Happy Birthday!

12 years ago, my husband and I were 24 years old and expecting baby number two. In my 18th week of pregnancy, a blood test (now known for many false positives) indicated that our baby may have Down's Syndrome. This lead to further testing at a much bigger hospital than our little town had to offer. We were naive and hoped to have the test done quickly and be on our way home knowing what to prepare for. We had no idea we were in for a grueling visit with a rather cold genetic counselor followed up by a two week wait for test results. At the meeting with the genetic counselor we were given our options, have the test done and if the test was positive for DS, terminate or just terminate the pregnancy and try again. We were so shocked by her matter of fact presentation of our "options" as she saw them. Of course we were not going to harm our precious baby! Our concern was for his heart, that was all we needed to know about. We were offended and we told her so in no uncertain terms. The test was done, and to our delight, the specialist was forced to wait for our baby to cooperate. Every time the doctor tried to aim the needle for the pocket of fluid he was aiming for, a foot was trust directly into the target area. To add insult to injury, we watched as toes wiggled on the ultrasound screen.

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Two weeks went by and we received a post card in the mail informing us that we were going to be the parents of a baby boy - who did not have Down's Syndrome. The remainder of my pregnancy was uneventful and early in the morning of February 20, we set out for a hospital 45 minutes away. En route to the hospital, it occurred to my husband and I that this labor seemed to be progressing much faster than before. By the time we reached the admission desk, I was in dire need of a room. Two hours later, I was presented with a beautiful (and HUNGRY) baby boy.

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Oh, the memories. Sigh.

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That baby boy is now a 12 year old middle schooler. Funny, smart, athletic and handsome. But, I guess I'm a bit biased. It's my prerogative as his mother. How quickly the time has flown by. Soon, I'm sure, he'll be as tall as I am. Soon after, he'll be taller. But, he will alway be my baby.

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Tonight we will be enjoying lime jello cake, lime sherbert and cherry limeade. Birthday boys and girls get to pick their treats at our house, and the boy likes lime, what can I say?