day in Paige’s tummy. Now that she was here, I almost felt unworthy of holding her while also not wanting to share her with anyone. I wanted Paige to hold her first. My wife looking at the little girl she worked so hard to deliver was the best image in the world. Paige was so exhausted, but she just kept looking at Harper as if to say, “You are so worth it.” I couldn’t help but try to hold her hand or touch her little foot while Paige was holding her. When Paige handed her to me, Harper looked right through me. It was like she knew exactly who I was and was ready to start bossing me around. We sat in the rocking chair and talked all night about how we were going to play with Barbies and get a trampoline and watch Auburn football. She just stared at me and listened without making a peep. Sometimes, I feel like love can be really hard and a lot of work, but loving this baby was the easiest, most instinctual experience of my life. I never knew I could love something as much as I loved her.
When we got home, I was trying my best to do everything a father could do (changing diapers, getting her back to sleep, getting pillows for me, etc.), but it was clear that all Harper really wanted was Paige.
PAIGE
I was a brand-new, clueless mom who had a newborn and a legless husband living in a barracks room on a hospital base. Despite the weirdness, I was determined to be a trailblazer in this uncharted territory. Josh was obsessed with Harper and did anything I needed him to do. I found comfort in the memories of our first days in the hospital and thought, At least when this one cries, I can feed her or change her to make her feel better. As the days turned into weeks, Josh and I grew extremely tired. I would feed her, and then Josh would change her and put her back to sleep. Even though we were exhausted,
