Dear Buddy,

Mommy's going to be one very tired lady on your first birthday. It's tomorrow. Your first birthday is TOMORROW. I was laying in bed just now, trying so hard to fall asleep, when my mind started to wander. I knew I wanted to post a special tribute to your big day tomorrow, but wasn't sure when I would do it. I'm working during the day, since teachers don't get to pick their days off (and I would pick tomorrow if I could). After work I'll come pick up you and your sister to come home and get ready for a few visitors. Then it's an evening of greeting some family members who will drop in to wish you well and bring you presents. To bed at eight, as always. You've started spending your days in the 1-year olds' room this week and it's left you very tired by the end of the day.

So I was laying in bed trying to fall asleep and wondering why I couldn't. I'm usually in bed and asleep by 10:00. It's 10:30, I should really be asleep. It hit me like a ton of bricks. It was 10:30 on the nose on this very night last year when I went into labor with you. And so begins my tribute, I will tell you (and the world, apparently) of your arrival into this world. It is a story worth telling, trust me.

At 10:30 p.m. on the night of April 10th, 2006, I went to bed and tried to fall asleep. I had a contraction. A contraction! I was so excited - I had been waiting for any sign that you were on your way. Your first sign was a pretty strong contraction. I laid in bed after that, sitting up every little bit as I would have more contractions. I wondered, should I be watching the clock? So I did. About 10 minutes apart or so. No biggie. I labored like this with Bee for a day and a half. My thinking was that I would go into my scheduled appointment with the OB/GYN the next day at 11:40 a.m. and would probably get admitted into the hospital to have you. That's sort of how it worked with Brenna, thought it would be fine if you wanted to do it the same.

I woke up your daddy around midnight and told him I'd been having contractions for about an hour and a half, so I'd probably need him to drive me to my doctor's appointment the next day at 11:40 a.m. I was thinking ahead, figuring I probably wouldn't be up for driving after having contractions for TWELVE hours. Did I really think it would take that long? But I'm getting ahead of myself...

The contractions continued. 7 minutes. 9 minutes. 11 minutes. Pretty regular for over an hour. Guess I should try to remember how regular and for how long before we go in. Everyone says labor as long as you can at home, it's better that way. It took almost two days for Brenna to come out, I figured you would be no different. Besides, I've had no sign prior to this that you were coming. This quick labor came as quite a surprise!

Around 3:30, I got nervous. I woke your daddy up (yes, he slept the whole night as Mommy labored right in the room) and called the doctor's. They said call the labor & delivery at the hospital. Okay. Calling them, having trouble talking a lot by then. Contractions are every few minutes. They say come on in and get checked. Okay.

4:00 a.m. The big daddy of all contractions brought me to my knees in the bedroom. I'm stumbling around by then because I haven't got a bag packed yet. That's on tomorrow's to do list. You know by now, Mommy's a last minute kind of gal. Grandma and Grandpa are on their way to get Bee. Daddy's getting excited, though a little nervous due to the heavy breathing and loud moans and groans from Mommy. I'm not going to lie, Buddy, by then it was getting serious.

I got to the van at about 4:30. Dropped to my knees in the driveway and shouted so loud I thought I'd wake the neighbors. Contractions are a minute apart by now. Mommy's tummy really hurts now. On the way there, Mommy kept saying, "I can't do this." And also some other things that I can't type here. You know Mommy doesn't usually say swear words, but tonight was a special night and I said them all. I didn't know it then, but I was in what they call "transition". So we got to the hospital. I only dropped to my knees once in the parking lot and then they got me into a wheelchair. I will call in the wail chair, because I was one loud mama. They checked me right as they wheeled me up to the table. We were just in time because your Mommy was at 10 cm. when we got there and I was ready to have you!

I'll spare you the details of the rest. Let's just say I pushed twice about 15 minutes later and it was all over but the stuff you really don't want me to talk about. And you were beautiful. And the nurses forgave me for the swatting and the swearing and the sputtering. You were worth it.

The story made it all over the hospital. About the baby who was born at 5:02 a.m. to a Mommy who had gotten there 20 minutes prior. And I loved you from the very first moment. You completed our happy little family and we haven't looked back once. We may not have planned to have you when we did (just a couple of years earlier than our plan) and we may have barely made it to the hospital, but you have been a wonderful blessing since your very first breath.

Thank you for being a beautiful baby. Thank you for becoming a loving and adventurous toddler. I will do my best to teach you to be a respectful and kind young man who is, above all, not a jackass.


I love you, Buddy. I really do.