Last Tuesday night just around midnight my wife and I made our way to
Saint Anthony Hospital, on Chicago's west side, where Sylvia delivered
a very healthy, good looking and awesome baby boy—our biggest one
yet—baby Jonatan Israel Amador. Our 2009 model. With zero miles.
Regarding Sylvia, what can I say, she is a pro! Together with Sandy,
the same doctor who has delivered every one of our kids, they make the
perfect tag team. Is there a delivery room olympics anywhere out there?
So after two pushes, and a truly authentic Kamikaze yell, plop! a kid
came out splashing the doctor with weird nasty liquids, looking smug
with the cord wrapped around his neck as if wearing a scarf. He immediately
convinced us of his possible future as an opera singer. Lungs working
well? Check that.
After a few seconds I got to cut the cord to our seventh and last baby.
Our house is officially full. As most of you know, before getting married,
Sylvia and I had asked the Lord for seven "escuinclitos".
And here they are. Thank you Lord for answered prayers!
Off course the second that Israel was given to Sylvia to hold for the
first time her entire attitude and disposition changed. It is amazing
the difference that a few inches make. Just a little while ago he was
inside her belly, a source of much pain and tribulation, now he was
on the outside, a fountain of joy.
On the first afternoon of my son’s life I made the mistake of going
to a working lunch meeting (figured Sylvia would be sleeping all through
that time and I would get lunch: wont miss anything important) and so
for the third time I missed my son’s circumcision. I figured I could
have done a prayer or something. On second thought, it might not
have been so bad to miss that. After all I am a pastor not a Rabbi,
thank God.
In its original Hebrew, Israel means:
wrestler, one who wrestles with God. Could you imagine anything more
dramatic than circumcising someone named Israel! I asked Sylvia if he
put up a fight? Seems like he was overpowered by nurses and doctors.
Hmmm, bola de montoneros! Venganse uno por uno!
Where’s Nacho when you need him!
The jury still out on our little Israel’s
temperament. My hopes, though, rest on an alternate meaning of the name:
“One who fights for God”. May he choose his battles wisely.
Jonatan, also a Hebrew name, means, “Given by God”. What could be
more appropriate than that? Here is the son who has come to brighten
our hearts, God’s way of blessing us. Could this be God’s solid
way of saying SHALOM to our family. We’ll take that. Thank you Lord.
