Sunday, May 13, 2012

9..

Today was Mother's Day. My girls made me gifts all week, mostly drawings and cards. They had hidden them all over the house, but most of them were in my bedroom. Two were stuffed in my pillow case, and two more were in my nightstand. They spent a week freaking out if I went near their hiding spots, and you would think that I would have noticed the one under the pillow, but I did not.
Not only was it Mother's Day, but 9 years ago today, my youngest son was born. He was 2 days late from the Mothers Day due date I had been given. Unlike the 13 hour labor I had with my first, he was a solid 21 hours of intense labor, 2 failed epidurals, and an early morning birth assisted by the vacuum. He was a champ from the beginning. He was out of the womb for less than 5 minutes, and started nursing immediately.  My first son took a couple of weeks to get the nursing thing down, so this was already a triumphant beginning. My husband spent the night at home with our older son, and I was left to tend for number two. I was already for the nurses to bring him to the nursery, and to get some sleep. Unlike with my first son who I couldn't bare to let be away from my side for one second, I gave in to the reality that if I wanted sleep, this would be the only place I would get it. It was roughly a half hour later that I heard a baby screaming down the hall...and I knew. It was mine. I spent most of the night walking around the hospital room trying to calm him down, and trying not to bleed my eyes dry from all of the crying I was doing. The first night home from the hospital, he cried from 10pm to 1am. He was a challenge to say the least.
But here we are, 9 years later, there has been plenty of drama, lots of endless searching many trips to the ER and to Boston Children's hospital.. this boy has kept me on my toes. He has grown into such a nice, sweet considerate boy. At his recent parent/teacher conference (which I coincidentally showed up for a day late).. His teacher told me that he was really going to miss him next year. Pride is an understatement. I love that boy for so many reasons..for making me a calmer, more patient person. For his sense of humor and his quick wit (which he totally gets from me of course!) For all the times he's done thoughtful, kind things for no reason..like bringing his dad a blanket every night before he goes to sleep on the couch (yup, we're still rolling like that, so shut up). He's an amazing kid. I am one lucky mama!