Close your eyes and imagine the scene. It is midday in Georgia on a warm October afternoon. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and the squirrels are making that weird noise they make that sounds like someone popping their cheek with their finger. Ok, come back to my story now. Picture Wellstar Cobb Hospital Women's Center. That's where it all began. Well, not actually, but you don't want me to go into the whole birds and bees, passion and love making thing, so let's just say this is where it began.
RJ and I checked in at the admissions counter and headed to our "birthing suite" to relax. Shortly after checking in, the nurse administered the drugs to begin the wonderful labor pains that all mommies live for. The contractions started strong and came quick. Around 3 p.m., RJ realized he needed a mower shipped to us from our supplier, so I made the phone call to them to get it taken care of. Yes, I had to pause several times for contractions and the supplier was mortified. One hour and eight minutes later, at 4:08 for the mathematically challenged, I pushed all of four times and this little human being was introduced into our cruel, cold, bright, noisy world.
At 4:08 p.m. on October 8th, 1996, God gave us our own little "Beanie" baby. At 4:09 p.m., I realized something was wrong. She didn't look right, she didn't sound right, she wasn't being handed to me. She was whisked away and everyone in the room tried to act as if everything was normal. Anyone who knows me can tell you that I don't like to be pushed around and I will cuss you for doing so. Well, at 4:10 p.m., the doctors and nurses in my "suite" were getting a cussing!
Let's back up a little bit...are your eyes still closed? You'll need to open them for this... Two years prior to this day, I gave birth to our second daughter. She lived 17 hours and died of a heart abnormality. It was a terrible time in our lives, but we survived it. So, here we were, having baby girl number 3 and the staff was mistakenly keeping information from me. Calm down, it was not as bad as it seemed though it felt that way having experienced the catastrophic loss of baby girl #2.
Ok, back to the story. Beanie was blue. Yes, blue...like a smurf...I hadn't slept with a smurf, so this seemed to me to be a problem. The doctor and nurse were beating her on the back with this strange apparatus and I thought they were going to beat her to death. It was a good thing I was stuck with my feet in the stirrups or I might have decked one of them. After the cussing fit, one of the nurses calmly explained that Beanie was not breathing because she hadn't acclimated well to the change from breathing fluid to breathing air. She can be a little slow at times and this was no exception.
We had a happy ending to the ordeal though. Beanie started breathing, her color became normal proving that I indeed had not slept with a smurf and everything was right in the world again. They brought her over to us and we held on to her like we were holding on for dear life...
Flash forward 14 years. Yes, today our baby girl #3 turns 14...at 4:08 p.m. Like we did that day 14 years ago, we are holding on for dear life. It seems we have spent the last 14 years holding our breath...figuratively...I don't think either of us has turned blue at any point...red, yes...blue, don't think so.
Beanie made quite a dramatic entry into this world. Everything she does is dramatic! Those first cries sounded like an opera to us and she is still singing today. She sings so much, one day I think her head is going to pop off! (for the slow ones, I mean she sings her head off.) She is my lovey-dovey. She is generous, caring, hilarious, silly, smart and I just love to hear her laugh. She loves Drama Club, Soccer, everything to do with diva fashion and can sing circles around the rest of the family. As you can tell, I am so proud of #3. It was a rocky start and has been quite a road to where we are today. There have been a lot of prayers, tears, discipline, fights with #1 and sometimes I thought she'd take me right over the edge of insanity.
Today, as I contemplate her life, both where she's been and where's she going, I can only say that I am filled with such joy and love. I can exhale, relax and know that God did good and it is all going to be all right with her. My husband and kids are my whole world and what a beautiful, bright, fun world it is. Today, we celebrate with #3, our Beanie Baby as she turns 14. The future is so bright for our family and I am so thrilled.
Beanie Baby, Baby Girl #3...I love you with all of me. You are wonderfully made. Thank you for your strong faith in God, family and your country. You make me so proud. Now, go...go do something spectacular with your life and enjoy every single breath.
By the way, the hospital staff forgave me for the tongue lashing, the distributor shipped the mower which got to us the next day and two days later when we returned to our humble abode, all was right with the world. Today, all is still right with the world because God is in control.
Love ya, mean it!
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