Miles To Go Before I Sleep.....: Remembering your BIRTH day....

Mr. Izeah, I remember giving birth to you like it was yesterday....

Going into labor when it was snowing outside in MARCH..... Grandma Donna driving me to the hospital having hot flashes the whole way :-) Zakari in the back seat babbling constantly, excited about staying the night at Ms. JoAnn's, telling me all about it while I'm breathing through contractions.... sliding all over the road..... laughing in between contractions thinking how hilarious this situation seems!! Getting to the hospital and watching your little heart rate dip with contractions.... then I was nervous. Then, being told I was dilated to only a 3, and it felt like 10! Hydrating me to improve your heart rate, which worked beautifully.... Spending my labor in the bath tub for 5 hours. The water felt so calming, nourishing, and liquid while my body was molding itself for your birth..... a room full of people all taking turns sitting with me in the bath tub, watching me in my full naked glory talking to myself to ease each contraction through to the next one. Your daddy just sitting there looking at me..... holding my hand, not saying anything. Just sharing the minutes with me as they slowly eased by.... patiently waiting for your arrival as you were much slower entering the world than the time before :-) Grandma Donna noticed I took off my glasses for the first time since labor started, called the midwife and was right! I was a 10 :-) Still, I didn't have that incredible urge to push you out just yet.... but I got out of the tub and returned to the bed.... everyone trying to cover me up with some damn gown.... nope, on the floor they went.... I wanted to be gloriously naked while giving life to my child, the same way you were entering the world..... but my water wouldn't break..... and oh how it hurt! The sac was tough they said..... it took many tugs to get it to break!! Then, when it broke, you started your descent..... I could feel every part of you sliding out of me.... your head stretching me first, then your shoulders spreading me wide open, the realization at that moment that my body could open up like that, to let you out of your warm home and into my arms. And then, you were here..... naked and wet on my belly. I loved you with all my heart right from that moment..... watching them clean you and handing you to your daddy..... he always held his children first:-) Watching him stare down at you, contemplating this little miracle that was laying in his arms, he was proud of you from the first breath.... then taking you into my arms and feeding you from my body.... the start of your little life :-)

Now you're four! You dress yourself everyday.... you fall asleep at night singing all the songs you've learned in your own little verse :-) You help mommy cook dinner and John cook breakfast... you love to stir the eggs or pour the pancakes.... You don't cry when I leave anymore..... you tell me you love me everyday and it makes all the temper tantrums leave my mind :-) You run almost as fast as your big brother now and you're learning colors, numbers, your name, and how to count.... you shower by yourself, wash yourself, and even get out and dry yourself off..... you empty your plate in the trash and put it in the sink to be washed..... you're obsessed with paper, markers, scissors, crayons, posters, art :-) You got a bike for your birthday! You're getting so big now......

I find it truely amazing how those four years went by so fast :-)