The day Evan was born

Indulge me for just a few minutes. It's Evan's birthday (he's four!!!).... I'm feeling a little mommy-ish and am thinking a lot about the day he was born. Cliche alert: I cannot believe that four years ago I was holding a brand-new Evan in my arms.... On the other hand, it seems like about 75 years ago....

Anyway, at about 10:30 in the morning on September 1, my midwife called me and told me to get into the hospital. The labs they had drawn from me that morning were not good, and they needed to deliver me ASAP. Believe me, it didn't take me long to get there.... It doesn't take many days of being terminally pregnant in 90-degree heat to motivate me. I moved pretty fast for being the size of a whale.

So they induced me. Long induction, but not as long as Jensen's. I hemorrhaged twice (once during, once after). It lasted 34 hours (yes, you read that correctly). He had the cord wrapped around his neck not once, not twice, but three times-- he had a freakishly long umbilical cord. George Bush was delivering the State of the Union address, and my husband had the nerve to actually be watching it-- no way was my kid coming into the world to that. In summary, it was a really long labor.

Our beautiful little boy was quiet for a few hours after he was born. And then. He wouldn't stop screaming. It went on for hours. He was inconsolable. Jeff and I were inconsolable. Finally we had one of the nursery nurses come in and she tried everything she knew. And after about an hour of being unable to make him stop, she handed him back and said, "Yeah, good luck with this one." She actually said that, about our sweet little baby!

She was right.

He was colicky. He had terrible gastric reflux. He cried day and night for the first four months of his life. It was hell, and I don't feel guilty saying that. We had moments where we wondered how we would ever be able to live with him. And even today, when he's mad, we remember how his life started.

Oh, little Evan. He is all about raw emotion. He's downright crazy when he's angry. And he is also the happiest, most loving member of our family. He is absolutely effervescent. I think we learn something special from each of our kids. He is the kid who taught me that as a parent, love goes deeper than any amount of exasperation or sleeplessness. He's the one who reminded me how rewarding it is to overcome hurdles that seem unmanageable. And most of all, he's the one who showed the adult me how to experience pure, unbridled joy.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Pea. Thanks for everything, you little monster!