Today my sweet baby boy Landon is 8.
This is the story of how Landon came to be.
Tim and I had been living in sin (happily!) for about
three years. He did not have any children, nor did I.
I had never felt that urge to have children.
My arms never ached to hold a baby.
I was content and happy and felt like
that was the way it was suppose to be.
Then, one day (when I was 34) I was shopping at Pamida
with my mother-in-law, Cleone. She was looking
for a baby gift, so we were in the baby department.
As I was looking at all the little pink and blue booties,
my heart (biological clock) suddenly began to pound.
I felt a STRONG URGE to have a baby. BIG TIME!
I went home and told Tim that he needed to sit down.
I had something to tell him.
When I told him that I wanted to have a baby,
he started to stutter...literally.
He said we should think about getting married
and maybe selling my house and getting a bigger one.
I said no way. I didn't want any of that.
I had already been married once before
and didn't believe in all the marriage hype.
(Like Oprah, I still am not sure it's totally neccesary.)
He finally agreed with me. (Gave in and let me have my way.)
The very next month I told him he needed to sit down.
I had something to tell him.
When I told him we were knocked up,
we both burst into tears and held on to each other for dear life.
Landon's due date was April 7th.
On Valentine's day, Feb. 14th I woke up thinking
I had wet the bed. I woke Tim up and told him.
He called our Dr. in Wahpeton and she said to come
to the hospital right away. My water was leaking.
I had to go to the Innovis hospital in Fargo.
They gave me an ultrasound and said that
Landon was a little girl. I knew that wasn't so.Tim believed them though. He went out and bought
a little pre-mie Easter dress. It was so cute.
But, of course he had to take it back.
I knew Landon was a boy and had the name
Landon Paul picked out right from the get go.
Girl names were harder. We couldn't decide between
Sarah Rose or Savannah Rose. Luckily we didn't have to.
Then they decided I needed to be on bed rest.
The only room available, was a HUGE, room with a QUEEN size bed
and HUGE T.V.!! Sweet, or suite rather.
Tim was able to stay with me most nights
and commuted back and forth to work.
I loved it!
For a day.
The thought of being in bed for a long period of time
to just sleep and rest and read and watch t.v.
is usually just a fantasy for most of us.
It was my reality and I couldn't even enjoy it.
I was worried and uncomfortably pregnant.
The high light of the day was taking a spin in the
wheelchair up and down the hallways. Not fun.
After ten days of this, I woke up at 7:00 A.M. with labor pains.
They told me they were false pains. They felt real to me!
I told Tim, "We are having this baby today!"
At 7:00 P.M. I was sitting on the edge of the bed
pushing on Tim's shoulders trying to get past the pain.
The Dr. came in and said "Oh crap. There goes my weekend."
(He was the BEST surgeon in the hospital, even ended
up being the hospital administrator,
but his bedside manner SUCKED!)
I begged him for an epidural which he gave me.
It promptly knocked me out.
I woke up around midnight only to be told to PUSH!!
After two hours of that nonsense, they decided to do a C-Section.
During the C-Section, the Dr. asked me if I had ever had
major surgery. I said no, I had not. Later he came into my
room and told me that I only had one ovary. (I later found out
I only have one kidney too!) Because of this and my age, (I was 35)
we should consider Landon our miracle baby.
(He was right.)
The first time I saw Landon, he was yellow,
had a pointy head and a black eye.
He looked like a plucked chicken.
I kept whispering to Tim that I wasn't sure
that he was our baby. Did he get switched?
But, after a few days he started to look better
and I fell in love. I wanted to take him home. NOW.
Landon had to spend 10 days in the hospital for observation.
(Landon was born 6 weeks early
and only weighed 4 pounds 14 oz)
Finally, the day came. We were taking him home.
On the way home I sat in the back seat with Landon,
Tim was up front driving. We kept giving each other
panicked looks in the mirror and saying over and over...
"OMG! What are we going to do?
What are we going to do???"
Eight years later, we are still saying that.
But, we wouldn't trade a thing.
He's all ours.
He's our pride and joy.
*For the record.....We did end up selling my house and
buying a bigger one. We also got married shortly after Landon
was born. Now we are living together married,
(Happily most days. lol)
and sharing our home with not only Landon,
but four cats, a dog
and an occasional black bird.
(The black bird is another post for another day.)
