Fourteen years and one day ago I was 5 days past my due date telling my midwife I needed to have this baby soon! It was a Wednesday and the movers were coming on Monday! I needed to have a baby and pack up my apartment and had only 4 more days to do it!
She agreed to strip my membranes (is there a cuter way to put that for blogging?) and hopefully that would get things moving.
Sure enough, I woke up Thursday morning in labor. My mom came in town that day and took Courtney to the park. They were gone all day and my mom spent their precious alone time together telling Courtney how great it was that she was part of a Family. Mom, Dad, Big Sister and Little Brother. Family was the big talk and my mom knows just how to explain things to kids and Courtney Ate It Up! She was a great big sister from Day 1--owing in part to her personality and in part to Grandma convincing her it was the greatest thing EVER!
Dan and I walked that morning hoping to get things moving. That afternoon I sat on the couch concentrating on labor and my mom said, "Do you want to talk? Or do you just want me to talk to you?" I just wanted her to talk so she started telling me about every member of our family. She talked. I listened. And it took my mind off of laboring.
By 4:00 p.m. we decided to head to the hospital. I thought it was a bit premature because I was feeling pretty good. But Dan convinced me. When I got there I could still walk up the stairs -- just needed to stop every few minutes and breathe through a contraction. Then we kept on walking. They sent me to triage and, Lucky Me, said I was dilated to a 6 and sent me straight to my room with my midwives!
When we got to the room I was still feeling good. "Should I walk around?" I wondered?
"Uhhhh, no. Because you're about to have a baby."
"I don't feel like it's going to happen soon."
"It is," they said.
And sure enough a few minutes later it was time and 30 minutes after stepping foot into that hospital, at 5:05 p.m. Marty was born.
He was such a GOOD baby! He slept well from the beginning. He didn't mind laying on the floor and watching the world all around! He loved being in his crib to sleep! That summer we took a trip to Florida. Each night at bedtime I'd nurse Marty and then put him in his crib and Courtney, Dan and I watched a movie. One night Dan said, "He's awake."
"What?!" I couldn't believe that a baby would lay in his crib awake and then put himself to sleep. It was a little miracle. Especially since living in New York Dad would never be home and I was worried about bedtime. But Marty made it EASY!
When he got older and he'd wake up in his crib, he would call out happily, "Mama! Mama!" while jumping up and down holding on to the crib rail. He was delightful!
When he turned 1 he was finished absorbing life in the city and wanted to be a part of it. That kid was on the move! And since he didn't have the language to express his thoughts, he started screaming to get my attention. Oh Wow! Those are stories for another time!
For now, I'm so grateful for My Marty! He's always loved giving and getting hugs and was a cuddler. He's a great big brother. Yes, he likes to tease. But he's also sensitive and helpful to Christopher and Nicholas. He's a good example and isn't afraid to work hard. He mows the lawn without complaining (that's a lot of lawn), has become so responsible with his violin practicing and is always willing to do his duty in Young Men's. I'm very proud of him. He's also great at baseball and I'll concede, even talented at video games. He's got a fun group of friends and a fun sense of humor. Love this kid!
She agreed to strip my membranes (is there a cuter way to put that for blogging?) and hopefully that would get things moving.
Sure enough, I woke up Thursday morning in labor. My mom came in town that day and took Courtney to the park. They were gone all day and my mom spent their precious alone time together telling Courtney how great it was that she was part of a Family. Mom, Dad, Big Sister and Little Brother. Family was the big talk and my mom knows just how to explain things to kids and Courtney Ate It Up! She was a great big sister from Day 1--owing in part to her personality and in part to Grandma convincing her it was the greatest thing EVER!
Dan and I walked that morning hoping to get things moving. That afternoon I sat on the couch concentrating on labor and my mom said, "Do you want to talk? Or do you just want me to talk to you?" I just wanted her to talk so she started telling me about every member of our family. She talked. I listened. And it took my mind off of laboring.
By 4:00 p.m. we decided to head to the hospital. I thought it was a bit premature because I was feeling pretty good. But Dan convinced me. When I got there I could still walk up the stairs -- just needed to stop every few minutes and breathe through a contraction. Then we kept on walking. They sent me to triage and, Lucky Me, said I was dilated to a 6 and sent me straight to my room with my midwives!
When we got to the room I was still feeling good. "Should I walk around?" I wondered?
"Uhhhh, no. Because you're about to have a baby."
"I don't feel like it's going to happen soon."
"It is," they said.
And sure enough a few minutes later it was time and 30 minutes after stepping foot into that hospital, at 5:05 p.m. Marty was born.
He was such a GOOD baby! He slept well from the beginning. He didn't mind laying on the floor and watching the world all around! He loved being in his crib to sleep! That summer we took a trip to Florida. Each night at bedtime I'd nurse Marty and then put him in his crib and Courtney, Dan and I watched a movie. One night Dan said, "He's awake."
"What?!" I couldn't believe that a baby would lay in his crib awake and then put himself to sleep. It was a little miracle. Especially since living in New York Dad would never be home and I was worried about bedtime. But Marty made it EASY!
When he got older and he'd wake up in his crib, he would call out happily, "Mama! Mama!" while jumping up and down holding on to the crib rail. He was delightful!
When he turned 1 he was finished absorbing life in the city and wanted to be a part of it. That kid was on the move! And since he didn't have the language to express his thoughts, he started screaming to get my attention. Oh Wow! Those are stories for another time!
For now, I'm so grateful for My Marty! He's always loved giving and getting hugs and was a cuddler. He's a great big brother. Yes, he likes to tease. But he's also sensitive and helpful to Christopher and Nicholas. He's a good example and isn't afraid to work hard. He mows the lawn without complaining (that's a lot of lawn), has become so responsible with his violin practicing and is always willing to do his duty in Young Men's. I'm very proud of him. He's also great at baseball and I'll concede, even talented at video games. He's got a fun group of friends and a fun sense of humor. Love this kid!
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