Tobias (Toby) Gabriel Bucher

This morning at about 1:20am we welcomed Tobias Gabriel Bucher into this world. He weighs 9 pounds and 4 ounces, and is 21.25 inches long. Both mother and baby are doing well. The only glitch in the whole evening was that Aimee's OB dropped the ball and forgot to tell her that she had to have an HIV blood test in order to use the birthing tub at the hospital. Thus we missed out again on an underwater birth.

For those who don't know, Bucher Boy #2 (Xavier) was born at home, under the care of a midwife, and with the assistance of a doula. You don't get a more hippy birth than that one. As a matter of fact, when it was all said and done, the midwife put the placenta in a plastic bag, and stuck it in a freezer. Several months later, when looking one night for something to grill, I found it buried under a bunch of frozen brats. Took us forever to figure out what it was. Tasted like chicken, though.

JUST KIDDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We didn't eat placenta. I just haven't slept in awhile and I'm a little punchy. We did misplace it though, and I did find it looking for something to grill, and it did take awhile for us to figure out what the heck it was. I think in the end we buried it under a tree or something very Earth Mother-ish.

In any event, Eli was scheduled to be born in a birthing tub at Lima Memorial Hospital, but her midwife ended up on vacation. The OB who covered didn't do underwater births, so strike one. Then this morning because she didn't want to pay for a test she knew she didn't need, the nurse said "nyet". Forget the fact that they'd use about 100 gallons of disinfectant to clean the thing after we were done. Once again my lovely wife was left to hard labor, no drugs, and nothing but sheer will to bring our baby into the world. Strike two.

And, God willing, there will be no third pitch. Game over.

She did great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


She lost her mucus plug around nine. We went to the hospital at 11:3o. We were kissing Toby at 1:30am. The nurses were so impressed with Aimee's performance that all of them on the floor came in to watch the show. Two who remembered Eli's birth, expressed regret that we wouldn't be back again (me having "paid the piper" last January).

Can't say we shared their dismay.

In any event, we were told that labors done without the aid of narcotics or by C-section are becoming fewer and far between. Aimee refused both, and did very, very well. Considering the pain she went through (I think I heard the words, "Baby Get Out of There" a few times there toward the end) we are fortunate things went as smoothly, and all are well.


But since Bucher Boy #2 was born at home, Aimee's tolerance for hospitals plummeted. She wants to be in her own bed, with her own family, with her own husband making her omelets (a favorite, for some reason, after she gives birth). That's why after baby was checked out by Dr. Eric the Buckeye, we went home.
People think she's nuts, but really as long as I'm busting my hump, and we erect the barbed wire around the room to keep the other kids away from her, home, she'll tell you, ain't so bad. Considering she downed a four-egg ham and cheese omelet by Chef Bryan before laying down, I'd say things are getting off to a great start.

Thanks everyone for the continued prayers and thoughts. We give thanks for you all. May you experience the kind of grace I did today, when I laid my eyes on a beautiful baby boy. It was grace upon the grace that moment, just as it was the other three. Grace upon grace.