To Noah on his 4th Birthday

Dearest Noah,

I'm not sure when you got to be so big.  I mean 4, how did that happen?  I've always said it and I truly mean it, but you my dear grow the fastest.  Maybe because your big sister always gets to experience the first at everything and because your baby sister is the baby and we make a big deal of all her new milestones.  You are just somewhere in the middle....you grow up each day and it's not always as obvious.  I know, that is why you are struggling with a little bit of that "middle child syndrome."  It's how you know that you don't always need to listen or cooperate.  It's like you have figured out the system.  You know that Margot has to have my attention and that I expect more out of Meredith because she is "older" and you well you just coast right on by.

However my boy....you are just that, my only boy.  Despite being stuck in the middle and sometimes glossed right over.  You have your Momma's heart.  You are my sweetest, most tender hearted child.  You are always in a good mood, always happy and rarely if ever do you get angry or upset.  Which is why when you do, I know you have a very strong opinion about whatever it is that has upset you.  You are like your dad that way.  The girls and I, we fly off the handle with every little thing.

Now that you are four you love trucks, airplanes, helicopters and all things that go.  You recently discovered your love for riding a bike.  We got a you a balance bike a couple of months ago and you are a pro on it.  For your birthday you got a big boy bike with training wheels and I bet in the next 6 months, if that long, you are ready for those training wheels to come off.  You love to play with your sister, and you still love your trains, but not nearly like you used too.  You have recently started playing the Wii a little, a ver little.  You still love sharks, and watching movies about trucks, lumberjacks, trains, cars and motorcycles.  You decided last week you might want to be a mechanic.  You got a "real" tool set for your birthday and have been working on all of your trucks and cars since.

You are smart, you know how to figure things out and use logic and reasoning to get your answer.  You quickly put things together.  Your answers are always witty and accurate.  You have a solution to every problem and are always happy to share.  You still tell me you love me out of the blue....all the time.  I hope that never changes.  Most days you tell me how beautiful I am.  I love you my Noah Elliott.

And so today on your birthday like every birthday I want to tell you about the day you came into the world....

On the morning of Tuesday, November 19, 2006 I woke up at 4:30am to shower and get dressed before we headed to the hospital.  I was more than a tad nervous.  I knew that surgery was the only way to meet you and that my boy is the only reason I even went to the hospital that morning.  We arrived at the hospital at 5:45am and I was hoping I would be the first c-section of the day, unfortunately someone else had arrived at 5:30am so we were bumped to second. If you know your Momma, you will know that I was not happy about this.

I met your anesthesiologist, the OR nurses and of course Dr. B.  I was ready.  However in all the time I had spent waiting for my turn, I had talked your dad into having absolutely no more children and having a vasectomy the following week.  That's a procedure to make sure we would have no more babies.  About 9am, it was time to head back, I walked back to the OR with the nurse.  It was a little intimidating.  I'm not sure why they make you walk.  Or why your dad couldn't come with me.  I got back there and they prepped me and inserted my spinal on the first try.  I remember them sticking a big  piece of silver looking tape to my leg and I asked what it was,  and they told me it was to ground me.  At that point I decided questions were not a good idea.

After a few minutes I was ready to go and Dr. B came in.  He started asking if I was feeling anything and since the sheet was draped I can only imagine he was beginning the surgery.  A few seconds later your dad arrived.  He stayed by my head the whole time and gave me a play by play of what was happening.  I unfortunately could not see since I was strapped to the table and had a big sheet in front of me.

And at 9:53am you arrived.  You were a beautiful baby boy.  When they first delivered you, you were very quiet.  It seemed like way too long. I got very panicky, but no one else was.  I'm sure it was just a second or two and then you were screaming.  Not loud like your sister did, but more of a okay I'm here little yell.  You weren't mad.  You were just letting us know...hey I've arrived.

You were then cleaned up and whisked to the nursery.  You made a quick detour to the waiting room where everyone who was waiting on you got to have a peek.  You were beautiful.  I was then wheeled to recovery where on my high from your easy delivery and the medicine and seeing you I decided I wanted at least two more children.  After what seemed like an eternity I started getting antsy about getting to hold you, I watned them to bring you back.   I sent your dad to check on you and they assured us everything was fine, it would just be a few more minutes.  I think I gave them 10 more and then I made your dad go and get you.  And when I held you for the first time it was amazing.  I never knew I could love another child as much as I love you.

Happy Fourth Birthday my little man.  I love you to the moon and back and as long as all the train tracks in the world.

Love,
Momma