Can Leo Change His Spots?

Meet Leo:

( More Pictures )

I have no opinion about labor and delivery except to say that Lauren had a great deal of work to do and handled it with style and grace. Her water broke at about 1:20 AM on Sunday. Night owl that I am, I had just washed my face and brushed my teeth and was about to go to bed. Just before I reached the bedroom door, Lauren opened it from the inside and announced, "My water just broke."

Fortunately, she had not been in bed—she had felt a contraction, then a pop, got out of bed, and the mess hit the floor. I grabbed a (dark-colored) towel, while Lauren called her obstetrician's answering service. The obstetrician groggily called us back and told us to go to the hospital. Lauren showered while I got things together. We got a cab and reached the hospital at about 2 AM (after the time change, so it was really 3 AM).

( Labor and Delivery . . . )

Leo got a preliminary cleaning in the delivery room. He started to cry while they were sucking the gunk out of his nose and mouth—no one got slapped. They swaddled him and gave him to us to get acquainted. After a little while, we gave him back and took him to the nursery to clean him, weigh him, and give him some tests. His APGAR score was 9 out of 10, an excellent score, and it turns out that he can hear, which is useful.

( Now For the Bad News )

So that's the good and the bad. Lauren and Leo will come home tomorrow. We'll follow up with the doctors and hope for the best.