| Written by Ed Lamaze,
on 03-19-2008
|
Views : 1030  |
 It has occurred to me that we've yet to be formally introduced. My
apologies. You see, by nature I am a shy guy. A bit reserved and
stand-offish until I feel comfortable with you. Of course, like most
people I know, give me a couple of drinks and I can't stop myself.
Uninhibited, I believe is the word. Anyway, we were never really
introduced and that's a shame, my fault, but a shame. I'm Ed.
As a way for you to get to know me better I felt maybe I should re-post my very first blog entry from my homepage over at zoë's dad. (You can also check out my first appearance on the pages of Quirkee by reading James' interview of me.) It only seems appropriate as it will give you a slight glimpse as to who I am and what I'm all about. It's also fairly appropriate because this week marks the one year anniversary of that very first post. Here it is in it's entirety.
I'm not really sure how it all happened. This, I do remember. December 31, 1996. 11:57 pm. The nursing staff of the ER had gathered in the casting room with a bottle of
Welch's Sparkling Juice (dude, we were at work and it was a Children's Hospital) in anticipation of the impending arrival of the New Year. I was on my way to Room 21 to administer a milk and molasses enema to Kolon, an ER regular, a kid with Hirschprung's Disease that for reasons I shall never be able to explain, decided that 1997 should start with a cleansing. I learned early on in my nursing career that essential work gear includes: a good watch with a second hand or timer, a really good stethoscope, comfortable shoes and extra scrubs for every shift.
After a quick sink bath and changing into my extra scrubs, I finally was able to meet up with my fellow workers in the casting room. The Welch's was gone and there were only a few crumbs left from the plate of cookies someone had thoughtfully contributed to the celebration. We were well into the New Year. And, as people often do, we began rattling off our resolutions.
Eventually the room's attention turned my way.
So what are you gonna do this year? And then I said it. Out loud. "Maybe not this year but eventually I'm going to have some kids and be a Stay at Home Dad." I actually used those words. I really had no idea what I had just said or why I had confided in the same bunch of people who had just left me to celebrate the grand entrance of the new year with fourteen pounds of Kolon's clogged colon. The room went silent. All eyes on me. Astonishment hardly begins to describe what they must have been thinking. So I just smiled and said, "It's true," and left it at that.
Flash forward. January 1, 2007. 12:35 am. My wife, the unwitting but necessary element to my grand scheme some 10 years earlier, and I are on our way home having just quietly participated in an impromptu gathering at her sisters house to watch the "Ball Drop." As we neared our house I sighed deeply and tried to remember...when was the last time we stayed up past midnight on New Year's Eve? My wife thought a minute and said, "I'm not sure, probably before Zoë was born."
She was right. That was six years and five children ago. And it's been well over 3 years now that I've donned a pair of scrubs. Heck, I didn't even renew my license this past year. Someone told me I was crazy, that in about 6 or 7 years when everyone was in school I would be looking for something to do. I told them I knew exactly what I was gonna be doing. Playing golf!
So this is me. I'm a 42 year old (my son thinks I'm 8) "retired" ER nurse. I have a gorgeous wife, my best friend and mother to our 5 beautiful children. All Z's ages 6, 4, 2, 13 months and 13 months.(Yes, twins. Fraternal.) I'm six years into this gig. That's actually a year and a half longer than I have stuck with any one job my entire life. Do I know what I'm doing? Not yet. Is it easy? Hardest job I've ever had. Is it fun? Most days. Would I do it over if given the choice? In a heartbeat.
The question has changed only slightly, "you do what?!" The answer is still the same. I'm a Stay at Home Dad.
Related Articles
|
|
Users' Comments  |
|
Average user rating
 (0 vote)
|
|
|
