5th Birthday Tribute to Noah, My Firstborn

[jeng1980]

It all started on September 22, 2001. Your dad and I got married. We started out small. We lived in a rental trailer. I worked at a motel as front desk clerk and your dad worked at Asplundh. Soon that would all change. Your dad had applied for a job with the railroad as an employee and not a contractor. He got hired January 2002. We moved to Cordele, GA. We lived there from January 2002 to May 2002. We then moved to Douglas, GA into a rental house. Your dad got a job with the same railroad in Fitzgerald but we decided we wanted to live in Douglas. It was a nice little town and we found a nice church to attend. It was just far enough away from family. Not too far and not too close either. I had got a transcription job at the local hospital and it was great. In 90 days I would be at home and working. We worked a while and it was a few months later we began wanting a baby. We tried for almost a year. By this time, we were closing on our brand new first home in Cherokee Hills subdivision. We were so very excited. There was one thing missing and after almost a year of trying for that baby we had started looking into adoption. We started doing what we should have done a year ago...PRAYING for a baby. A month after we moved in and started praying, we got pregnant with YOU! We were overjoyed and so excited. I had a pretty uneventful pregnancy. In the early weeks, I had some really bad cramping and we thought we were losing you. Your dad was at the church helping build Kidztown. Our good friend and neighbor Terri Varis came over when I called her and she took me to your dad. He then rushed me to the ER. Come to find out, my potassium level was low. Thank goodness. We were not losing you after all. You were due January 29, 2004. At my November appointment I told the doc about some tightening up in my belly I was having. He asked if it was painful and I said not really. He told me no worries....that they were Braxton Hicks contractions and to drink LOTS of fluids. I complied. So Thanksgiving day I was still having them and my mom told me that I should go to the doctor about that. It was still way too early to even be having Braxton Hicks. On December 3rd, I started hurting and called my co-worker and good friend Des. She told me to get my butt to the hospital now. Your dad was home on vacation so we went to the hospital. I was monitored and I was having preterm contractions. They soon admitted me. I was dilated to 2cm at 33 weeks. This was very abnormal for a first pregnancy is what we were told. So they had given me three shots of Terbutaline to stop my contractions. This did not work. They then put me on IV Magnesium Sulfate. They admitted me on a Wednesday. By Friday night I had dilated more. My labor was progressing and the hospital I was at had given me the highest dose that they were able to give me. Actually later we found out they OD'ed me on it. I was rushed via ambulance to Savannah Memorial hospital. The whole time all of this was happening I had total peace about it. We had so many people already praying for you and I and for your daddy to have strength through all this. The prayers were answered. The following Monday after being in L&D ICU and improving enough to be moved to a regular room and labor stopping we went home on complete and total bedrest. I was to do nothing and I was supposed to be with someone 24/7 waiting on me. Being the active person I was, I complied but as soon as the affects of all the medication had worn off it was hard to be waited on. For your sake though, I did as little as possible. We had many times we thought we were in labor again even though I was on oral terbutaline to keep my contractions from coming on too strong again. On January 2, I started seeing spots and had an awful headache. It was different so I called my good friend and co-worker and asked her what I should do. She told me it sounded like my blood pressure. She told me I should go to the doc immediately. I went to the doctor and they immediately sent me over to be admitted with preeclampsia. This was on a Friday. I was released on Monday with levels still high in my 24 hour urine tests but I would be 37 weeks on that Thursday and they were trying to hold me out until then. I was supposed to go in for NSTs on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Tuesday, everything looked okay. On Wednesday I had been vomiting all day. I could not keep anything down. My mother came over and took me to the doctor to my appointment. Dr. Goldberg asked me if I wanted to go on over to the hospital or wait until the next day. I was absolutely miserable so I said to him that I would go on over to the hospital. We went over and I had you at 10:30PM that night January 7, 2004 at 36 weeks and 6 days! You were so tiny. You weighed in at 5lbs 12oz and was 10 inches long! It did not take you long to catch up with all the other kids your age though.

I was still not feeling well in this pic. You were 1 1/2 days old here.

Your first trip to church and proud dad!

Our first pic as a family

The proud dad

You have always been Mr. Photogenic! You were a handsome 9 months old here.

14 months old~At this point, we knew you were going to be a big brother.

July 4, 2005~18 months old here

Having fun in your pool~We lived in SC at this time~Summer 2005

You were almost 2 years old here and you welcomed your sister into the world with love and joy!

Loving on lil sister

Your new Britax...you call it your "zebra seat"

Riding the carousel with daddy and Sarah @ Wild Adventures

You were the most handsome ring bearer I have ever seen!

Easter 2007

Easter 2008

July 2008

First day of Pre-K for you

You are a big brother once again.

Fall 2008

I can't believe you are 5 years old. It's so hard to imagine where the years have went. I have had two other children since you've been born. You have taken having two small siblings very well. You are a good big brother and overall and great child.

[BusyMom5x]

Jan. 5, 2009 at 6:53 PM

This is just too sweet!!!

[6girlsrock]

Jan. 6, 2009 at 12:51 AM

Wow, Jen!  What a wonderful story!  It is hard to believe how fast they grow....My little Emily just turned 10 today!!!  Ten!  After all those years that day is still etched in my mind....

Happy birthday to little Noah!

[Momof3cuties]

Jan. 6, 2009 at 12:26 PM

Thanks for sharing all of that Jen!  He's a keeper!  What a doll!  The years do fly by...I can attest to that.  Bartt is now 18 & I swear, it seems like yesterday I held him in my arms for the first time!  I cried on his 18th birthday.  It was so hard to realize that he's really a man now...a senior in HS & in the Army, working a job, with loan payments, etc.  For me...looking at him...I always see him as my little boy...as he's taking his first steps into adulthood...I remember holding those chubby little hands as he took his first steps to walk for the very first time....Wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

Happy Birthday Noah!!

[Charmedmommy82]

Jan. 8, 2009 at 9:57 PM

What a great story! You should print it out write it out for him and put it in his baby book! My oldest dd turned 9 on Jan 1st and I still remember when she was a tiny baby....they grow so fast....