Swimming upstream

Julia was born in a lovely tub of warm water at a birth center here in REDACTED, North Carolina. Mom and Dad still lived in town then, as did Lisa and Scott.

Julia very kindly gave me the first nudges a little before dawn on her birth day, so I was able to let Lisa and Dad know it was probably time before they left for work and church, respectively. Scott was beeped and arrived in time as well. Alex, Robin (age 2.5 at the time), Mom and Lisa were right in the room with us, and Dad and Scott hovered in the doorway.

At the time, we all lived a few miles away from the birth center, in various directions, but in the six intervening years, Lisa and Scott have had the good sense to get married and buy a house that is just three blocks away, so today when Julia and I went to the library for books and videos and to Krispy Kreme for donuts and coffee, we also stopped by the birth center to see where she was born.

The practice is still there, although it turns out they don't have births in the center anymore, but in the hospital across the street instead. But I think it's a very recent change, and the birthing rooms are still fully set up - quilts on the beds and all. I wasn't sure I would, but I was able to recognize which of the three rooms we had used.

Here's Julia at the very site of her birth. Her first journey was from the tub to the little wooden bassinet for a quick checkup and wipe down before being returned to my arms.



I had forgotten the footprints in the meeting/class room, but I was sure we had added Julia's. I even kind of felt like hers were maybe green. It took some hunting, but I found them on the second wall I checked. I had used a ballpoint pen and her name was just barely legible, so I asked for the permanent marker most of the others had used and fixed it up for posterity.