One more time!

The final birthday of the month is here.

Happy Birthday Austin! My cool now eleven! year old.

And I guess since I told how the others came into this world, here is his story.

Over a week late and breech. Went in for my weekly OB appointment and they said, you can go in tonight or wait until the morning but either way it has to be a c-section. I was sad- I had a midwife and was planning a natural birth.
So I chose to “go home, have a nice dinner, and a good nights sleep” as the dr. said.

Austin had other plans. We went out to dinner at Chili Verde (my fav local mexican food joint) and I started having contractions. I was UP ALL NIGHT with them. By the next morning I was tired, and just a little mad that I didn’t get to skip all the painful parts since I had to have a c/s. I went to the hospital and asked if they would let me skip the c/s since I was already in labor. They said no, the fluid was too low.

The first c-section is the worst (for those that have had them know…) because you have no idea what to expect. And even though I got the blow by blow from a good friend that had just had one a week prior, she failed to mention how scary the whole thing can be for someone that had never stepped foot inside a hospital. All I remember was feeling “this is how a caged animal must feel”. Every instinct was telling me to get up and bolt. But of course my arms were held down and I had to just lay there and try not to freak out. All in all it is a very quick procedure. And then I had a little squirmy 8lb 14oz baby laying next to me. Such a weird experience.

Andy and I had NO CLUE what to do with him. I really thought I was prepared, but he cried all the time.
But then around 5 months he stopped. And he started sleeping all night- my only baby to sleep through the night at such a young age (the other two didn’t sleep all night until they were over 2 years- no lie)

And then it all took off. He did everything early, such a typical first-born. By 11 months he could walk from our house in Clintonville to the local Kroger. We just sent him with our grocery list and he came back with all the food. Ok not really but he really could walk to Kroger, and back- which was 4 blocks away. He would never ride in a stroller- he wanted to walk/run everywhere.

It is really cool having an eleven year old. We like the same shows, and the same music. The other day in the car he said, “mom are the Beastie Boys teenagers? because they sound like it”. Loved the look on his face when I told him that the Beastie Boys are older than I am.

Austin is easy, he is the kid we never worry about. And best of all he is very very kind.

It’s not always fun being the oldest, and we certainly expect more out of him than we do the others. But he plays his role well and usually makes it works to his advantage.

Someday I want to sit him down and thank him for teaching me how to be a parent, how to grow up but still have fun, and how to love someone more than I love myself.

I would tell him now but he would get embarrassed and run away. He is eleven after all.

I am so very proud of this kid.

Happy Birthday Austin, I love you!

Oh and this bottom picture cracks me up- when I cross-processed it his teeth turned yellow. They are actually very white- he is VERY picky about his teeth.