Samantha…the Best Birthday Present EVER!

I don’t think I’ve written this story before.

I guess if I have you’ll just have to bear with me one more time.

Today is my birthday.

Age is just a number, right?  Well, I’m 49 today.

In my mind I’m in my 30’s.

My body wants to double that number…lol!

I do enjoy the freedom that age brings…the ‘Oh, what the hell!’ moments…the ‘I don’t care what others think’ moments…the ‘I choose to surround myself with caring, loving, supportive people’ moments…the ‘Life is short, eat the damn Caramello Candy Bar’ moments.  (I’ve had a few too many of those moments lately.)

But I digress…

Miss Samantha was set to be born during the 3rd week of November, 22 years ago.

This gorgeous smushy faced little girl had other plans.  (OK, in reality, my body had other plans, but it’s more fun to think of her wanting OUT!)

There was bed rest…there was more bed rest…and then there was 2 weeks in the hospital on bed rest.

Fun it was not, however, there are blessings that come from every situation…and what a blessing she has been.

A not so fun part of those two weeks was when she decided to completely turn around inside me (obviously) and go breech.  This was just a few days before she was born.

Let’s use a Sophia Petrillo saying (from Golden Girls):  ‘Picture this’:  An almost 7 pound baby completely turning around inside a mother’s stomach (ok…technically womb).

It looked like I had an alien trying to break out.

It was DISGUSTING!

And not particularly comfortable, mind you, either.

Thankfully (for her delivery…not so thankfully for the fun experience), she turned back around before she decided to make her entrance to the world.

A cute part of the story is how the Doctor came in one day to discuss when I could be taken off the Tributaline (a lovely medication that you get put on to stop the contractions…imagine having to lay in bed while taking a medication that makes your body feel like you’ve just drank a couple 5 hour energy drinks).

Anyywayyyy….I digress again…

I had this wonderful older gentleman as my Doctor, and he came to tell me I could go off the medication as of 12:01 a.m. on November 15th.

I looked him in the eye and asked if I could go off the meds one day early, since the 14th was/is my birthday and I couldn’t ask for a better birthday present than to possibly have my baby that day.

At first he said no…but I argued a bit by reminding him that with the first ultrasound they wobbled between two different days as her due date.

He hesitated, looked me in the eye, and said “Don’t tell ANYONE I’m doing this, but ok”.

Standing behind him was his nurse, who was now wide-eyed and shaking her head.  As he left the room, she quick stopped by my bed and whispered “He NEVER does that!”

I wish I could take you back to that moment to actually witness it.  It was just such a sweet, funny, heart-warming moment.  He was such a sweet but serious Doctor.  God love him.

Well, the rest of the story…

I was taken off the meds at 12:01 a.m.

I was in labor by 5:45 a.m.

Samantha was born by 10:15 a.m.

Bing, Bam, Boom.

Best…Birthday…Present…EVER.

A sweet, adorable, albeit slimy, baby girl.

It just doesn’t get any better than that.

*****************************

I love you baby girl.

You may be 22 now, graduating from college with honors, an amazing Artist, incredibly smart, and drop-dead gorgeous…

but you’ll always be my baby girl.

And my best birthday present ever.

Love,

Mom

(Patty O)