Tuesday, October 11, 2011

I am one busy mom.  A month ago I started a post as my son's 10th birthday approached.   What a surprise- but I got busy party planning, camping, finding a job, more camping, scouts, back to school...

So it is published and now I need to post about all the above activities...

10 years ago

Ask anyone where they were 10 years ago and they will be able to tell you.  Me?? I can tell you were I was that whole week.

Monday 9.10.01-I went to one of my final OB appointments.  I was surprised to find out that all the cramping I had been having were actually contractions and I was 3 cm dilated.  The doctor said she could give me some meds that would get the heavy labor started.  I replied "No thanks.  He is not due until Friday and I haven't finished making his blanket yet".  I was still nervous.  We were stationed in Hawaii at Schofield Barracks and it was just me and my husband.  I wasn't ready yet...I still had a few days until he was supposed to arrive.  I went home and worked on his blanket.

Tuesday 9.11.01-  We were awakened in the middle of the night (6 hour time zone delay) by my parents calling to see if we had seen the news.  It was only bout 2:30 or 3 in the morning and I was quite confused.  We turned on the T.V. and saw what was going on.  We started waking up my husband's chain of command and he started getting ready for work.  I couldn't believe what we were seeing.  Both towers had fallen by the time he left to go on base.  My initial thoughts were "please don't be born today.  I can't bring you into the world on such a terrible day".  I cried so much that day thinking of all the father's and mother's who wouldn't be there to see their children grow.  I thought about how selfish the terrorists were to take so many loved ones away.  Their actions affected a whole country- not just for that one day- but for years to come.  I wondered if my husband would be deployed to fight against these monsters; wondered if he would leave today- would he be there to see our son born- would he make it home- would I become a single mom and a widow at age 24.

Wednesday 9.12.01- Contractions started becoming regular.  I had finished the blanket on Tuesday so I was finishing with the nesting stage.  I washed the dishes, paid bills, vacuumed, straightened etc.  My son was to be born at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu.  It was about a 30 minute drive in good traffic.  We called the Doctor and they recommended because of all the heightened security, to call the ambulance to take me in.  The hubby would have to drive there which could take 4 hrs to get off base and pass through security at the hospital.  We decided to wait until after the regular work hours and take our chances on good traffic and no lines at the checkpoints.  We arrived at dinner time...walked and waited to be admitted.  Details are a little foggy, but I was admitted somewhere around 11:30 at night.

Thursday 9.13.01-  Alex was born shortly after 5 in the morning.  He was so beautiful and perfect.  I had to share a room so I couldn't wait to get him home.


Happy 10th Birthday to my Baby Boy!