I started this blog to talk about two things, movies and fatherhood. Movies I know a lot about. Fatherhood, not so much. You see, I just became a father to a beautiful baby girl just one short week ago today. Her name is Aellyn (long A lyn), and this is her story.
My wife (Paige) and I were married on April 1st 1999, no joke. In the beginning we were not trying to have children but we were not , not trying to have children. If it happened we would embrace it. As the years went by, Paige started to have the Baby Bug but we knew something was wrong. We both got tested for infertility and it ended up being male factor. Basically my body created anti-bodies that killed the sperm. We sought out a fertility specialist and she suggested in-vitro but it was way to expensive. We did however opt for insemination which is covered by insurance. We did three rounds of insemination over the course of a year with no luck. Depression for both of us set in. We both dealt with the depression differently, neither way was a smart choice but in the end we both still loved each other very much. We discussed alternatives to get pregnant and donor sperm was the next best way financially. We discussed it at length and we knew what we were getting into. Our fertility specialist still wanted us to do in-vitro and was not to keen on the donor sperm idea. NEXT!
Paige and I decided to find another specialist who was willing to go the route we wanted. And found her we did. We went in and told her our story and said we have come to terms with our decision and wanted to proceed in choosing a donor. She thought our story was touching and she wanted to help. She said we could do donor but had another idea. She told us about a foundation who would donate the money for in-vitro to well deserving couples and that fit their criteria. Paige and I cried right there in the office and thanked her every which way we could.
Fast forward to Feb. 10th 2009
I am at work (Best Buy) and while I am in the middle of helping a customer my phone rings. I have a special ring-tone for Paige. If you have ever seen a Star Trek episode you have heard the red alert siren. I chose that so that when she did call I definitely would hear it. So I excuse myself from the customer saying it was my pregnant wife. I answer the phone and Paige says her water broke and we need to get to the hospital. I speed home (which I have done in the past but this time I have an excuse) and fly into the drive way. Paige is sitting in the living room all calm like with a great big smile on her face. We gather up The BAG and any stray things we might need and head to the hospital and call the family along the way. I must note that Paige was not having any significant contraction.
After we are admitted and she is resting comfortably in bed, our mid-wife (Heidi) orders pitosin to help the contraction along. Heidi said it could take 12 hours and not to worry. As the night progressed the contractions became closer and stronger. Paige wanted to go natural but around 11pm they checked her and she was only 3cm dilated. They gave her something to relax and also pumped up the pitosin. She became a little loopy but relaxed. The contractions got a lot stronger and closer together. Around 2am Paige could not take the pain anymore. She wanted to be present and involved with the birth and with the pain she was feeling nauseous and not in control. She decided to get an epidural and that went in around 2;15. Heidi came in and checked her again and Paige was at 6cm. Holy Cow! 6cm in just a couple of hours. No wonder she was in so much pain. My wife is a trooper but I do not blame her for getting an epidural. Paige was finally able to relax a bit and try to get some rest. We put Ghostbusters in the DVD player and nodded off. Just as the end credits rolled, Heidi came back in and checked Paige again. 10cm, Fully Dilated! And Aellyn had descended and was making her way out. I swear if we had slept a little bit longer Aellyn would have squeezed out on her own. Everything that happened in the next 30 min. is kind of a blur. Things were set up, things moved around and I was positioned on Paige's right side to hold her leg while my mother in-law was on her left holding that leg. Up until this point I did not know if I wanted to watch the birth or not but at this point I did what I had to do to help Paige. In the end I was glad I did. The birth was not a hard as I was expecting but who am I to say anything. All I did was encourage her to do her best.The whole experience was amazing and will remember it forever. The first time I was able to look into Aellyn's eyes I knew this is who I was meant to be. Her daddy.
She is the most beautiful baby girl in the world and the light of my life. I know that I will do anything to give her the best life possible and all the opportunities she deserves.
Stay tuned for the further adventures of Princess Aellyn.
"Repo: The Genetic Opera - In the year 2056 - the not so distant future - an epidemic of organ failures devastates the planet. Out of the tragedy, a savior emerges: GeneCo, a biotech company that offers organ transplants, for a price. Those who miss their payments are scheduled for repossession and hunted by villainous Repo Men. In a world where surgery addicts are hooked on painkilling drugs and murder is sanctioned by law, a sheltered young girl searches for the cure to her own rare disease as well as information about her family's mysterious history. After being sucked into the haunting world of GeneCo, she is unable to turn back, as all of her questions will be answered at the wildly anticipated spectacular event: The Genetic Opera."-Lionsgate
Stars:Alexa Vega, Paul Sorvino, Anthony Head, Sarah Brightman, Paris Hilton, Bill Moseley, Nivek Ogre, Terrance Zdunich, Sarah Power
When I first heard about Repo, the concept sounded promising. Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman (SAW II, III, IV), i had pretty high hopes on the gore factor. Now marrying that to a rock & roll opera soundtrack sounded even more titillating. Now being a man I can admit I like the occasional musical, Rocky Horror, Moulin Rouge, Rent and Annie (my favorite-I am straight and married) so I had no qualms about seeing a musical. I was disappointed when it only had a limited release in my area so I did not get a chance t o see it in theaters so I had to wait for dvd.
Usually when viewing a movie at home I sometimes prefer to watch it alone or with my wife as i do not like alot of distractions so that I may give the film my full attention (side note: My wife and I are expecting or first child so this rational is going to have to be readdressed). At this viewing I had a couple a friends over, one of which had already seen Repo a couple of times but to her credit she did not spoil any part of the movie.
As Repo played I really started to get into it despite warning from a friend who thought it was a horrible mix of mediocre story telling that made no sense and Static X like music mixed with the most awful of singing. I completely disagree him except for the singing. The entire cast except Bill Mosley and Nivek Ogre had decent to amazing singing chops. I was even surprised by Paris Hilton role as a spoiled heiress was not a stretch but done well. The music reminded me of a cross between Rocky Horror and The musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. There were about 6 words of dialog in Repo that were not sung so be prepared for that.
The acting was on par for this type of genre. Not Academy Award material but not Master of Disguise. It was nice to see Alexa Vega shed her Spy Kids image I had of her and step into a more adult role but I just hope it does not type cast her. The other characters are not fleshed out all the way, but it is not a problem because you do not want to get too attached to them. Despite Bill Moseley's horrid singing, his character was one of my favorites. Sarah Brightman in one of her first acting roles was pleasant if not creepy to watch. Paul Sorvino was there doing his Romeo & Juliet thing.
The gore. Darren Lynn Bousman did not let me down. He took what he learned over at the SAW franchise and adapted it for Repo. There was plenty of blood and guts to go around. So much so, some of it was even comical in a good way (watch for the hand puppet and frequent shirt changes).
All in all I was impressed enough to put Repo on rotation in my dvd player. I recommend it to those of you who enjoy a good musical with a side eviscerated innards.
