Happy Birthday Baby

Today is a happy day for me. Seventeen years ago the best ever April Fool's day prank was played on me. My number two son was due to be born on or around April 15. He arrived on April 1.

What started out as a normal pregnancy turned into a high risk pregnancy midway through. I was admitted to the hospital to spend the last month or so languishing in bed where they could keep an eye on us. Things went down hill more and more each day until finally that baby needed to be born whether or not either of us were ready.

After it was over we found out that his heart rate in utero was 30 beats per minute, normal is 120-160 per minute and I was on the verge of stroking out. Good thing they don't tell you this at the time or that would've been the news to put me over the edge.

While I worried for a long time over him, did his brain receive enough oxygen with such a low heart rate and he weighed only 5 lbs 4 oz. , Number Two turned out fine. Today he is a strapping young lad with curly hair, beautiful eyes (a unique color, teal at times, sometimes aqua), smart (we're waiting to see if he will be selected to join the National Honor Society), kind, compassionate, is a high school mentor to 2 elementary students, works part time and is on the tennis team. His aspirations for his future include going to college and majoring in education.

As a mother I would die for my children, my love is fierce. Both were conceived the non-traditional way and I value them everyday. A year later I asked my ob/gyn if the same thing would happen if I had a third child. I wanted a girl badly. He said he couldn't be 100% sure but most likely it would be another difficult, high risk venture. Then he asked me a question that I never forgot. "Are you happy with the two children you have?" I replied, "of course I am, they're the light of my life." He then told me that while his field of medicine was full of happy events, it is very difficult when a baby doesn't survive but the absolute worse is when he looses a mother, especially if she already has little ones at home. He would strongly advise me to not have anymore children. It was one of the most profound pieces of advice I've ever received. A child without their mother, not to reduce the roll of the father by any means, but children need a mother in those early years.

Back to the birthday boy. Today we are going to see "Blades of Glory" with Will Farrell and then to dinner with his aunts, uncles and cousins. Both sets of grandparents are in Florida right now, they always miss his birthday. :(

Thanks for bearing with me on this kid post. A proud mother cannot help but brag but I know it gets old. Good thing I have only two.