My 25th anniversary of motherhood

Twenty-five years ago today, I became a mother.  This is fairly remarkable considering my son and I nearly died on this very same day.

It was May 19, 1986.  I was eleven days overdue.  The doctor was predicting a 9+ pound baby.  I really had no frame of reference, so I didn't even think about the difficulty of delivering.  I just wanted that kid out!  The doc decided it was time to induce labor, and off to the hospital we went.  Within an hour, my little mister was in distress, and the decision was made to do an emergency C-section.

The next thing I remember, I was in the recovery room trying desperately to breathe.  Apparently, during the procedure, my blood pressure bottomed out, and they almost lost me.

I didn't fully wake up for probably 36 hours.  (Sorry to anyone who visited during that time...I don't remember.)  At some point, I was told I had a son, and I vaguely recall seeing him.  I didn't know until a day or two later that he barely survived also.  When they got to him, he had the umbilical cord wrapped snugly around his neck and was suffocating.

Oh, and the "little" guy was not just a 9 pounder.  He weighed 10 pounds, 5 ounces.  Eek!  The nurses dubbed him "The Refrigerator" (after the Chicago Bears' defensive lineman).  The only other baby in the nursery of the small town hospital was a 5 pound baby girl.  He looked like a tank next to her!  Doc said he ordered a steak his first night in the hospital... :)

In the days and years to come, my miracle baby was the easiest, most compliant child a momma could ask for.  He was always happy, easy-going, loving and sweet.  His smile, encased by dimples, could melt the hardest heart and ease the sharpest pain.  If he saw me crying, he would crawl up in my lap, wrap his arms around my neck and say, "Don't cry, Mommy.  Everything will be all right."

We went through a rough patch in his teen years, but God has brought so much good out of those trials and tribulations...for both of us.  The Lord is still molding and shaping Jeremy into the man He wants him to be, and though it has been painful at times, I'm still privileged to be a part of that.

Jeremy is working hard to build his life now, and I can't express how proud I am of him.  He's a good man.

Did I just say he was a man?  Well, I guess I have to accept that he is.  But somewhere in my heart, he will always be the little boy with the dimpled smile that lights up a room.  I love you, son, and happy birthday!

"My son, keep your father’s command and do not forsake your mother’s teaching."  Proverbs 6:20