Not Cirque du Soleil, but Circ de Bode

Let me just get this out there, so that I don't have to answer questions later: Bode was born with a small penis. Boom! 

No big deal, right? He was also born with small fingers, toes and ears too. Apparently though, his penis was so small our pediatrician didn't feel comfortable circumcising him at the time for fear of cutting the whole thing off. I'm exaggerating of course, but he did say it was a little small and it would be advisable to just wait until he was a year old and do it then.

Gavin was circumcised before we left the hospital and has a fantastic circumcision. That might sound odd, but I mention it because a couple of different doctors over the course of his first year mentioned how nice the circumcision was and always asked who performed it. I didn't know there was such an appreciation for good circumcisions. It was almost as if they were in awe of the doctor (who was so relevant to me that I don't even remember the name). I can just imagine the conversation the next time one of these fans saw that doctor.

"I had the Rush baby in the office today. That was one fantastic circumcision."

"I know; we were high-fiving in the room after that one. The nurse even threw her bra at me."

Both doctors fist bump. "Boom!"

Circumcisions for 14-month-old infants are quite different than circumcisions for two-day-old babies. It's more of a surgical procedure because the infants must be fully anesthetized and require stitches. Plus, I'm not even going to get into the massive scheduling screw-up today at the hospital that caused a lengthy delay because then I would write 10,000 words of vitriol.

The thought of knocking your kid unconscious to perform surgery probably scares a lot of parents. Initially, I thought it wasn't a big deal at all. I had head surgery when I was 18 months old because my soft spot didn't close correctly. They sliced open the top of my head from ear to ear, rearranged some bones and stitched me back up. I wore a helmet for about a year-and-a-half and turned out relatively fine, other than the fact if I shave my head I would look like a Klingon.

But the few memories I have of those times are as the child in the equation. I realize now being the parent is a whole different story. My parents were probably terrified that they were going to split open the head of their child. I wouldn't say I was terrified or even scared when they took Bode away, but I did have a healthy appreciation for the risks, however minor, that were involved. I didn't tell the doctor there was extra pressure to live up to the rock star circumcision his older brother has.

Bode did great today, even though he woke up hungrier than Bill Freehan. He was a little cranky this afternoon and evening, but no crankier than anyone else who wakes up out of the blue with a bandaged penis. 

Even with the surgery, getting Bode "cirked" was still the correct decision for our family. Gavin is very Type-A and it is important that things match. Every morning when he takes his gummy vitamins, they have to be the same color. He picks out two yellow ones, says Match-Match and pops them in his mouth. When he picks out pajamas, the right top has to go with the right bottoms. Match-Match. So I know the circumcision was the right call.

Bode's penis. Gavin's penis. Match-Match. Boom!