Happy Birthday, Ransom! The day you were born…

Poor Ransom.  First the poor kid has to share his 4 yr. old birthday (yesterday) with meeting his new baby brother who was coming home for the 1st time.  And then, horror of all horrors, Mama didn’t make time to celebrate her precious 1st-born on his actual birthday on her blog  🙁

Last year in this beautiful season in W. MI I took these pictures for Ransom’s 3 yr. old photo shoot.  Of course, I had been meaning to do something similar for his 4 yr. but never got to it.  Hopefully soon!

Is this what all you 1st born’s have had to put up with all your life when all the next babies came along?  On behalf of mothers everywhere, I’m sorry.

In my defense though, we did have a few gifts wrapped for him when he got home including one from Baby Rhys.  Grandma & Grandpa

B also brought gifts and a cake that they made together with Ransom while he stayed over as we were in the hospital.  We had a nice little celebration & I’m pretty sure he still feels loved. 😉  In fact, it’s our little secret that I didn’t give a shout out to my boy on my blog.  Shhhh….  And he does still have a birthday party coming up, albeit quite delayed!

In honor and celebration of my precious 4 yr. old, Happy Birthday, Ransom! You are such a sweet, loving, kind & beautiful soul.  I will always love you, son.

Here is an excerpt from Ransom’s baby scrapbook of that wonderful day 4 years ago when God blessed us with Ransom… (written to him).

On the Wednesday before you were born I went in for my last prenatal appointment with Dr. Johnson.  After checking me out she said I was nearly 4.5cm dilated & should be giving birth to you before the weekend was over.   You were due Monday, October 24, 2005.  I was thrilled.

The next day I had a previously scheduled meeting with your daddy, Uncle York & our supervisor Fred at a local Starbucks.  The meeting ended up lasting all day!  I was beginning to have light contractions & un-comfortability but I thought perhaps they were Braxton Hicks.  In fact, the conversation was more uncomfortable than the pain!

I heard that you are not supposed to eat much in the final stages of labor, but, frankly I didn’t care.  I ate well all day! 🙂   After that meeting I went straight to campus for our student meeting.  The contractions were picking up in speed but not pain level so I stuck around & went home around 11pm.

On the way home I prayed, “please Lord let me go into labor tonight!  I am ready to meet my little boy.”  When I got home I decided to walk knowing that walking often brings on labor.  After about a half-hour my ankles were killing me, my pelvis was so sore & you felt like a 35 pound dead weight in my gut.  I decided to turn in at midnight.

I layed there awake continuing to pray for your arrival.  Maybe about 5 minutes after I nodded off I felt you kick very hard & then I felt a slow trickle of water.

I ran to the bathroom & all of a sudden everything started gushing —my water had broke! Yay! 🙂  I yelled to daddy, “baby, baby, baby, my water broke!”  He yelled, “what?!”  This was unexpected.  I’d heard only 8% of pregnant women have their water break –what were the chances?

Immediately I called Dr. Johnson & told her the news.  She asked if I was sure because of how calm I sounded.  I told her I was leaking gallons of water.  I was positive.  It took your daddy & I about an hour to pack up everything.  I was done first & decided to hop on email to tell some friends!  One friend replied back immediately, “your in labor & your sending email?  Amazing.”

Last but not least, I wanted Dave to get one last picture of my profile.  We took 3 pictures in the kitchen & left.

About as soon as we got in the car the contractions finally started to hurt….and then they really hurt….and then they really really really hurt.  The intensity picked up fast.  By the time we got to the hospital & got all checked in I was 7cm dilated.  I requested the epidural —pronto!  By this time I was in transitionary labor.  I was throwing up, shaking violently, and experiencing intense contractions every 2-3 minutes.

Early on in my pregnancy I had ordered about 5 super cheesy 1980’s pregnancy workout videos from e-bay.  I had been doing them religiously since I was 6 weeks preggers, I was in great shape & I knew it.  Better than that, because of the videos I had been practicing calming techniques for about 9.5 months.  I broke right into the techniques & I was very calm, very silent.  (which is the opposite of how I usually am when facing tremendous levels of pain! 😉  Okay fine, it’s the exact opposite of how I am any day).

