You know how on my kids birthdays every year I wake them up at the exact time they were born and tell them the story of how the day started, the trip to the hospital, who was there, how excited we were, all that stuff? Yeah, well apparently I've been getting my younger daughter's time wrong for 11 years now. Ironically, it's my older daughter that could really give a rip about it, but the little one loves it. It's so important to her that on her birthday this year she asked me over and over, "Does daddy know what time I was born?" And she had tears in her eyes, anticipating the answer to be no. I said, "Of course he does - 7:23 AM - he was there too, and he would never forget such an incredible moment!" Then I went and hid somewhere while I called my ex-husband and told him exactly what time to call her in the morning, because of course he had no clue.
So this morning, we're driving in the car and she takes a copy of her birth certificate out of my purse to look at it. I'm carrying it around because I need to turn it in to her soccer club this afternoon. She looked at it and made a joke like, "Oh good. I was born." I glanced over at the birth certificate and in the upper right hand corner is the time she was born. 8:05 AM. Nice. So of course, I distracted her by pointing to her dad's signature and took it out of her hands, saying something like, "What?! I gave birth to you and they didn't even let me sign your birth certificate?!" And with that I folded it up, put it back in my purse and moved on, essentially delaying the moment when she discovers that our 7:23 AM birthday memories have all been a sham! Parenting at it's best.
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"My best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl who saw Ferris pass out at 31 Flavors last night. I guess it's pretty serious."
"I have one life and one chance to make it count for something...I'm free to choose what that something is, and the something I've chosen is my faith. Now, my faith goes beyond theology and religion and requires considerable work and effort. My faith demands - this is not optional - my faith demands that I do whatever I can, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to try to make a difference."
~Jimmy Carter
6 comments:
Look at it this way, she was still heading down the birth canal...maybe her head was born then?
Yeah, I really have no clue, I have yet to experience the joys of childbirth.
;)
You're a funny girl Steph!...and a GREAT parent.
I am with Jenni...she technically was being born at 7:23am!
Let the guilt go-the hospital probably screwed up. When I was born they got my weight wrong.
Every year on my birthday my mom would give me a blow by blow account of her labor pains leading up to my birth. It would start the evening before, and end at 11:15 the morning of my birthday. Your daughter will remember these moments fondly, regardless of discrepancies.
Jen and TN ~ The only problem with that story is that she was a C-Section. Wait! Doesn't that deserve a little uncertainty on the exact time? Yeah, I'll go with it! :)
WIP ~ I love that story of your mom's account of labor pains! That's hysterical.
My older daughter was also a C-Section, but only after 24 hours of hard labor. Whenever I need her to do something for me and she hesitates, I say, "How many hours, Boo? How many hours?" I deserve a little payback after that!
Oh this is funny! I love the hard labour, time for payback comment you added, Steph.
My birth story is too easy - a few twinges, baby's heart beat drops, quick, off for an emergency c-section. And sitting here, at 5am, I realise I have no idea what time my son was born two and a bit years ago. So I'd be guessing too. Getting your kids up to tell them their birth story - what a wonderful tradition.
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