It’s funny how different babies are from the get go. When I was pregnant with Bridget, everything was planned. I even had this weird gut feeling the day before the night I went into labor that she was coming. With Emmett everything was a lot less planned and fly by the seat of your pants. Most days, the pregnancy was so easy I had few reminders that I was even pregnant.
The night I went into labor, I had no clue. I was even a little surprised when they told us in triage that yes this is it – let’s have a baby! And Emmett’s labor and delivery was so quick and fast that all of that seemed a little surreal too. My husband – who as an OBGYN qualifies him more than most men to describe an experience he will never actually experience – describes pregnancy and your eventual labor of child as the biggest roller coaster of all time. You get locked into the seat and there is absolutely no turning back until the ride is finished. The roller coaster was a lot faster and more intense this time around! But the moment when they place your baby in your arms for the first time… that was the same – the same sweet loveliness that consumes your heart forever.
I just could not take my exhausted eyes off of him – my son. His first name was still in dispute, and I can recall Mitch saying something along the lines of “So… should we name him Emmett?” which had been my name of choice throughout most of the pregnancy. And so there he was… our Emmett Mark Linder. 7 handsome pounds, 2 tiny ounces, and 19 precious inches.
Looking so very much like his Grandpa Mark... Photo by Robin Fox Photography
I must admit that from the get-go I was anxious about having a son. As the youngest of three sisters, I have little experience or knowledge about little boys. I was also wary of that old expression: A son is a son until he takes a wife, a daughter’s a daughter the rest of her life…” I reconciled my anxieties while pregnant with the knowledge that Mitch and I would do the best we could and forever be grateful for this awesome miracle – no matter what. And then he was here and mine, and suddenly I realized we were both right where we were supposed to be; I would figure it out; it would all be ok.
Photo by Robin Fox Photography
So my sweet little man, welcome to the world. Thanks for making me a mama times 2. His little hands stole my heart. His little feet ran away with it…”
