Relying on God Time and Time Again, We Celebrate Camille’s Arrival!

-Guest Blog Entry by Manny Negron 

My name is Manny Negron, and I have two children, with one being recently born, which I will tell you about through this entry. When James approached me about writing a guest blog entry, I was not sure what to think, however I was honored. James and I have been friends for several years now, first meeting during our time together working for the American Cancer Society. Both James and I have strong bonds with our newborn daughters. Perhaps these daughters will also one day meet.

Wow! I never imagined that my family of three would soon become a family of four, especially during the current pandemic. The joys of being present with my wife at doctor visits, taking one step at a time side-by-side, was taken from me in early March because of COVID-19. She had to go at it alone. I was temporarily able to join my wife for the first sonogram to see our daughter, but that would be the last time I was with my wife until our daughter was born on September 10th. Even then, at the actual birth, I was not sure I would be in the delivery room with her due to present restrictions. It was a play-by-ear scenario.

After experiencing two miscarriages, this father worried every time my wife went to an appointment, and I wanted to be there for her. I have come to a place in my faith with confidence that God was with my wife and our daughter in her womb, no matter what happened. From the middle of the second trimester to the delivery date, my wife battled gestational diabetes and had to give herself insulin. My wife was therefore considered a high-risk pregnancy. There were many times that we would end up going to the emergency room (ER), which often turned into some false alarms. Because of our history and the high-risk pregnancy, we would go to the ER just to be cautious if anything appeared to be out-of-the-ordinary. The pregnancy challenged my wife in many ways. She experienced extreme nausea during the first trimester. There were times I felt so bad for her because everything was beyond our control. However, one must remember that God is always in control!

DELIVERY DAY IS HERE!

We arrived at the hospital at 5:30am because we were not sure if my wife would need a C-section or not. She could also potentially deliver naturally. Throughout the pregnancy, our little girl was a mover, wiggling in the womb. She would be in the correct position, a diagonal position, or wiggle into a transverse position. The day before delivery she was in the correct position, but within 24 hours, she had moved into the diagonal position (flipping somersaults with force). C-section it is then! They took my wife back to prep her before surgery. I waited for the nurse to come get me. I am extremely grateful I experienced the opportunity to be with my wife during this procedure. I could finally stand by her side and show my spousal support. I sat up near my wife’s head as I noticed her body move. The doctors pulled and pushed on her body in every direction, eventually delivering our daughter. Finally, at 2:53 pm on September 10, Camille Elise Negron was born. When we heard that first cry, I also cried with butterflies in my stomach and joy in my heart.

After our daughter delivered, we still faced COVID-19 policies. Due to these restrictions, I was not able to follow our baby into the nursery area for her first bath and first initial exams at the hospital. I made my way to our room, where I would sit alone and wait for my wife to come out of the operating room. Then our baby girl would also soon come to us. Finally, after one hour, my wife was brought into our room for rest and recovery. Shortly after my wife’s arrival, our daughter also joined us.

We are home and still having to face precautions with present COVID-19 conditions. When some friends came to drop off presents for the baby, we were actually exposed to these individuals who tested positive for the virus. Bringing a new life into the world is definitely scary in the current conditions, and we must make sure our children stayed protected against this illness. In these moments where worries arise, I rely on my faith time and time again. I believe and know God is with us and that He protects us always! Like the birth of every child, my life changed in the moment I met Camille, my new daughter, for the first time.   

-       - Manny Negron

Poopy and Pee Explosions – All I Can Do Is Laugh!

Before you read this latest installment on my blog, please know if you have a sensitive stomach when talking about bodily fluids, peeing, and/or defecation, then this entry is probably not for you, the faint of heart. If you think burps and farts are hilarious like me, and maybe even cute with a baby, then read on, my friend. Please also be sure to watch the humorous baby song spin-off videos at the bottom of this blog entry as well. 

While Lisa, my wife, was attempting to take a shower this morning, I was assigned with the simple task of watching Annabelle, holding her in my arms. Before Lisa even stepped into the shower, Annie suddenly started grimacing with this unusual vocal grunt as her shoulders pushed slightly upwards, “Eeeeeerrrrrrrghhhh!”

Annabelle proceeded to fart several times with squeaky sounds, like she might be having fluid diarrhea. I decided to wait a few minutes before changing her diaper because I speculated this changing might lead to a large eruption. Little eruptions kept peaking as I felt movement in the booty section of her britches. I have learned that you wait until the relieving process is complete before taking off her clothes and exchanging the dirty diaper for a clean one.

Bowel movements seemed to end, and Annabelle was no longer frowning with passionate groans. As I unfolded the diaper, the Brown Nile flooded these holy plains, and liquid diarrhea covered the bottom portion of her clothes outside of the diaper. I needed backup, and I was screaming for Lisa’s motherly touch. “Help me! Help me! Help me!” Since her birth, I have never used as many wipes as I did today. Lisa was about to hop in the shower, and in the wake of my cries, she thought something abruptly tragic had happened. I startled Lisa with my shaken gasps of trying to hold my breath, so I did not smell the stench, feeling an upchuck vomit reflux come into my mouth.     

As we both wiped up the mess and got all hysteria and panicked shouts under control, Annabelle clearly needed a bath even after utilizing all the wipes in a local Wal-Mart’s inventory. As Lisa was filling up her small plastic bathtub, I held naked Annabelle in my arms where she snuggled up against my chest and immediately seemed to be calm and relaxed. Within a minute, something wet drizzled down my clothes. Annabelle had suddenly peed on me with a puddle forming on the floor. The cool nature of the air around us must have made her feel very comfortable to release herself now from the front end. As Lisa took the baby to begin her bath, it appeared that I had been the one who peed on myself as the front of my t-shirt and pants suddenly stained wet from Annabelle’s relieved bladder.

Even in that moment, Lisa and I laughed hard. How could one be upset with a baby who has only lived for seven weeks thus far in her lifetime? This moment was going to be a memory long remembered. These present junctures represent good times of lessons and laughs to be experienced as a new father. Blessings can be found in the laughter we had today and in future moments like it. We can choose to enjoy the day we live in right now, no matter what happens in these present times. We can laugh. We can cry. And we can rejoice with the healthy baby we now know whose digestive track clearly works just fine.

If you found this blog entry humorous, then I also think you will enjoy these funny YouTube videos of babies singing about a baby’s life and the bodily functions that follow. 

(#daddydestinations #daddy #blog #family #DaddiesAndDaughters #destinations #memories)