Raising Tyler: May 2012

Dear Tyler,

Today you became a member of the tribe! I'll spare you the intimate details, but today was your Bris. We thought that having on a weekday would limit the amount of people that were able to attend. Well, it just goes to show how big of a deal you actually are. About 50 people came to welcome you into the world!

You were a good sport, considering. The hardest part was when dad and I met with the Mohel alone in your room. He gave you a shot to numb the spot, and you didn't like that. Neither did I. As for the actual procedure, you handled it very well.

The ceremony included parts from your Grandma Beth, Aunt Deb, Grandpa John, and Grandpa Andrew. Your great grandfathers said the Kiddush together. It was a very special event.

We hope your Hebrew name will help to guide you in life. Your first name is for your Aunt Sandy. The translation means peaceful or literally "from the heart." No one had more heart than Aunt Sandy. She was a special woman, and I hope that she is looking over you. I know she would have loved you. Your middle name means strong. We hope you grow into a strong, confident man one day.

So we welcome you, Shalev Eitan, to the tribe!

Love,
Mom

Dear Tyler,

I have been working on getting your birth story typed up, but it has taken me a long time to get it all finished. Mostly because you like to he held a lot, and it is hard to type and hold you at the same time. It is quite the long story as your birth was nothing like I imagined it to be.

Your birth was far from what I expected it to be, but none of that matters because you sit here today perfect and healthy.

You were due on either April 27 or 28 depending on which doctor and what chart they were looking at. Daddy and I answered the 27^th whenever we were asked. But that didn’t matter because both the 27 and 28 came and went without you making an appearance. I was beginning to feel like you were never going to be ready. However, on April 29, I started to feel contractions, but nothing serious. We decided to take Puck to the dog park and go for a walk. Just as dad and I were finally laying down for bed around 9:30pm, a strange feeling came over me. I knew right away that my water broke. I also knew very quickly that there was meconium (you just couldn’t wait!). I called the doctor, and as I expected, she told us to come to the hospital. As we walked out of the house, I took a look around to remember what it was like, because I knew it was never going to be the same again.

I’ll spare you the details of the mess we made in the hospital, but we left a nice green trail from the ER all the way to the 5^th floor labor and delivery area. We got into a labor room pretty quickly because it was obvious that this was the real deal. It was around 11pm. Dad and I were both exhausted so the nurse gave me something to help me sleep. In the meantime, contractions had begun. As I expected, I requested the epidural pretty early on. I was able to doze on and off through the night. However, I was unable to move all night because every time I tried, your heart rate dropped.

Here’s where the complications began. I had a fever, and it was pretty high. That meant that I had developed an infection after my water broke. Even after taking Tylenol, the fever was still high. The doctor told me I could continue labor with you as long as you seemed strong and I kept making progress. This is around the same time that I found out a NICU stay was in your future. My infection meant that you needed antibiotics right after birth. I was sad to know we would be separated, but I knew that I was going to let them do anything they needed to make sure you were ok.

Labor seemed to be going well despite being unable to change positions and the high fever until about 4pm on April 30. I stopped making progress. This was the first mention of a possible c section. The doctor told me I could continue a little longer before we had to stop. Unfortunately, by 7pm I had not made any more progress again. Because of the infection and the fact that this had been going on for almost 24 hours, the doctor began to worry about you. As soon as she told me that continuing was going to put you at a higher risk of getting sick, I knew that we needed you out now. I consented to the c section. I was scared for both you and me. Grandma Sherry and Grandpa Andrew were allowed back to see me before surgery after your dad convinced the doctor that it was necessary that I see them.

At 8pm I was being prepped for surgery. Everything happened very quickly after that. I heard you arrive into the world at 8:11 pm on April 30, 2012. You were absolutely perfect and screaming your little head off. You also peed all over the doctor and the entire OR. 8 lbs 6 oz, 21 inches. Dad got a great picture of you before you were taken to the NICU to get antibiotics in case I passed something to you. I sent dad to the waiting room to let the rest of the family know you had made your arrival while I was getting stitched up.

After I was done in recovery, I finally got to go see you. I knew I loved you before you were born, but seeing you in person for the first time was better than I imagined it could be.

The doctors informed me that you didn’t have a fever, so if you stayed fever free for 24 hours, you could join me in my room. I spent the whole next day visiting you in the NICU, and as promised, you were brought to me that night.

Your birth was not as I imagined it would be, but I still got my perfect, happy, healthy little boy. So in the end, that is all that matters.

Love,

Mom