The time when Gus was born was filled with lots of strange happenings. Mark fell ill with a stomach bug and barely made it through the delivery. My mom was a floor below us recovering from her surgery. But the strangest of all happened the day after he was born.
Ben and Paulie had come up for a visit. We were watching a DVD in the room when our nurse popped in and asked us if we wanted to be photographed. "Okaaaaaay ... for what?" we said. For the newspaper, she thought but would get clarification. Why would the newspaper want to take a photo of us? we wondered. A few minutes later, Mark's old boss, who now manages the birth center, popped in. "Mark!" she cried. It turns out she was looking for a family to appear in a photo for some marketing. It looked like we were in now; no turning back. We agreed, not knowing exactly what to expect.
Ben and Paulie had come up for a visit. We were watching a DVD in the room when our nurse popped in and asked us if we wanted to be photographed. "Okaaaaaay ... for what?" we said. For the newspaper, she thought but would get clarification. Why would the newspaper want to take a photo of us? we wondered. A few minutes later, Mark's old boss, who now manages the birth center, popped in. "Mark!" she cried. It turns out she was looking for a family to appear in a photo for some marketing. It looked like we were in now; no turning back. We agreed, not knowing exactly what to expect.
They wanted a picture of the family resting comfortably in one of the beautiful new rooms the hospital had recently completed for a renovation. In came the manager, a woman from marketing and two photographers. "Do you want me to be your beauty adviser?" the woman from marketing asked me. "Do I ... need one?" I asked. "Well, you could brush your hair," she replied. You know, she's right, I thought. It has been 27 hours since I gave birth, I really should be investing more time in my appearance. No matter. I went into the bathroom and dutifully dragged a comb through my hair and even applied some makeup.
I knew getting a decent picture could prove quite a challenge. Ben tends to plaster on this big, fake smile, while Paulie simply can't sit still. The photographer, trying to get a natural smile out of the boys, made a funny face. Paul immediately emulated it, pulling out the sides of his mouth and sticking his tongue out. An hour later, the crew packed up and left, hoping they got something usable.
Fast-forward a couple months. The picture was used in posters in the hospital and a ThedaCare newsletter. People still come up to Mark and ask, "Are you the guy from the posters?" I like to joke about the experience, but I'm glad we did it. We now have a funny memory, a great story and some good material for Gus's scrapbook.
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