happy birthday

Alec is 17 years old today. He still makes me laugh while wanting to pull every strand of hair out by its roots. I could fill an entire blog with tales of Alec's escapades over the years. I think many of our neighbors love to swap "Alec stories". He is truly a one-of-a-kind character!

For today, I'll reminisce about the day of his birth. My mom had decided to spend the night at our home rather than going to California for my cousin's wedding. She just had a "feeling" - thank goodness for a mother's intuition. I woke in labor. Brakston took forever to get here so I was not in a panic. In fact, I tried to go back to sleep (over and over between almost paralyzing contractions). Finally, I got up and took a shower. Then, I told Kevin "We're going to have a baby today, but don't worry, we've got plenty of time for you to shower and eat breakfast."

I went and talked to my mom and told her the baby was coming. We chatted for a couple of minutes and suddenly, I knew I should panic! I ran and told Kevin to get out of the shower because we needed to get to the hospital. My water broke in the car during the 20-minute drive. We pulled up to the hospital and I had to convince Kevin this was an emergency and he could park in the red zone until he got me into the hospital. I made it to the nurses' station and clutched the counter unable to move. They pushed me into a wheelchair and stripped my clothes off as they wheeled me down the hall. They got me into the bed, checked me and announced I was fully dilated. Then they begged me to wait for the doctor. The nurses assured me the doctor only lived 5 minutes away.

When the doctor walked in he said "Let me check you" as he pulled on his sterile gloves. I replied, "Just catch" and he leaned down and pulled out Alec. It was the fastest, easiest delivery I would ever experience.

It's a good thing too since the moment we left home, Brakston had managed to lock he and my mom in the bathroom. (My mom was grateful that at least they'd have water and a toilet - a few basic necessities taken care of.) When we couldn't reach her by phone to tell her Alec was already here, I sent Kevin home to rescue them.

Alec has not always been the easiest of children to raise but he has certainly always been an unexpected adventure. I should have realized when his birth caught me so off-guard that it was a harbinger of what was to come.

I love you, Alec! Happy Birthday!