Dear Diary,
She's here.
She's really, really HERE.
It happened last night.
One second, I was eating strawberries on the couch, and the next… my water broke all over the floor. I gasped, stared at the mess, and shouted:
> "MIN-JUN! I THINK IT'S TIME!"
Min-jun bolted out of the room like he'd been electrocuted. He tried to grab the hospital bag, tripped over his hoodie, and accidentally grabbed a bag of laundry instead.
> "THAT'S NOT THE BAG, YOU PANICKING DUMPLING!" I screamed.
Five minutes later, we were on our way to the hospital with me in the backseat yelling at traffic lights to "MOVE OUTTA MY WAY OR I'LL PUSH THIS BABY RIGHT HERE!"
the hospital...
They wheeled me in as I screamed at the top of my lungs.
> "MOVE! GET OUTTA THE WAY! BABY COMING THROUGH!"
Other patients waiting in the emergency ward were wide-eyed.
One old lady whispered, "Oh dear, I hope she makes it... but also, this is better than TV."
Min-jun held my hand and tried to stay calm, but when the nurse asked, "First child?", he answered,
> "First... and possibly last. I think she's planning to glue my lips shut after this."
Once we got to the delivery room, things got even more real. The contractions hit like a freight train, and I was not ready for that level of pain.
At one point, I stared at Min-jun and shouted:
> "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! I'M NEVER LETTING YOU NEAR ME AGAIN, YOU HANDSOME BETRAYER!"
He just nodded, held my hand, and whispered, "Yes, ma'am."
Legend
I grabbed Min-jun's collar and hissed, "You did this to me! You and your stupid handsome face and that stupid romantic kiss!"
> "I love you," he whispered.
"SHUT UP!"
Curse #1:
> "IF YOU EVER TOUCH ME AGAIN, I'LL STAPLE YOUR LIPS TO YOUR FOREHEAD!"
(He forgave me)
Curse #2 (during a contraction):
> "WHY DID YOU HAVE TO BE CUTE THAT DAY?! IF YOU HAD JUST WORN THAT UGLY SWEATER I HATE, I WOULDN'T BE IN THIS MESS!"
Curse #3 (as the doctor said, "One more push!"):
> "I HOPE THE NEXT TIME YOU EAT TTEOKBOKKI, IT'S TOO SPICY AND BURNS YOUR TONGUE FOR A WEEK!"
Curse #4 (when the baby's head was out):
> "IF THIS BABY COMES OUT LOOKING LIKE YOU, MIN-JUN, I'M SENDING HER BACK UP THERE FOR A DO-OVER!"
Curse #5 (to the nurse trying to calm me):
> "NO! I DON'T WANT ICE CHIPS! I WANT PIZZA AND JUSTICE!"
The doctor was trying not to laugh. Min-jun was crying and holding my hand.
> "You're doing so well, babe."
"YOU'RE NEVER DOING THIS TO ME AGAIN. I'M BUYING A DOG NEXT TIME!"
Then, as the baby's head was crowning, I gasped and shouted,
> "Wait. I want a chocolate croissant. Like right now."
Everyone in the room froze.
"BRING. ME. THE CROISSANT!"
"Um, maybe after the baby—"
"AFTER?! AFTER?! IT'S CALLED MULTI-TASKING!"
Hours later, after pain, tears, and yelling things I won't repeat, there she was.
And then...
A cry.
A tiny, perfect little cry.
Our baby was here.
Our daughter.
Tiny, pink, and absolutely perfect.
They placed her in my arms, and my heart just exploded. Min-jun leaned over, kissed both of us, and whispered,
> "She's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."
We named her Eun-ha.
Our little galaxy girl.
And just like that… we became parents.