Ladybug Birthday

29 years ago today I entered St. Ann's hospital in Columbus, Ohio to be induced with baby #2. Back in those days (all those long years ago) we did not know ahead of time what gender our baby would be. There were clues - heart rate for one - but those did not always mean a whole lot.

The doctor was going to be out of town and gave me one date which I declined as it was Lessa's fifth birthday. I told him that my children needed their own days and he agreed, if somewhat reluctantly, to wait for 9 days. I often wonder when she would have arrived if left to her own devices. But that is a moot point.

With my first baby I had been young, blissfully ignorant of even my own body, let alone what was going on with the child within it. With baby #2 I was five years older. I read all of the books, hubby and I took this new fangled course that was supposed to make laboring easier (lamaze) and dutifully had my go-to-the-hospital bag all packed and ready to go - complete with the prized lollypop.

It was that lollypop that saved my bacon, I'll tell ya. Pitocin labors are not much fun and my body and I apparently were not in much agreement about how to relax with the contractions - until I bent over the rail to pick up my bag and get my lollypop. Suddenly after 4 hours I was in transition and puffing like a pro.

Things went pretty quickly after that - hubby was allowed into the delivery room for this baby (the first one, sadly, found him confined to a stark waiting room) and was quite supportive through it all.

The Ladybug's entrance into our family completed our family. She did not supplant her sister's place, rather she joined the circle to make it a whole. Five years and nine days between them was at times a blessing and at others a curse. But both of my girls were and are joys to me always.

I love you both.

Happy Birthday, Ladybug. Thanks for sharing your cake tonight. I am still buzzing from the icing. But sometimes it is just gooooooood to be baaaaad.

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Elimination Round #7 continues. It should end (by my mental calculations) around midnight eastern time Saturday night. That is 8 p.m. Alaska time. Please go to the above link, check out both entries if you would, and then vote for your favorite. We are nearing the end of all of this. Should Timothy's story hold on one more time, there is one final matchup (I think just one - well, here - go read Pete's note for yourself.).

Win or lose, this is it. It's been fun. Thanks for playing.

Posted by Purplemoose at February 26, 2004 10:23 PM