Falling in Love Again

I had been in the hospital for less than twenty four hours and even though my husband and I were getting ready to celebrate our eighth anniversary, I found myself falling in love with another man.

Bubba (a nickname that pays homage to living in the South) was scheduled to arrive on May 15th. Even though we were thrilled to welcome a new member to our growing family, Bubba is our third child and that morning my thoughts were consumed with our older two children. Were they driving my mother crazy with their constant fighting? Would they be jealous of their younger brother? Was the age gap going to be a problem? I definitely was not "living in the moment" as Oprah is so fond of saying.

Several hours of labor later, ending in an emergency c-section, there was a change in my thinking. Would my baby be ok? Was my advanced maternal age the reason behind my emergency c-section? Was my husband about to pass out from watching the c-section, bang his head against bulky medical equipment, and leave me a widow to raise three children on my own? I was still having trouble living in the moment.

Then, all hell broke loose as soon as I was wheeled into my hospital room. My mother was already there with big brother Spencer and big sister Gabriella waiting to welcome Bubba to the world. My mother-in-law arrived with cookies and flowers. The phone started ringing and friends started dropping by to visit. Bubba stoically submitted to being passed around like a hot potato. He was the recipient of many hugs, kisses and even licks from his older sister. Eventually it got late and the novelty began to wear off - after all, it was dinnertime.

I suddenly found myself alone for the first time that day. I looked down at the almost forgotten bundle sleeping in my lap. I noticed his long eyelashes and even longer toes. His perfectly formed seashell ears. Unlike his big brother and sister, Bubba was long and lean. He already showed signs of having a zen-like peaceful personality.

I would soon discover how wrong I was about Bubba's tolerance threshold, but, I was finally in the moment.

I could almost hear Elvis gently singing ... "but I can't help falling in love with you."

*This post was written as part of the online baby shower for my dear cyber friend Kristen of Motherhood Uncensored and Rebecca of Girl’s Gone Child! Wishing you many happy memories as you welcome new additions to your families! Be sure to check out both blogs for Kristen and Rebecca's humorous and often touching views on the highs and lows of motherhood.