8

8 years ago at this very moment, I was approximately 1 hour away from delivering you. My 7 pound, 1 ounce baby girl who was arriving 13 days early. My labor was blissful. Truly. I remember the anesthesiologist that came to administer my epidural was amused that I was giggling and happy when most women are in pain at that point. I watched movies and conversed with my mom and your dad and the nurse on call. Time came to push. I pushed for 40 minutes. The whole experience was surreal. I had the movie "What Women Want" playing and between pushes I was watching the movie. You were born at 1:08 am; you came out with bright beautiful red lips that the nurses dubbed you "A Revlon Model"! We both had a rocky start. I nearly bled to death immediately after you were born; came very close to losing my reproductive organs, thankfully the doctor was quick about getting me to surgery to do a D&C to stop the bleeding. You got to meet me hours after birth where you nursed for the first time. It was seamless and perfect. Your coloring was off though and I mentioned to the nurse that you looked blue. The nurse whisked you away to the NICU where you stayed for 3 days. They thought you were showing signs of infection. That was sheer torture due to the fact that I was bedridden for the first day of your life due to the blood loss. At one point I begged to be wheeled down in my bed to the NICU to see you. It was then that we bonded in a most amazing way. You were placed on my chest. We snuggled as you inched your way up to nuzzle in to the crook of my neck. You ever so gently started to suck on my cheek. It was then that I knew that we would have a special relationship.
You can never go back to the experience of having your first child. I would give anything to bottle that time up and treasure it forever. Each day that passes, each year you grow, I enjoy watching you blossom before my very eyes! It seems like just yesterday I was giving you your first bite of solid food, and now you are growing into a wonderful young lady! Life is amazing; being a mother is such a gift and I am so very thankful that I have you my sweet little girl to call my "First born"