Life dealing with life. Here I am.: How it all began.....six whole years ago today!

Where were you six years ago today?

Me? I was having a baby!

I remember that day very clearly. It was 3:45 am on June 30 2003, and I had gotten up to go to the bathroom. I noticed I had lost my mucous plug (I’ll spare you the details) and got excited that something was finally happening.

I went back to lay on the sofa (I had slept there several nights in a row since it supported my back and need to lay on my left side) and noticed that there was a large bug on the ceiling. Knowing I’d never fall back to sleep with it up there, I climbed up on the arm of the sofa to kill it with a magazine. Yes, there I was, in my 39w5d glory climbing up on the sofa like a gymnast.

Once I took care of the bug I laid back down and got struck with an odd pain. A really, REALL Y painful pain all across my lower. Keith had come downstairs to see what the racket was all about and I said I had gotten a bug and……..I thought I might be in labor. We timed my contractions for awhile and suddenly they were very close together. 7 minutes, then 6, then 5. We took showers, had breakfast and I finished packng my bag. This was it!

I called the hospital at 6:45 am and was told to “enjoy” (as if!) labor at home and to call back when I couldn’t walk nor talk through the contractions. Let’s just say I called back at 7am and was told to come in.

Keith drove like a grandpa and I swear he hit every.single.bump along the way. We arrived at Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton NY at 7:15 am. Even though I had pre-registered at the hospital they couldn’t find my information so I had to fill it all out again. Keith had gone to find parking and I was sitting in the reception area having really painful contractions and coming off of my chair with the pain. A guy sitting across from me asked, “Ma’am? Are you okay?” I not-so-sweetly answered, “Yep! Never been better! Got a baby trying to work his way out of me and the hospital is asking if I have ever worked in a coal mine”. He kind of chuckled and went back to his business.

I was shown to my room at 7:45 and told to change into the glamorous gowns they provide. Keith finally got to the room loaded down with all of our (okay, MY) stuff. The nurses got to checking me for dilation. I thought for sure I’d be at 2 or 3 cm and I was shocked when she said to the other nurse, “Uh, she’s at 8!” So much for the drugs I wanted! It was too late.

Everything else was a whirlwind after that. My doctor came in and assessed the situation. Told me it was time to start pushing and away we went. If you’ve ever heard a woman talk about the ring of fire when pushing a baby out, it’s ALL true. Man oh man. But a body is a powerful thing and it does its job. I was so proud of myself for going drug-free. I really didn’t think I could do it but it was truly amazing. At 11:15 I asked the doctor how much longer and he said not too far to go. I pushed with a vengeance and at 11:45 am on Monday, June 30, 2003 Aaron John was brought into the world. All 8lbs, 11oz of him.

The rest of the day was kind of a blur. I remember thinking how incredible it was that he was finally here. I kept looking at him, then down at my belly, and then back at him. And I would say, “I can’t believe that (Aaron) came out of here (my belly)”. It was quite cool.

We made phone calls to our friends and family and enjoyed the rest of the day with our son. For those who wondered how he got his name, Aaron means, “Lofty and Inspired” and I always thought it was cool.

His middle name, John is a family name. Keith’s dad died the week before I found out I was pregnant. His name was John, though he went by Jack. My paternal grandfather was John Stanley. My brother’s middle name is John. Keith’s brother’s name is John. It is only fitting that Aaron have John in his name.

I later found out that famed percussionist Buddy Rich was also born on June 30. How completely fitting since he was one of my father’s icons! Aaron definitely had rhythmic feet pounding the inside of me when he was in utero!

Every single year at 11:45 on June 30 I take a picture of Aaron. I hope to do this as long as I can. You just never know what we’ll be doing or where we’ll be on that day.
06/30/03. The day of his birth.