My Last Baby

I had grand plans for a post on the 27 of January. But the weather evidently had other plans!

January 27 is my birthday. It is not the 19th like my granny tried to convince me. I have had some very memorial birthdays. Every year in junior high...I had strep! I can remember one year laying on the  couch recuperating from strep when I watched the Space Shuttle blow up. I had skating parties and sleepovers, never a swimming party though.

However..none of those parties compared to the party I had January 27, 2006. I received one of the best gifts I could ever have imagined. It was more precious than gold and way more practical than pearls....

Skeeter and I share a birthday. It wasn't suppose to happen that way. He wasn't due until the beginning of March...but he had other plans. 

Dwight had just come home from a ski trip that I strongly encouraged him to go on...less than 12 hours after he got home..I was in labor...and denial!

 It was a beautiful day out side. Skipper and Scar were outside playing in the sandbox and Scrappy was napping in his bed. I started having back pain..but refused to acknowledge it because it  was WAY to early and it was gorgeous outside-in JANUARY and the boys were having a great time. I finally gave in and called and they asked me to come on in. So I have to call Scout and tell him to come home...gather up stuff for 3 kids and call my brother and see if he can meet us at he hospital. All while having back labor. 

We get to the hospital...doc checks and agrees to send me over to a hospital with NICU. We go and things continue. They tell me that the monitor is not showing contractions..well thanks..that's cause I am having all back labor. They give me drugs to stop things and I can not remember what happens from here! 

Seriously! I can remember bits a pieces of the next 2 days. I remember getting 2 steroid shots for Skeeter's lungs. I remember them saying if we could just make it till Friday I would be 34 weeks and they would let me go. I remember them stopping the drugs and the pains coming back. They started the drugs again and I was sure I was on fire. The is the ONLY time in my life I have been really warm. Evidently Mag does that to a person. I remember the boys coming in and not understanding why I couldn't open my eyes. I remember the bed being very uncomfortable. I remember mom and dad making it and Jesse and Sarah. Just small pieces of things. 

On Friday, January 27, they turned everything off and let me go. By that evening..we had a beautiful new baby boy. He was born at 34 weeks-at 5 pounds 13 ounces. He was the biggest preemie in the NICU!! He did have some lung problems. He had premature lung disease. After delivery, they let Dwight hold him for a few seconds and then took him off.  He was in NICU for almost a month. He was over a week old before I got to hold him. We had insurance issues and logistical issues. I refused to let them bottle feed him during the day so I made my way 30 minutes south every morning at 5. I spent all morning there, came home at lunch to be with the other 3 boys get them ready for naps and then made my way back to the hospital till after dinner, ate there and then went back home to get everyone ready for bed all to do it again the next day.

Skeeter is a gem! He is so sweet and funny and loving. He is a Mommy's boy and I am way fine with that. Soon enough he won't be. Soon he won't need me to pour the milk for him. He won't ask me to "nuggle" him. He won't want to be in my lap or need me to read him the book-for the 100th time. He will not need to hold my hand when he crosses the street. 

So I will savor every minute of this last one!