Day 17: My Favorite Memory

Now this is the topic I'd been waiting to tackle. This, just like the blog "a moment" is one I like to think back on often. My favorite memory involves when I'd given birth to my son.

I was such a wreck in the days leading up to it. My due date was September 15th, so I knew around that time that he was nearing. I'd just taken in a new cat that wasn't neutered and was making my house smell like cat pee (the smell isn't nearly as pleasant as it sounds). I'd driven way to Gainsville, Georgia about an hour away from my apartment at the time, to get my cat fixed at a clinic. It was the morning of September 11th when I made the trip. I listened to the radio and was a bit weepy about the whole thing. While there to get pick up my cat later that afternoon, I'd gotten a call from my doctor. She said that since my Pumpkin was growing so much (because of gestational diabetes) they'd decided to induce my labor. I was in shock. I was going to be a mother. I'll always be thankful to the woman I spoke with at the clinic, because she understood my nervousness and told me that I'd be fine. I'm actually glad for the fact that to me September 11 now has a positive memory for me. The day before my labor was induced, I was at school doing a presentation, my friends Sebastian and Tenisio had come to my class to do presentations at Kennesaw. The whole class congratulated me and the fellas made sure to take special care of me as they let my big pregnant ass sit down to talk to the class.

I remember the morning my labor was induced. Pookie came to my home at 6am and drove me to the hospital. The whole way there, the song "This Woman's Work" my Maxwell played in my head. All I could think was "is this going to hurt?" and "how long will I be in labor"? I was so thankful to get to the hospital and see my best friends since childhood Courtney and Shaunnika there. A little later my stepmother Karen came also. I slept a lot at first (God bless DRUGS!) but I remember how later that evening around 3am when my drugs had worn off and I was in immense pain. Pookie held my hand as I squeezed his and yelled at the nurse to bring me more drugs. I'll never forget how he told me that I was doing well and to hold on. I remember that little paper coming from the machine, indicating when I would be experiencing more contractions.

The next morning after 33 hours of my little Booger making me want to just kill myself already, my doctor mercifully granted me a C-section. I remembered being rolled in. Pookie had to lift me onto the bed because none of the orderlies were men that could help. I was rolled into the room and they gave him something to put over his clothes as I was in there. He held my hand. I looked at him and apologized for the craziness I'd put him through during my pregnancy. He apologized as well. I told him I loved him. He told me that he loved me too. That was the first time he'd told me he loved me. Then he leaned in and told me that after a long battle deciding on the name, he'd decided that we should name our baby Caleb. I told him I liked the name.

A few minutes after silence from the doctors, we heard a baby cry. Our eyes got big as we smiled at eachother. Pookie looked up at the baby and shouted "he's gray!" In my state, I wasn't able to move so he got to see all of the action while I sat still. They handed Caleb to Pookie. I remember that he grabbed the baby and walked around the room. I waited for him to bring me the baby for me to look at and I finally had to say "let me see him!" because Pookie had been so wrapped up in looking at his newborn son. He was beautiful. Pookie says that he remembers one of the doctors shouting "he's a monster!" due to his size once they got a look at him. My baby weighed 10 lbs 9.2 oz at birth.

We later joked that we were going to call the baby "the hulk" due to his massive size and because the original Incredible Hulk was gray in the comic book (despite being a hottie, Pookie is also a bit of a nerd). I remembered the nurse telling me how nervous Pookie was about having a new baby and the nurses had to tell him that he wasn't going to break our baby. The nurse also told me how cute it was the Pookie was excited about us having the second biggest baby at the hospital that year (Pookie is a massive 6'6) and how awesome it was that he was clearly so happy to be a father.

So anyway, giving birth is my favorite memory. My particular favorite was when Pookie and I were in the room as my c-section was done. He's not particularly emotional, but that was one of our deepest moments of raw emotion. He held me, he caressed me, he comforted me. We talked and made up. For those few minutes as we talked, it was just he and I, feeling the same anxiousness. I needed him and he was there. He didn't leave my side. And that is my favorite memory.