Saying good-bye to the single digits!

~I usually don’t use my children’s names on the blog just to give them a little bit of privacy.  But being that today is a special day and I don’t want to keep saying “Hot Rod” over and over and over, I’m going to make an exception to my rule…” :0) ~

Grant Kyle

March 15, 2000

Weight:  8 pounds, 9 ounces

Height:  2o inches

Ten years ago today, I was on my way to the doctor for a checkup before my c-section scheduled for March 17.  I had a c-section with my first son (which I will tell a bit about next Wednesday on his birthday) and had anticipated having a VBAC for my second child but things hadn’t turned out quite like I had planned.  (Loooong story…)  I entered the doctor’s office for a pre-surgery checkup but my day took a bit of a different turn.

As I was talking with the doctor,he stopped and asked me, “Are you having a contraction?”  To which I replied, “Yes, I am.”  I had been having these contractions for weeks.  Sometimes they were really bad but then they would just go away.  As he went on to check me for dilation, he told me that I was “completely effaced and 5 cm dilated.”  His exact words were, “It looks like a good day to have a baby.” 

What happened next was quite a whirlwind because I was told that I would have a baby in about an hour!  We quickly made phone calls and headed over to labor and delivery where nurses began buzzing around me like busy bees.  The quickness of it all actually made me quite nauseated.  I was rolled into the OR and had a baby within 15 minutes.  Grant was taken to the nursery with Dave and I went to recovery.

The nurses came to the recovery room to take me upstairs and I was so excited because I’d finally get to hold my baby.  The nurses stopped by the nursery window for me to catch a glimpse of my baby but they couldn’t find him.  Then I saw my dad walking towards me with a “look” on his face.  I knew that something was wrong. 

 First birthday

He told me that they had taken Grant behind the curtain and the doctor would come talk to me soon.  Right at that moment, I was scared…what was wrong with my baby?  Later the doctor came to me and told me that Grant was having trouble breathing and he would be under an oxygen tent until his oxygen levels improved.  I spent my first night as the mom of two without ever seeing or touching my baby (if you don’t count those 20 seconds in the OR).

I spent the night watching the clock and waiting until a “reasonable” hour to ask the nurses to get me up out of bed so I could go see my baby.  As soon as I felt it was a good time, I called the nurses and someone came to help me up.  While she was helping me, she told me that the doctor would be in to see me soon.  Dr. P came in and he gave me some great news.  He told me that Grant was doing much better and he would be in the room to see me soon.

I finally held my baby – 24 hours after his birth.  I was so happy to see him and hold him.  He was such a cuddly baby.  A few days later, we took him home to his big brother and life has never been the same!

Grant has always been a bundle of energy.  I used to joke that he never slowed down for long because if he did he would fall asleep.  He.just.never.slowed.down!  And when he finally did slow down because he ran out of energy, he actually did fall asleep!  He always slept in the car seat because we made him stop for a while.

Grant is also very good with younger children.  He helps me with the little ones and he will play with younger children when we are different places.  And I’ve never once heard him complain about it.

  He loves cars, trucks, bicycles, motorcycles…if it has wheels, he loves it.  That’s why I call him “Hot Rod” on the blog!  He likes vehicles and he’s always in motion!

He is very in tune with people’s feelings and needs.  He will often ask me, “Mommy, what can I do to help you?”  It amazes me that he asks me this at times when I’m really feeling frazzled even if I’m not showing it.  I think that will be a good trait when he is married if he can read his wife and her needs too.

He cracks me up because he will come out with these funny little zingers – just out of no where!  They make me laugh.  He really likes it when he makes other people laugh.

Grant is a wonderful son, a great big brother, a fun little brother, and just a blessing to be around.  I am so thankful that God has blessed my life with the energy and love that Grant brings to it. 

Happy 10th birthday, Grant!  You’re in the double digits now!