It's a Big World, Mason

Daddy’s Perspective

Just like any other day, Thursday started out normally. There wasn’t any indication that the usual mundane routine would suddenly be turned on its head. But that’s how these things go: It’s sudden, sharp, and takes the breath out of you. I felt like I was ripped out of one reality and forced into something both scary and absolutely amazing.

Instead of working from my home office, I spent the day at my desk at the OKC Coworking Collaborative since I was going to give a presentation there that evening for our local Ruby users group. Lori had a doctor’s appointment and an ultrasound scheduled that I was regretfully going to miss since I was saving my time off, so we decided to do our own things this once.

I gave my presentation without any indication that anything was going wrong. The presentation was well-received and generated some fun back and forth discussion. But as I got on I-35 headed back home, I got a call from Lori at the hospital.

“Tim, you have to get here NOW”, she said.

Starting to get concerned, I asked, “Why? What’s wrong?”

“They are going to do a C-section.”

I found out just exactly how fast the Mustang can go after that. Well, not exactly, because I’m fairly certain it goes faster than the speedometer reads.

I got to the Norman Regional Healthplex in record time, even before the anesthesiologist, so I didn’t miss the operation. Lori was being prepped for the surgery and her doctor explained what was going on.

At her visit they didn’t like her continued high blood pressure and the lab work ordered confirmed that she was experiencing HELLP Syndrome. The only cure would be to deliver the baby. So at 9:22pm on August 12th, 2010, Mason Christopher Gourley was born nearly 2 months early. He weighed in at 4 pounds 15 ounces and was 18.5 inches long.

Both Mommy and baby are doing wonderfully, and Mason is still in the NICU as he continues to grow strong enough to come home. He’s a strong kid and already is as stubborn as his parents.

It’s been a roller coaster already, and I know it’s not going to let up. But this experience has been both the most amazing and frustrating thing we’ve ever gone through and I look forward to every little step along the way.

16 August 2010 ·

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