It's a boy... maybe!

May God bless our Country.  Everyone will feel the most recent and senseless loss of life.

I was 23 years old when my daughter Tamaia was born.  I was serving in the Navy, stationed in Groton, Connecticut at the New London Submarine Base.  My wife was also in the Navy.  I remember the day, when my wife returned from work and looked me in the eye, asking, "Are you ready for your life to change?".  I knew exactly what she meant and I was extremely excited.

A few months down the line, while at a church service, a visiting Prophetess was there.  She was a dynamic speaker and delivered a great message concerning the direction of God's people.  At the end of the service, she picked my wife out of the crowd.  She immediately noticed that she was pregnant.  She then began to touch my wife's stomach and tell about the dynamic things that my daughter would bring about in our lives as parents and her individual life.  It was so inspiring to know the plan that God has for my baby.

Now, one twist of this situation that I have to describe is that we did not know the sex at the time of this situation.  Prior to the ultra sound that would have indicated the sex, the nurse could not find the heartbeat at a routine check-up.  Therefore, she ordered an ultra sound.  When the appointment came to receive the ultra sound, we were denied.

As the Prophetess spoke, she repeatedly said, "and she... and she...".  Afterwards a few friends approached me, asking; "Mike, is it going to be a girl?"  As any young man would say, it's going to be a boy.  A boy is what I wanted and a boy is what I expected.

As time progressed and it was nearing the time of delivery, my wife was afforded the opportunity to return home to Augusta, GA to be with family when my daughter was born.  So she took a flight from Connecticut to Georgia.  During the time that my wife and I were separated, I really missed her.

I was notorious for sneaking away from the job 10 to 30 minutes early in order to beat traffic so I could get home and play with my wife's stomach.  My daughter and I had a real connection.  I would tap and she would tap back.  I would tap three times and she would tap three times as well.  I would also press my face against my wife's stomach and sing to her.  The entire time, she would press against my face.  It seemed like she was trying to feel my facial features.  It was a magical time.

On January 14th of 1997, I started leave that evening.  The plan was to drive down to Augusta in the morning in order to be there for the birth of my child.  I didn't have a cell phone at that time so I wasn't able to communicate much as I traveled.  I was very excited about being reunited with my wife and also to see this precious baby being birthed.

Approximately 23 hours after I left Norwich, CT, I arrived in Augusta.  After greeting my mother-in-law and sister-in-law, I embraced my wife.  It was so special seeing her trying to get up to get to me.  She was huge!!!  I mean that in a good way.  Prior to the pregnancy, my wife was very petite.  So she looked huge with this baby bundle in the front.

She then informed me that they had just returned from the hospital.  She described that they were walking around the mall and she began to feel contractions.  They left the mall and went to the hospital where the doctors told her that if she didn't go into labor that evening, they would induce her the next morning.  The doctor also assured her that all was well and the baby was in position.

Talk about timing.

The next morning, 16 January 1997, we got up at 5:00 a.m. to get dressed and get to the hospital, The Medical College of Georgia.  When we arrived they informed us of the plan for the day and the birthing of the baby.  I was prepared for everything.  I even had a camcorder to record the events of this life-changing moment.

While the nurse was preparing my wife for delivery, it was about 6:30 a.m., my wife recognized the ultra sound machine next to the bed.  She asked the nurse for an ultra sound.  We described to her why we didn't have one.  Kindly, the nurse entertained our request.  She pulled the machine closer and squeezed the gel onto my wife's stomach.  She began to look for the sex but she noticed something else that got her attention.

She stated in a shocking and startling manner, "this baby is breached".  I had no clue of what she meant and my mind began to race.  The smile had left my face.  The nurse left the room to get the doctors and confirm what she saw.  It was true.  My daughter was sitting upright and facing my wife's back.

They devised a few plans to try to get her to turn.  Each time they tried to turn her by pressing on my wife's stomach, the baby's heart rate would drop.  The had to find another way.  Eventually, the decided the best thing to do was a C-section.

Again, the nurse is in the room and preparing for a different procedure.  We repeatedly thanked her for taking the time to conduct the ultra sound.  If it had not been for her, they would have found out in mid procedure about the breach.

Moments later, my wife is taken away and the doctors have told me the plan and when I can come into the room.  The time is ticking away and I am excited, nervous, anxious, and scared all at the same time.  A nurse comes out and tells me to enter the room.  She ushers me to a chair positioned along the side of the table where my wife is laying.  I look at her and then I look at the other end and I can see that her body is wide open.

It was really weird because she was smiling and had no clue what was occurring beyond the sheet that was in front of her.  The doctor looked over to me and told me, "when I tell you, you can begin to record."  The moment of truth was upon me.  I can't wait to see my son come into the world.

The doctor tells me to begin recording.  I stand and I begin to record.  The doctor reaches in and grabs my daughter by the hips and the back of her head.  He lifts her and flips her over in the same movement.  Because of the way my daughter was sitting, her legs flew wide open and I zoomed in on what I believed was a little man package.  I had my son.

Simultaneously, the nurse says, "it's a...".  Interrupted by my boisterous cry, a boy.  Again, my camera is rolling and is catching the events in color and the sound.  She replied, "no, a girl."  Because of my excitement I simply replied, "ok." and continued to record.

Here she is.  This anxiously awaited baby and she's laying on a table under a chicken warmer.  Similar to what you would see at a KFC.  After all the day's events and the anticipated arrival of my baby, I reviewed the tape.  It had been nagging me because I knew what I had seen and recorded.  At that particular portion of the tape, though it never breaks away from the scene and never stops recording, a portion was missing.

The zooming began and then you could here my muffled voice although I am holding the camera, then you can clearly hear the nurse declare that its a girl.  The portion clearly showing the man package was gone.

 I will always honor the words and character of the men and women that faithfully adhere to the unction and direction of God; I felt a little hijacked.  I had my boy... for a moment.  I will never change my version of the story.  I know for that brief moment what was there.  But at the end of the day, it was God's plan that a Girl was born.