I woke up and our bed was soaked.  Something wasn’t right.  We had been living in my in-laws attic for a few months.  The baby inside of me kicked and squirmed, but something still was not right.  The bleeding I had experienced for six months straight took its toll on my body.  My water had broken, and it was time to go to the hospital.  Once there, they gave me shots to help his lungs develop.  I prayed he would cook a little longer.  Thirty-one weeks wasn’t enough.  As I lay still in that hospital bed for a week, listening to Christmas music, our baby boy grew .  A week later, however, things started to change.  Matthew and I had just ordered food from TGIFriday’s.  I had a huge BBQ chicken salad, and enjoyed every single bite.  A couple of hours later, I started to feel funny twinges.  Having had a baby only 13 months previous, the feeling was recognizable.  The twinges became more painful and significant.  I watched the clock, and let Matthew sleep in his little pull-out cot next to my bed.  He had spent every night with me, thanks to his parents who were watching Nadine.  She had learned to walk that week, and had come toddling into the hospital room with a pretty new dress, white stockings, and shiny patent leather shoes.  A lot had happened that week.  Now these birth pains were beginning.

I finally called a nurse and told her was labor.  She assured me that the monitor wasn’t showing anything significant.  Awhile later I woke up Matthew and reassured the nurse that I knew what I felt, whether or not the monitor did.  They finally believed me enough to wheel me down to the labor and delivery unit.  Sure enough, on the newer monitors the contractions showed up sky high, and I was already 7cm.  He was still breech, so they prepped me for a C-section, not wanting to risk anything.  Everything happened so fast, and before I knew it, I was in the OR, Matthew leaning over my head.  Then they showed me this precious tiny baby, and I kissed his small nose before they whisked him away to the NICU.  By then, Matthew was looking very green.  He eventually had to leave the room, and the anesthesiologist kept me up to speed on what was happening on the other side of the curtain.

Nine years ago, in the wee hours of the morning, Elijah Watt Weldon became a part of our family.  He was 3lbs 6oz, and Matthew’s wedding band fit around his ankle.  He spent five weeks in the hospital before we were blessed to bring home our special Christmas present on December 18th.  What a love he was and is!  Our Mr. Fix-it.  The person who almost knows where anything is that is lost.  He is so sweet with babies, has a great ear for music, an incredible memory, and makes us laugh.  Thinking back to his birth, I chuckle about the salad I ate a few hours before he was born, because he absolutely loves BBQ sauce.  Happy birthday, Elijah boy!  We love you.