During one of my horrible contractions I had to throw up –all that good food I ate earlier- gone.  At the exact same time I had to boo-boo.  So here I am on the toilet boo-booing, throwing up, crying & having an intense contraction.  I remember telling Daddy that pregnancy sucked & I didn’t understand why women keep having babies over & over again.  This was my only moment of weakness.

About an hour later & after I signed my life away, the Dr. administering the epidural came in to me shaking uncontrollably. He warned me to be very still or else the needle could go in incorrectly.  I had been praying almost constantly & I said another specific prayer.  “God help me to calm my body down & focus.”  I decided to go to St. Lucia –one of me & your daddy’s best vacations ever– on the warm beach in front of the beautiful Gros Piton Mountain.

And that did it.  My whole body just…. stopped.  Daddy looked at me in disbelief.  And then right as the Dr. administered the shot I had another King Kong size contraction.

I had tears & a crunched face but no movement whatsoever.  Everyone in the room was marveling.  God had answered my prayer immediately.  After that I did not feel another single contraction!  It was like Jesus calming the storm.  Or “liquid Jesus.”

It was nearly 2am.  The Dr. told Daddy & I to go to sleep.  They turned off the light & left.  This wasn’t quite how I pictured this to turn out.  Nevertheless, I went with it.  I rolled over & snoozed.  I was only half asleep, I couldn’t feel the contractions but I could feel a constant sense of humungous pressure.

At about 5am, I called for the nurse.  I told her I had to pee so bad I couldn’t take it anymore.  She decided to check me out since I was awake.  She said, “Oh my God, your at 10cm, why didn’t you tell me about the pressure?!?!”  I told her this was my 1st baby & I didn’t know how much pressure is too much, it just felt like I had to pee very very badly.” She frantically ran out of the room & brought about 7 people back with her.  They prepped me for pushing.  I had hit 10 cm.

From 5:15am—7am was entirely pleasant.  I was hooked up to this machine that told me when the contractions would come, so my pushing would be more effective.  In between the contractions, the nurse, Dave & I had great conversations about our work, about spirituality, about fashion, even.  Everything was super calm.  I couldn’t really feel your big head working so hard to get out!

At about 7am things got a little less pleasant, your head was stuck!  Completely stuck.  The Dr. offered to give me an episiotomy, but I refused.  For all of humanity God has allowed women to give birth without someone cutting the hole bigger.  No thank you.  I’ll take my chances.

After about 30 minutes your head hadn’t come out even 1 inch more!  All that work…for nothin’!  The Dr. again offered to cut me.  And that’s when it hit me!  My drive for a challenge & a competition hit me.

I started to remember the physical challenge I had taken the year before, “Body 4 Life,” & I remembered there was nothing physical I couldn’t push myself to do if I put my mind to it.

I started to go back to my pregnancy videos & the classes your daddy & I took.  I remember now they said I’d need intense focus to figure out how to Kegel & release, contract your stomach & breathe deeply all while you couldn’t feel anything but intense pelvic pressure.

I did my homework, son.  I had practiced so many times before.  I got my game face on & went to work, I went into intense silent focus mode.  It was working!

The Dr. said she didn’t know what I was doing different but keep it up!  She said she know I must be tired but were almost done.  But I was like, “nope I’m not tired, I’ve actually got a lot of energy still.”  (working out really paid off big time)!  Anyway, within 10 minutes your rather large noggin’ came all the way out –which I got to see through a mirror above my head- & she pulled your body out quickly.  The time was 7:40am.

Daddy was right there supporting me & taking pictures.  At first you cried when they placed you on my chest, but after I started talking you calmed right down & just stared at me.

You were so beautiful.  You were the most precious thing I had ever seen.  I was so happy to finally meet you I started to cry happy tears.  The first thing I said to you was –not terribly imaginative I know— “Hi, Ransom, I love you.”

And 4 years later, you are still the light of my life!