A Year Ago Today...Baby Bean Comes to Earth

Happy Birthday Cal! We cannot believe it's already been a year since Cal entered our lives. So much has happened and I've grown so much as a person as a result of being his Mom. I've learned Patience. Selflessness. Adoration. To mark his big day, I thought I'd share an excerpt from his baby book, which recounts our experience on 12/18/07....the day Baby Bean Came to Earth.

On the day you were born the alarm clock woke us up at 3:30 a.m. - plenty of time to finish packing, feed Raja, and make the 15 minute drive to St. Vincent's Medical Center to check in for our 5 a.m. appointment.

Weeks earlier I had made a reservation to be induced. Becasue I had gestational diabetes, Dr. Korman did not want you to arrive after your due date of 12/19/07. If too much time passed, the chance for complications with your birth increased. Anticipation of your arrival was high the entire month. Your dad had marked 12/18 on his calendar with the words, "Baby Bean Comes to Earth." Marking a monumental moment ... like a lunar landing. We tried everything to start labor naturally - water aerobics, a Van Halen concert, long walks, spicy food, etc. But you would not budge.

When we checked in I was dialeted 6 cm already, so labor was easy to start. We were escorted to our birthing suite, where we spent the morning monitoring my labor, visiting with Papo, Grammy and Grandpa Albert and trying to rest inbetween my contractions. Your father was the best coach and so patient. He wanted to text everyone minute-by-minute updates, but I wanted to spare the personal details. I won. At noon, the nurse gave us the green light to start pushing.

Nearly 3.5 hours later, at 3:20 p.m. you were born. Finally! Amidst the chaos going on around me I remember seeing you red, wiggling and screaming at the top of your lungs. Thoughts I had included "He's so loud!" and "He has so much hair!" Immediately after you arrived, a nurse wrapped you in a towel and placed you in my arms. I reached out to hold you and touched your fingers, arms and face. You screamed the entire time. I remember saying "Hi Baby" over and over again. We hadn't picked your name, so I couldn't call you anything but "Baby" for the first 30 minutes of your life. Your father was a little overwhelmed and was sitting down trying not to pass out. Once you were clean and swaddled, we took turns holding you and your Dad picked your name: Calen. We spent two nights in the hospital, learning how to care for you, visiting with numerous family and friends and trying to sleep as much as possible before we took you home.

Looking back it was a whirlwind. After so much planning, you arrived with a bang and suddenly life seemed so foreign to us. The day you came to Earth was the most awesome and extraordinary experience of my life. We couldn't believe you were here. Your Dad was so proud of you and kept saying how cute you were (as if he were surprised). I'll never forget holding you for the first time and introducing you to the world. You were a miracle.