Frankie Doodle Dandy

Monday, July 4, 10am. A while ago we learned that our boy's name, Franklin Duke, translates into something like "Leader of Free Men." My sister reminded us of this last night, and pointed out that if he arrives on the 4th of July that'll pretty much guarantee he'll be President someday. I prefer to think of him in more revolutionary terms, perhaps as some kind of modern day Spartacus, rising up to overthrow the globo-corporate oligarchy, or some such thing. But that's just me. In either case, that window of opportunity closes in about 14 hours, and Anna and I are both fairly confident that she can suppress his rebellious attempts to break free from her ovarian Bastille for at least that long. Our moms think he'll be here on Tuesday, and my Dad's guess is Sunday, which also happens to be my grandpa's 80th birthday. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if Anna's in this bed until August. Her ass is sore, but her will is strong.

Last night we had a Sunday family dinner in the hospital room. My sister, Kristin, and our moms made halibut and tilapia, asparagus, basmati rice, and a spinach salad with avocado and grapefruit. They also smuggled in a couple of bottles of wine, which made my night a lot more relaxing. We're lucky to have so much support, and such a great family. My heart goes out to couples who have to go through this alone. I'd be a wreck if, in addition to taking care of Anna, I had to worry about feeding our cats, watering our plants, or waiting around for the AC repair person (because, of course, our AC stopped working yesterday, right in the middle of the 4th of July weekend). And I don't think Anna could've held on this long if she had to subsist on hospital food (really, worse than you'd imagine, I swear to God). The nurses are all very impressed by how well we're holding up, but the real credit goes to our behind-the-scenes support network. We'll never be able to adequately thank them. I sure hope Frankie grows up to appreciate the importance of family as much as we do right now. Maybe that'll be thanks enough.