A year ago, while celebrating our one year anniversary in France, Mania and I were having a cup of coffee discussing when we’d be ready to have our first born child.
Two and a half months later, she surprised me and told me that she was pregnant! Surprisingly, the due date was 07/07/09 – our 2 year anniversary!
The following 9 months were the most enjoyable ever… at least for me they were. I never thought I’d spend so much time preparing a single room as I did for the arrival of my son, or treating Mania to so many frozen yogurt treats and Quiznos. Throughout her entire pregnancy, Mania progressed more beautifully than I ever imagined.
July 7th came and went and there was no sign of labor. Mania was scheduled for an induction the following Monday at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena. That last week felt like an entire year as we waited in anticipation of his arrival.
On July 13, 2009, I closed my biggest escrow ever!
Joseph Albert Hairapetian was born! He was born at 7:24 p.m., weighed 6lbs. and 14ozs., while measuring at 19.5 inches tall. He had 10 fingers, 10 toes, beautiful eyes, with dimple and cleft chin resembling his father – yes, that’s me. It was truly the most amazing experience we had ever seen, and we still can’t stop talking about that day.
The drive home was extremely scary as I stayed in the slow lane on the 210 and 134 freeway driving 45 mph from Pasadena to Glendale. We welcomed him home 2 days later as he was greeted by the storks that were placed on our front lawn.
I thank our families and friends for all the support they have given us. But, most importantly, I thank my wife, who gave me the biggest gift life has to offer.
It seems today I’ve turned out to be a professional photographer/videographer. Other than changing diapers every hour, Joey and my new Sony Handycam have become my best friends. With no more sleep and lots of rocking and swaying, all I can say is that I’m ready for the journey that’s ahead of me. In fact, I can’t wait for the 2nd one. To be continued…
Albert
