now we are six

Our boy is six today. He isn't very excited as he only spent about 30 minutes yesterday bouncing on his bed, yelling, tomorrow is my birthday, tomorrow is my birthday. And it snowed overnight so he is just in heaven. All week there has been snow in the forecast and we (thankfully from my perspective) have only had the merest dusting but for a boy who longs to be able to clear the driveway of snow with his trucks, it has been very disappointing. So today, at kid's club, he'll get to play in snow and play hockey with his pals until the rain kicks in later on today. And there will be chocolate cupcakes for supper. And his party tomorrow.

It's hard to believe that six years ago right now, I was in labour and starting to wonder if this boy would ever be born. I'd been induced on the Wednesday evening and as the contractions that started were only baby ones, they sent me home to sleep. I returned the next morning and was hooked up to a pitocin drop to try and move things along. Things didn't progress so I had another round of induction medication and more pitocin and laboured along all afternoon and evening with no progress. Around 11 pm they sent my husband and support friend home. I woke up in heavy labour around 5 am and paced the hallways of the labour and delivery ward until my husband arrived after 8, after which I either paced the hallways or perched on a birthing ball in the hallway outside my cubicle in the antenatal area. As I never progressed to 4cm dilated, I was never moved inside Labour and Delivery. My little cubby was so small, when my husband sat in the visitor's chair his knees threatened to take out the side of the bed. And a birthing ball definitely wasn't going to fit in that space so we parked it at the end of the bed, in the hallway and I perched on it while my husband and friend E took turns massaging my back. Periodically I would have to move to the bed so the fetal monitors could be read (he's doing fabulously well) but my back labour rarely registered on the contraction monitor which was pissing me off and I found lying down agony. At 10:30AM the OB came and checked my progress and we talked about options. I was in increasing distress, and making no progress. I could either have one more round of induction meds or proceed to the OR for a c-section. I went with the OR option and I'm glad I did. While I was being prepped, my blood pressure spiked and I needed a quick dose of hypertension meds and my bronchitis kicked in causing me to cough and cough so I was put on an inhaler as well. Then I was moved to the OR, given an epidural (oh the relief) and then draped. A few tugs later and there was our boy - with a chin just like his dad's. The OB told me later that our boy was so comfy inside me, that she really had to tug to get him out! He and I were moved to recovery where he told me all about his journey - he "talked" non-stop the whole time I was in recovery "ack, ack, ack...ack, ack". My nurse was laughing, saying "wow, you've got a talker there!"

And now he is six! Our funny, smart, social, lego loving, truck loving boy. He's the best thing I've ever done and I can't imagine my life without him. I look at him now and he seems so grown up. He's lean and lanky like his dad (my husband's mini me) and there are no signs of the baby he was except when he is sleeping. Happy Birthday, my dear boy!