Five years ago this morning, I woke up at the crack of dawn and headed to Austin. Gulley was having labor induced bright and early and I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss a thing. I was nervous and anxious, after all this was our first baby and I had no idea what to expect.
As I walked into the hospital room that morning, Gulley was sitting in the hospital bed with an I.V. in her arm demanding that someone better turn Kelly Ripa off the T.V. before she ripped that I.V. out of her arm and walked out of there. I guess the combination of contractions and a bad reaction to an epidural will make you a little cranky. It didn’t help that her husband J was offering beef jerky to everyone in the room.
We waited all day long. Those poor nurses thought they could keep us in the waiting room, but they were no match for the family. That was our baby being born in there and no way were we waiting down the hall. I’m sure they loved us.
While we were waiting, I got hungry so Gulley’s mama offered me a Weight Watcher’s brownie that she had in her purse. I will always remember it as the worst thing I have ever eaten. Ever. Then finally, nine hours and one bad brownie later, the doctor came out to tell us that Jackson was here with a full head of red hair.
I’ll never forget that I loved him the moment I saw him.
Five years later, I’ve watched him grow from a baby to a sweet little boy. I’ve watched him take his first steps, say his first words, eat his first birthday cake. I’ve changed his diapers, rocked him to sleep, held him when he’s cried, and seen him learn to ride his bike without training wheels. I’ve watched him become Caroline’s best friend in the whole world.
I’m as proud of him as if he were mine. He lives life to the fullest and is always looking for his next adventure. As Caroline would say “Oh Jacks, you are SO GOOD at that!”.
I bet you’re going to be great at being five. Happy Birthday sweet boy.
And yes, tomorrow we will return to our regularly scheduled non-birthday posts. January is a big month.