Eleven years ago today...

I was standing outside the hospital emergency entrance with a suitcase in one hand and my swollen belly in the other hand as my husband (ex) sped away shouting out his window “Call me when something interesting happens”.
Oh, I don’t want to ruin this special day so I won’t go down that path.

Eleven years ago today I gave birth to the most special, baby boy. He didn’t want to leave his warm place, and when he finally did he refused to breath. He was taken away quickly, leaving me frantic. I did catch a glimpse of his purple little body as they tried to wrap him up. He was only gone for a few minutes but everything seemed to move in slow motion. When they brought him back to me and laid him on my chest I was relieved. He looked so different from his brother, smaller (8lbs, 4 oz), and frail because of his color. He opened his eyes and blinked at me several times (I like to think he was trying to focus on my face), whimpered and went to sleep.
He was a good baby. He didn’t cry a lot and he sucked his two middle fingers, which was sooo sweet. He didn’t talk until he was almost 3 and even then he was very hard to understand. He is one of the sweetest, kindhearted humans I have ever met. He has many struggles but nothing gets him down.
Every day when I drop him off at school he does the same thing: unbuckles his seatbelt, slides forward and gives me a kiss, jumps out of the car, says “I love you” and shuts the door. About 10 ft from the car he turns around and waves, it is always a “this could be my last wave” kinda wave. There is something so deep in his expression, and this wave, I can’t explain it. It melts my heart every morning.
When I pick him up after school, he comes running to give me a hug. He doesn’t care who sees us. He even kisses me on occasion. There is so much inside him, waiting to find a way out.
He is my little, cute, fuzzy caterpillar that will soon be a butterfly!
HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY!!!

P.S. At our house, the birthday boy gets to pick the menu for the day. Breakfast was: O.J., soy sausages, toast with strawberry jam and pancakes. B-day lunch is taking place on Saturday. Dinner is Hamburgers (rare request because he doesn’t like meat), French fries, broccoli w/ranch dip and maple bars with candles in them. He is taking a friend to Chuck E Cheese on Saturday and we will have cake at home after the fun.