Father's Day Photos!

I received another update from Dave & Laura today. Actually, she wrote to inform me that she had posted photos on her blog page. Of course I nearly cried when I saw the photos.

All I can say is, my boy is GORGEOUS! *sigh*


(The most beautiful baby IN THE WORLD! Yeah, so I'm biased.)

Jazz Hands!

Alright, alright. ALRIGHT, already! *smiles*

So, my sister wanted me to tell y’all about one part of my labor experience that cracked us all up. Now, remember, I spent a good 16 hours of my labor in the hospital before the baby was finally delivered. As a result, there was a lot of “fill-time,” where there’s all sorts of blah stuff that went on that’s just not worth mentioning. I had thought that this had been one of those “blah” things, but my sister begs to differ. So, for her sake I shall attempt to explain.

I had been shaking uncontrollably for the entire 16 hours.

It wasn’t a mild shaking that might come with the shivers or even a chill. No, we’re talking an entire-body shuddering experience that just didn’t stop. Ok, so there were times when it would calm down a bit, but then it would intensify within minutes as another contraction would approach.

When I was pregnant I had attempted to read as much as I could on what to expect when going into labor. And I had read about how some women would start to shake, and how it would usually signal that they had started going into the “transition phase” of labor, meaning just before you give birth to the baby. So why I had started shaking from the very beginning, I have no clue. I think maybe it was my body’s way of coping with the pain of it all.

Anyway, so imagine me in a hospital gown on a hospital bed with wires and tubes wrapped all over me (I.V., epidural catheter, baby monitors, etc.). I was MASSIVE. (The fact that I lost 50 pounds after I gave birth to my boy tells me that I must’ve been carrying at least 25 pounds of water weight alone!) Bloated, trapped, and miserable, I had been doing what I could to keep in good spirits. After all, this is what everyone had been waiting for! I was about to give birth to my first baby—my parents’ 10th grandchild—and everyone had turned out for the occasion.

And then another contraction gripped me. I raised my hands up in a manner that would bring to mind a welcoming gesture, although that pain had certainly not been welcome. But I couldn’t help it. I just reacted without thinking, and when I felt that contraction grip me I started breathing the way I’d been taught to breathe and started reaching my hands out while grimacing past the pain. Finally when the pain started to ebb, I came back to myself and realized what I was doing.

I looked down at my violently shaking hands and proclaimed to my sisters, “JAZZ HANDS!”

It was true! It was like I’d been sitting there performing to my audience, but the only move I knew was “jazz hands.”


(Watch this brief commercial to see Just what I mean about “Jazz Hands!”)

Der-Dee-Der.

Again, we had a good chuckle. That’s when the nurse said, “If she’s still got her sense of humor then she’ll be fine.” And I was fine, all through my extended stay at the hospital.

In a Flash

I had pulled a chair out back and was sitting and enjoying the peaceful climate surrounding me. I had already watered the grow boxes and roses, and was keeping my cat company while he sat before me chewing on a particularly long blade of grass. Dusk was falling and I could hear birds in the trees around me, as well as the occasional twin-engine airplane flying overhead. It was just so nice.

And then in a flash you were there with me. I was holding you in my arms again as though I had never let you go. Your cheeks were that same glorious shade of pink that they were the last day I saw you, and so soft. And warm. I was holding you close to me, touching your face and admiring how handsome you were.

Then I was alone again, and my arms were empty.

I just started mumbling, “my baby, my baby,” to myself over and over again. And then the tears came.

Some days are harder than others. I guess this has been one of them.

Preparing for C-Day!

***FOR ALL YOU ANTI-CIRCUMCISION PEOPLE***

Too bad. Go away. Did you not read the heading to this blog page? I am a birthmother, not the legal guardian. I have no legal rights in the matter, so skive off. Jesus didn't complain about his circumcision, so why should you? Oh, and I can see that some of you are attempting to post more than one comment under different aliases. Give it up you dillweeds, and stop harassing people who have real lives and know how to make decisions for themselves.

Now, on with the blog!

**************************

This has been such a great week for me! Although, admittedly, not so much for the wee one. I just received yet another update informing me that my boy has just received his shots and is preparing for C-Day tomorrow. Yep, that’s right. The poor fella… He’s getting circumcised tomorrow.

Here’s what Laura had to say in the email she sent me:

So I set out to take some adorable pics of my adorable Grant, but he hasn’t been himself since his shots yesterday. Poor guy. He just cried through our photo shoot. But I had better get some in before his circumcision on Thursday. Ouch!! Not his funnest week.

Here’s a picture of Grant enjoying our family outing to The Botanical Gardens a few weeks ago.

He is really thriving. He had his well-child appointment yesterday. 14 lbs, 24 inches (Around 90th percentile). He is smiling more. Sometimes he smiles like a pirate with one eye squinting. And occasionally he will coo for us. It is the sweetest sound ever. Dave and Lily and I all gather around him, oohing and awing….

(Sweet little guy enjoying his trip to the Botanical Gardens in St. Louis)

I’d decided to print off this email and my dad ended up sticking it on the fridge so everyone could read it. And when my oldest sister came over to pick up some boxes earlier this evening we all took a moment to have a mini-pity-party for him as we contemplated what that meant. Of course, we were all grinning.