I Can't Believe It!!

Well, my little man, Buddy, turns 9 today at 3:35 p.m. I went into labor with him at about midnight. And the pain got really intense, really fast. So about 3:00 am we got to the hospital. My contractions were spiking high on the monitor but I was only dilated to a 2. So they monitored me for an hour and then called my doc. At 4:00 the contractions were still spiking high but I hadn't dilated any more. So my doc said to give me some Demerol and watch me for another hour. After the hour I was at a 3, so they admitted me and gave me an epidural. I dilated all the way to a 5 and stayed there from 10 A.M. to 1 P.M. when my doc came in. Because the baby's heart beat seemed to be dropping a little and his vitals were starting to dip and I wasn't dilating, we decided to do a C-section. Finally at 3 P.M. I was in the O.R. and I was ready for them to open me up. When they started, I could feel - alot. So they hurried and put me all the way out and quickly opened me up. Well Buddy was posterior with his head looking up. He never engaged down the birth canal. So they tried to pull him out and he wouldn't come. According to my family who was watching from the window, one doc got up on the table and reached in for Buddy and pulled, pulling me off the table about 6 inches. YIKES!!! Glad I was out for that. But fortunately, we recorded everything on a mini tape recorder. While I was still out, a lady came to the hospital nursery and happened to catch Bret as he was going in. She told him she needed a child's cry for their ward party that night and could she record our child's cry. Tears come to my eyes as I think about our sweet little baby "playing" Jesus for in a ward nativity. He had just left Jesus' arms. WOW, that seems just like yesterday. Fast forward 9 years - Not quite as sweet as he was. He can certainly be a challenging child - but those challenges bring great rewards! His favorite color is orange and he loves animals - especially dogs and tigers. He knows SO much about them - he knows a lot about animals in general! When ever we see a "stray" dog, Buddy wants to pick it up and help find it's home. "It's the right thing to do, Mom." Sometimes we do, but mostly we don't. Most dogs have a tag and find their home fast. He's in the 3rd grade. He doesn't hate school, but given a choice, he'd rather stay home. He's doing ok in school. His teacher says he's a joy to have in class. She "NEVER has to get after him and he's so well mannered." He doesn't like to wear ties to church and still wants to take toys with him. We're trying to break him of that. He's the best son and big brother in the world - when he want to be! We sure love him and are very thankful for the part he plays in our family. Happy 9th Birthday, Buddy!!