BettyRants: Baby Boy Is One Today

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Baby Boy Is One Today

One bright Spring afternoon not so very long ago, Baby Sister called to say she thought she might have a bun in the oven, but she wasn't sure. She was nervous, and anxious to find out, but didn't want to know definitely just yet. Excited and terrified, she thought the best time to take the test would be on Mother's Day. She thought it would make a great Mother's Day gift for our mom and Hubs' mom, too, if she was, indeed, in the family way. I told her I thought she was certifiable.

On Mother's Day morning, I pulled into the driveway of Ragg Mountain Retreat and, as I got out of the car, heard Mom and Dad on the phone with Baby Sis saying, "Oh, Jenn, this is wonderful! You are going to do fine..." I got out of the car and knew immediately. I yelled, "Jenn is pregnant?" I still can't believe it. Dad thought I knew already. He thought we had talked at the bottom of the mountain and timed her call. I wish we had. I would have totally taken credit for it, but it was all her. She just happened to call at the right time with the right news. And all of our lives were changed forever. For the better.

Months passed. The Christmas holidays came. Our plan was to put Mom on a plane to Seattle and to have her out there in time to spend her own birthday , December 30th, with Baby Sis and be there whenever Baby Boy decided to grace us with his presence.

Then the call came. Early. On Christmas Day Night. Her water had broken. She was headed to the hospital. I gave her my "Talking You Down Off the Hospital Ledge" speech, and then we set about (with the help of our dear friend, Tiger) getting Mom on an earlier flight. Success! Tiger is really good.

Mom boarded a plane in the morning and was in Seattle by the evening of the 26th. Who knew labor could take so damn long?

"Not I," says the childless one.

We waited...
And waited...
And waited...

Finally, on the morning of December 27th Mom called. Crying. "He's here. He's beautiful. She did so well. He's so beautiful..." More crying.

Calls to everyone. Text messages. Facebook posts. More crying. Then the photos. More photos. More crying. So much happy crying. (Crying as I write this and remember.)

How could all of that have happened a year ago? How could Baby Boy be One today? How could he have spent three hundred sixty-five whole days actually out here in the world with us? How could Baby Sis, my Baby Sis have been a real-live mom, and an amazing one at that, for three hundred sixty-five whole days? Where did the time go?

I was just in Seattle for his three-month birthday and he was Burrito Boy, all snuggly, sleeping in my arms for hours at a time.

They were just in Tampa where he had his first swim, sat up, started crawling, and experienced his (and my) first "motorboat" to the delight of his captive audience.

Now he says, "Hi!" He feeds himself. He walks! He walks?!?!!

Baby Boy is one year old today, and Auntie Q feels like she is the one who has been given the gift. The gift of this precious, sweet, amazing little boy to love.

Thank you, Baby Sis, for making The Luckiest Girl in the World feel even more lucky than she already did. I didn't know it was possible, until you made it happen. I love you more than you will ever know.