Well - I have to say - I am basically in shock and denial that my baby boy is four! I like to retell their birth stories each year on their special day and well - here is another special day.
I guess I should begin with how we came to have him in the first place. Sorry if this is too much information but this is basically a story that is tossed around at family functions quite a bit anyway so I want to go ahead and tell it here so that I have it down on paper er I mean computer somewhere. :)
We were a very happy little family of four and we talked about maybe trying for a third one day but we were certainly not looking to add on to our family at that time. It was Christmas Eve 2005 and we were celebrating, as is our custom, at the my Sister in Law's house. We were enjoying some good food and family fun and I was enjoying an adult beverage. I raised my glass and said, for the universe to hear,
"I am having the BEST time. This is the first Christmas in forever that I have not been pregnant or breastfeeding!!!!!!!"
Fastforward to one week later - yes - one week later - New Years Eve - I knew I was pregnant.
The Buddy's pregnancy was nothing like my pregnancies with my girls. I pretty much knew this one was different from the beginning. I had a small puddle of blood that was sort of pooling between my uterus and abdominal wall and had to go for a BUNCH of ultrasounds. I was also supposed to be careful about lifting things (yeah right with a 4 yr old and a 2 yr old).
When it was time to go in for my 3D Ultrasound at 20 weeks I took my oldest daughter (then age 4) with me. She was very good and we found out that our baby was a baby boy. I had her call Husband and he picked up and she said, "Hi Daddy - guess what? It is a boy baby!!!!"
We moved in May of that year - once again - pretty much a whipping to be 6 months pregnant with a 4 year old and a 2 year old and move but - we were actually doing pretty good!
Then - it happened -
I went ahead and made that a link if you are interested in it but basically it is a terrible itchy red painful rash that goes across your big sore pregnant belly and in the creases of your arms and legs.
Now - not to beat this point to death BUT - here I was - new town, a 4 year old and a 2 year old (have I mentioned that?), August, in Texas, 110 degree heat with a terrible painful rash.
I tell you -
talk about being trapped in your own body and life -
pretty miserable I will say.
Positives - my husband and the girls were really great and those two little girls were so sweet and good to their Momma - I will never forget that.
Anyway - my doctor wanted to induce me on August 27th. I said - "no way am I am having a boy in Texas in August" (the cut off for school here is September 1st and he was not due until the 16th so I felt very strongly that he needed to cook a little longer).
September 2nd came and we headed off to the hospital for the third time at 5 o clock in the morning to be induced. Things went pretty smoothly and my husband went to go grab some lunch. The nurse came in to catch me and I had gone from a 5 to a 9 REALLY fast so I had to call him - "Honey - come back FAST!"
My doctor (who is the GREATEST) came in - checked me and we told him that my husband would be back in just a second. He said, "ok good - I need to go to the bathroom anyway and you guys can wait a minute - perfect" and off he went. I had this crazy urge to call after him -
"be sure and wash your hands"
but anyway......
Husband came rushing back in and it was time to meet the Little Buddy.
That is when I heard my doctor say,
"oh, oh, well, ok, well, he is ok"
and then he said something like, "I want to send that off to the lab."
I cannot really describe what that split second of fear felt like but I can tell you it was so tangible that I remember what it tasted like.
We were told that he had one single knot in his umbilical cord and two double knots in his umbilical cord and the entire thing was wrapped around his neck. My Doctors exact words (and I will never forget them) were,
"he is destined for greatness - he really should not be here - I have really never seen this and have it turn out ok. I just lost one like this at 37 weeks."
We induced him at 38 weeks. He was 7lbs 8 ounces and he was perfect.
Everytime I think about it.
Everytime I think about how close we came to losing him I get a chill.
I thank God each and every day for that terrible, awful rash!
I kept asking, "are you sure he is ok? He is really ok?" and he was.
That night - in the hospital room - I felt a sense of euphoria that I really had never felt and have not felt since. I could not sleep - all I could do was sit up and watch him sleep.
