"Just wanted to share a few precious memories from three years ago. I remember it being a stormy night on the 30th of December. We were in the family room watching a football game (Packers) when Rob called. I thought he was calling to give me a bad time about the game when, instead, he called to say you were in the hospital and they were going to do a c-section. It was so hard to be here and not be able to make it there because of the storm and equally difficult to know that Preston was going to be cared for at Scott and Natalie's instead of us watching him but we were so happy to hear the news and see the first photos of little Easton.
The next morning we got up and braved the storm to get there. I remember the text you sent me as though Easton was writing it to me stating, "Gee, I can hardly wait to me you". Then when we got to the hospital I stopped off in the bathroom and your dad was sitting out by one of the bay windows. I heard Natalie come down the hall with her girls and Preston and when Preston saw your dad, I heard his excitement when he called out, "Bob Bob!".
We came into your room and met our newest grandson and, of course, he was beautiful. I remember introducing Preston to his baby brother and showing him his tiny fingers and toes and he was in awe. You gifted me with the necklace with the pendent Preston and Easton engraved on it. It has always been a favorite of mine.
We took Preston to "Old Mc Donald's" for lunch and then checked in at the Hampton. We stayed there two days and Preston was such a good little boy. In fact, one time we passed through the lobby, the young man at the desk called him over to tell him what a good boy he was and gave him a candy bar. Need I add that he was thrilled!
We drove home in a snow storm and James texted several times to drive carefully and be safe. I would do it all over again for those precious moments."
Getting her email brought back memories that I had forgotten. Needless to say, it also brought tears to my eyes as I, too, took a walk down Memory Lane. This is what I remember:
I had had a couple times of pre-term labor and my doctor had put me on bed rest to make it to 37 weeks. Christmas is always a favorite time of the year for me and that year I felt I hadn't been able to give P 110% of the memories that I had wanted to because of my pregnancy. I was comparable in size to a beached whale and couldn't wait for my lil man to make his debut. The day I went into labor (for real) was a Sunday. It had been snowing and I told Rob I didn't want to go to church that morning because I had been up with contractions most of the previous night. As the day wore on I started getting the feeling that I would end it in the hospital. I told Rob and he said, "Please don't go into labor during the Packers game. This is a huge game for them." Almost as soon as the game started so did my contractions. With P I had had back labor but with E it was completely different. I looked outside and the snow was really coming down so I laid down, hoping that would slow everything a bit. It didn't and right before halftime, P looked at me and said, "Mommy, why are you crying?" Rob went into panic mode when I told him I thought I was in labor for real and that I was having pretty steady contractions. On the way to the hospital I found out that the 2 friends I had lined up to watch P for the night were unavailable because they had no idea I'd be going into labor so early (I was due mid January). So we called our good friends, Scott and Natalie, to ask if they would be willing to keep P for the night. They live an hour away from the hospital in good weather but it was downright snowing that night.
When we got to the hospital, Rob was upset that he couldn't watch the game and said he'd be really upset if he had driven in the snow and missed the game only to find out that I had had false labor AGAIN. But the nurse assured him I'd be having a baby soon so they prepped me as we waited for Scott and Natalie to get to the hospital. Rob probably called Scott 10 times, wondering where they were because my doctor was ready to deliver E via C-section (It had been pre-planned). Within minutes of P getting picked up, E was born. It was such a completely different experience for so many reasons. I almost felt a disconnect because everything seemed surreal. As soon as he was born he was whisked off with Rob following quickly behind. So I just laid there, wondering what was happening and if my baby was ok. Once they brought him in and reassured me that he was fine, I was able to bond with him. He was almost the exact same measurements as his big brother and just as precious as could be!
I remember being so cold once I was transferred to my hospital room. I put E on my belly after I nursed him so I could use his body heat to warm up. The nurse came in a few hours later to check us and said I couldn't do that because I had gotten him way too warm. Instead she brought me a few more blankets....to no avail. My room was so small but Rob insisted on sleeping on the hard, lumpy mattress that he put on the floor next to my bed. I remember looking up at the whiteboard in my room and finding it comical that it said "FALL RISK" across it. I proved the message correct and passed out in my favorite hospital place....the bathroom. But such is life and I've learned to just go with it (as has Rob but he may freak out about it a little more than me).
The day after E was born, P was brought to the hospital to meet his little brother. He beamed with pride as he looked E over, making sure he had all his fingers and toes. E "gifted" his big brother with a stuffed camo bear that says "I love you". (P sleeps with it to this day!). My dad took one of my all time favorite pictures of P sitting on Rob's lap, looking down at his baby brother.
Natalie was our first friend to hold E and I was so appreciative that, not only did she keep P for us, but that they came on last minute notice through a snow storm to get him. P was all excited that he had made a hot pad with Scott and Natalie's girls to give to E. I recently tried to throw it away as it's unraveled but E got very upset with me and told me it was from his Bubba. So I guess we'll keep it because of the memories it holds.
One of the other special things I remember vividly is my sweet friend, Jill, coming to visit me. She had told me before I had had E that I shouldn't get my feelings hurt but that she just couldn't visit me at St Mary's. That's where she had had to say goodbye to her little Matthew several months earlier. She told me she couldn't step foot in that hospital again and I respected that. So I was shocked beyond belief when I looked up and saw her standing in the doorway of my hospital room. We immediately started crying because of all her visit encompassed. Not only had she come into the hospital that held horrible memories for her but she came onto the Labor and Delivery floor where her life had tragically changed. At that moment I knew that, no matter where life took us, we'd be forever friends!
It's amazing the memories we hold dear. It's fun to take a walk down Memory Lane. I know there were some not so pleasant memories but those aren't the ones I think about. I think about the love that surrounded our lil man from the minute he was born. I think about our friends who came to see him and spoil P. I think of my parents, who graciously drove through feet of snow to make sure they could help out in any way, shape or form. I think about the bond E and I had from the start.
And now, 3 years later, I think about his first year of life. Where we packed up life as we knew it to move 2500 away. Where, on his first birthday, he was sicker than a dog and slept through most of his party. Where he took his first steps and said his first words. It all seems so long ago. As you know, time flies so I love reminiscing on his young life and all the joys (and frustration) he has brought into our lives. He and P are like peas and carrots in looks and personalities but I'm equally thankful for what they add to our lives. 3 years ago today I didn't think I could love another child as much as I did P. And 3 years later, I realize how wrong that thinking was. Happy 3rd birthday my lil firecracker!
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