another birthday boy

Tyler was finishing up a major project at work.
Things were stressful, to say the least.
We’re used to our papa working 40 - 45 hour weeks
and he’d been working 80+ hours a week for several weeks.
We were both on our last nerve
but the end was in sight.
His program installed on Sunday
which meant there would be fallout to deal with on Monday
but after that
things would be okay.
I remember telling him that evening
that I hoped we had a few days
to reconnect
before the baby came.
~

Tyler went to work on Monday;
I took the kids to school and went back home.
(what on earth did I do with myself all day long?!)
By late morning, I was pretty sure
we weren’t going to get those couple of days to reconnect…..
~
I called Tyler at work
and asked how everything was going.
He was fixing
what he thought
was the last ‘bug’.
So
I let him off the phone so he could finish fixing it.
He called back a few minutes later.
Apparently
I didn’t regularly call just to see how things were going,
so he got a bit suspicious
and thought perhaps I’d called with something else on my mind…..
~
Next call was to my dear friend Terry Frey
who lived an hour and 10 minutes away.
For various reasons,
we’d decided on a hospital birth this time,
going with the doctor who owned the Beginnings Birth Center.
I’d written up my birth plan months earlier
and fortunately, he didn’t have a problem with any of my wishes.
We wanted the kids there for the birth,

so Terry was coming to be with the kids.
Lana and T were especially anxious to attend
as they missed seeing Tony born….
and Tony was a bit worried about his momma.
I don’t remember for sure,
but knowing Terry, she probably picked up some treats on the way.
~
After rushing to fix that ‘final’ bug, Tyler hurried home
and we went to pick up the kids from school.
I can still see those excited faces
and huge smiles
as they walked out the door of their classrooms.

By about 3 o’clock
contractions were coming hard and fast
So I decided it was time to head on over to Mercy.
(Of course, it had to be the year before they remodeled….)
We quickly got settled in & they hooked me up to the monitor
but only for a little while.
That was part of the deal.
As soon as they unhooked me
I headed to the toilet.
Without a hot tub, that was the best I could do.
The kids were
….well
I’m not really sure what the kids were doing….
(I was a little preoccupied)
I’d fixed them all up a bag of goodies;
maybe they were messing with those……
~
At some point the nurse asked me how I wanted the bed
for the delivery.
Huh??
I told her I had no idea.
I had yet to deliver where I was supposed to
(‘cept T, but that hardly counted…)
~
My water broke somewhere between 4 and 4:30.
Tyler told the nurse it was going to be pretty soon.
Why don’t they listen??
She checked me.
Five.
I know she was thinking
Pretty soon, huh??
Around 4:45
Tyler called her back in the room.
“It’s just about time. You should probably get a doctor in here.”
There were 3 doctors in the practice.
All three were at the hospital, in various places.
She makes the call as she’s checking me again.
“She’s only an 8.….”
They decide there’s no need to come yet.
The bed was still just a bed.
I think there is some change up thing they do
To make it more of a delivery table sort of thing.
Not sure about that one though.
~

Minutes later
I told Tyler I had to push.
Tony was getting real concerned about his momma
and asked Terry to take him out of the room.
Now
Terry knew me well enough to actually believe me.
If I said the baby was coming
she was coming
(we were so sure it was a she)
~
The nurse didn’t think I really had to push yet
but Tyler had been warning her for the past hour I go fast at the end….
She starts to check again
and whadya know?
She sees baby’s head!
And frantically makes another call,
“Get a doctor in here now!”
Meanwhile
Terry’s trying to talk Tony into going back in the room.
She knew she was there for the kids,
but she sure didn’t want to miss out on the birth.
How many people get the opportunity to witness such a miracle?
“Momma’s fine. If we don’t go in there right now
we’re going to miss the baby being born!”
They made it in the room just before the doctors
- All three of them -
rushed in.
Seconds later
our fourth child
entered the world.
screaming bloody murder!
Doctor Berumen turned her over
aannd
‘she’ had a package!
We had a boy!!!!
Brandon Levi
You are a treasure!
~

Brandon is a thinker;
He figures out things
I’ve never even thought to wonder about.
He’s creative.

He is compassionate.
He may be serious
but he loves to play tricks on people
'specially his mom!
He’s a good friend.

One of his favorite things in the world is playing board games
and he’s a great winner
(and loser)
He’s thoughtful.



He waited a long time to be a big brother and he’s an excellent one!
And he’s more responsible than any other kid I know.
~
Happy 10th Birthday Brandon!
I love you sooo much!!!