Today my sweet boy turned 7! How on earth did that happen? Which was also what I was asking myself 7 years ago today....
We were in that peachy point in our lives, one sweet little 2 yr old and a baby on the way. His due date was June 22nd ( I believe), so we were not ready what so ever for a new baby. We went out for a walk as a family, on a beautiful spring evening in Philadelphia, PA. As Brent and I chatted, we took turns "chasing" Liza to keep her entertained. Nothing too crazy though. As we walked home I complained to Brent that the "braxton hicks" were crazy bad tonight. We got home and I put Liza in the Tub. As I sat with her I watched the clock and realized that these contractions were coming very evenly. I called my Dr. (who happened to be on call at the hospital that night, and was already there) He told me to come in, just to be safe. We puttered around and took Liza to a sitter. At this point the contractions were getting quite uncomfortable, but I still didn't think that I was actually in Labor. In Philly, you registered down stairs and then someone from L&D came down to get you and take you up. As we waited another sister in the ward came in and was registering. We had a good laugh, as she was 2 weeks over due and I due in 6 weeks. They took me upstairs as they finished registering my friend. It was a busy night in the L&D, and they were just finishing getting my room ready, so they left me in the hall waiting. Keep in mind that I am having some pretty good contractions, but I hide it well. Then, all of a sudden, plans change, I can no longer have the room that they were clearing for me, they tell me, since I am probably not in labor, they are going to give the room to a woman who just came in who is 2 weeks over due, who they know is going to have a baby tonight. (yup, that's right, she stole my room!) They then took me back to what can only be described as a Storage Closet. There was a cupboard full of supplies, a broken bed, w/o stirrups, a clock and a sink. They had me climb in and they started an IV. You're just dehydrated the nurse told me. I remember hoping that she was right, but knowing that these contractions were awfully strong and horribly familiar. Everyone was very casual until the resident dr. came into the room and talked to me. He chatted with us for a bit and then decided that he ought to check and see if I was dilated at all. Expecting not much, there was some excitement when he told the nurse, "Um, she is at a 7... no wait, and 8!" Then the fur flew. Oh my, the woman, in the storage closet who was 33 1/2 weeks is going to deliver any minute!t The NICU team showed up a doctor and a few nurses, a warming bed and a few more nurses.... my little "room" was getting crowded. My Doctor was there with in 5 minutes and informed me that there was no time for an epidural. (this did not please me) I remember grabbing Brent by the front of his shirt and pulling him down to my face and saying "You get me something!!! I am not doing this with out something, it is going to hurt like H$%#!!!!" He said "Honey, you don't understand the baby is coming now, they can see him!" The Dr. Kindly gave me a shot of Lydocane (SP) to numb things up a bit, and out Alex slid. Yup, a 4 1/2 pounder just slides out. Really they do! There is no pushing, just sliding! They tossed him onto my belly and rubbed him up, he was so small, I could hardly believe it! What a whirl wind! I remember the nurse saying "Oh, he is pinking up on room air." Oh I was so proud of my little man, and then he was snatched from my blissful arms, as a nurse shouted, "he's turning blue!" Then there was a wall of people between me and my new child, there was beeping and chaos and a WHOLE LOT of acronyms! I was so worried I was going to loose him. It makes me sick just thinking about it even today. They put him on a ventilator and in a closed islet where he stayed for a few days. I think those few weeks were some of the hardest weeks of my life. I didn't have a lot of help with Liza, and Brent was still in school, and getting ready for finals none the less. Back and forth to the hospital, thinking he was doing better then finding out that he stopped breathing several times in the night. Then thinking he was doing better, then finding out that his heart was stopping through out the day. Mothers day came and went, and I sat in his hospital room and watched 2 other babys get discharged, and cried that I couldn't take my baby home. It took a while to get him well and home, but it's likely a good thing because it took us a very long time to name him. The nurses made fun of us for taking so long. He was named Alexander because it goes with Elizabeth, yup, that was the thinking, that and it sounds professional, and it has a cute short name, and the name isn't a place of a thing (that is Brent's thing) and, it sounded good with what I wanted to name him which was Jack. Alex's middle name is Jack, he is named after my Grandfather on the Maternal side. Grandpa Jack was an inventor and a pilot, and has been my families 'hero' for as long as I can remember. But that is a story for another post.
Alexander finally came home with a heart monitor. It beeped when ever he stopped breathing, or if his heart stopped beating. He was also on a prescription for caffeine to stimulate his brain to keep him breathing and keep his heart going. It was an interesting time. So here he is 7 years later. Scooby doo is all the rage, that and star wars. His bestest friends in the whole world and Wyatt and Micah and his cousin Ethan (who he so wishes lived closer) He usually gets along really well with his sisters and fares pretty well in this house full of girls. Happy Birthday Buddy.
His party is tomorrow, so I am up writing this at 4 am, after finishing his cake for tomorrow. OOOhhh wee, who's gonna be a craptacular mommy tomorrow?!?! :-)
