The Harbinger Of Things To Come

Joseph turns 24 today. It seems like only yesterday that I had the joy of being a part of his birth. He came into the world pretty much the same way he lives his life - with great fanfare.

Diane had just finished closing out her classroom after her final year of teaching at Sherman Elementary School in Milwaukee. She had resigned her position in anticipation of her new job of being a stay-at-home Mom. We had about a month and a half to prepare everything for his arrival. We didn't know if we were having a boy or a girl at that point, but it really didn't matter. We were excitedly preparing our home for a major change.

Perhaps you remember the line from Robert Burns' poem "To A Mouse" loosely quoted as, "The best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry." (This line became the inspiration for the title of John Steinbeck's novella "Of Mice And Men.") Well, our best laid plans went completely awry when Joseph's arrival came anything other than according to plan.

Diane called me at work during her first day off to tell me she was sick. Sick enough to call me to come home.

I raced home and found her lying in bed; feverish and sweating profusely. I checked her over and found that her pulse was 210 - even faster than the baby's pulse. I called her doctor's office and was told to get her to the hospital to be checked out. 

We were sent directly to Labor and Delivery upon our arrival at the hospital. The doctors began the task of figuring out what was causing Diane's illness. Although Diane wasn't really aware of the seriousness of the situation; the doctors were very concerned that we were going to lose both Diane and the baby. 

We had several very scary days as the doctors fought to save my wife and baby. Her water broke in the early morning hours of Sunday, June 25, 1989. The room was filled with medical personnel as they waited for my premature son; ready to whisk him away to the neonatal intensive care unit, if necessary. Joseph made his arrival amidst great fanfare shortly before 9:00 that morning. 

The doctors quickly determined that he was completely healthy and turned him over to me as other doctors continued to work feverishly on Diane as they struggled to control her bleeding. I was torn; filled with joy as I held my son, yet filled with anguish as I watched the doctors work on Diane. 

Diane's symptoms disappeared virtually as quickly as they had first appeared once Joseph had been delivered. The doctors were left to guess at what caused the problems in the first place; finally chalking it up to Diane's body just needing to get Joseph out.

Joseph's arrival proved to be a harbinger of things to come. Nothing is easy and nothing is quiet when Joseph's involved. He's extroverted, creative and over-the-top enthusiastic. Everyone knows when Joseph arrives home because you can hear him singing long before he steps foot in the house. 

Joseph tackles everything he does with full energy. There is no half effort with that boy. In fact, he is pretty much the antithesis of the rest of the family. The rest of the family can sit quietly and watch a game on television. Joseph talks and yells at the television and can only sit for a few minutes before he has to jump up to "do something."

We have tried to keep up with Joseph for 24 years. I couldn't do it when he was a toddler and I certainly can't do it now. He works two jobs and still finds time to serve on the board of a charitable organization in Waukesha, dress up as the bank's eagle mascot for parades, be a Junior Achievement leader, play his piano, arrange music, get together with friends, play videogames and eat massive quantities of food.

I don't remember being nearly that energetic at 24 years old. I'm sure I wasn't.

Maybe he was under-ripe and the extra five or six weeks of gestation would have made a difference. 

Happy Birthday, Bud!