One of the first photos we have of you, still all red from being born.
Samuel, this is Mommy’s first letter to you, and hopefully the first of many. I was supposed to be writing a letter every month for your big brother Zane and I haven’t done very well… I wrote to him every month for the first year, and then I kind of let things go after that! I guess I will try to do the same for you, every month for the first year, and then fairly regularly (at least every few months) for both of you after that. I am off to a poor start writing your “welcome” letter when you are already two months old, but I will try to write as if you’d just arrived!
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You were just like your big brother all through Mommy’s pregnant months. You seemed to want OUT from a very early date – kicking so hard Mommy had bruised ribs, pushing down with your fists and head, and giving Mommy nonstop heartburn! It was actually worse this time around because you were actually positioned properly for your exit, so Mommy was waddling like a fat goose! We had you scheduled for a C-section, so when we got close to our chosen date (April 16) Mommy was basically just sitting around at home trying to relax enough that you would stay in. We ate from the freezer, the house got messier and messier… and it didn’t even work!
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In your bassinet next to Mommy’s hospital bed. This photo was really dark so it doesn’t look very high quality, but Mommy LOVES the peaceful look on your face after a hard day of being born.
On April 13, Mommy and Daddy were at home when you decided you would wait no longer. Daddy was cleaning the carpets so that you’d be able to come home on Tuesday to a nice fresh house, and Mommy and Zane were eating sandwiches at the kitchen table. Suddenly Mommy felt a POP almost like you’d punched really hard, and the next thing we knew, you were on your way! I went into labor FAST… you wanted OUT and you weren’t going to wait for any surgeon!
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We left Zane in the capable hands of Auntie Carolyn, and Daddy and Mommy rushed in to Red Deer hospital. We were planning to have you in Lacombe, but since you decided to come on your own, they sent us to the bigger hospital because Lacombe didn’t have enough staff! I was in full-on labor by the time we got there, but we decided to have a C-section anyway because it was already planned. Just a few hours after Mommy’s water broke, you were free, and glaring and screaming at the new world around you!
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A much clearer picture of you in your bassinet.
I remember every minute after the doctor took you out… Daddy got to show you to Mommy just for a second – not enough, because you were held so close that you were blurry – and then they took you and Daddy away to get your tests done and Mommy was whisked off to recovery. It seemed like I was in recovery forever… and it WAS almost two hours! Way too long to wait to see you, all I wanted to do was hold you and get a look at your face when I could SEE YOU PROPERLY. I’m told that while you were waiting for Mommy, you cuddled on Daddy’s bare chest quietly for almost an hour before you started screaming again. It was good to know that you weren’t screaming the whole time I was gone, because when they brought me up to our room, I could hear you all the way down the hall!
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Mommy fell in love with you immediately. All the doctors and nurses used words like “big” and “heavy” and “sturdy” to describe you, and I guess you weren’t exactly a small baby, but to Mommy and Daddy you were TINY. We kept feeling like we were going to break you! You loved to be curled up with your legs all folded under you, which made you look even smaller. And Mommy was excited to see your BLOND hair and BLUE eyes, because you actually had Mommy’s coloring! You had a lot of hair, but not near as much as your older brother had and yours was finer (again, like Mommy).
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It was almost suppertime when you were born, so that evening the only visitor you had was Auntie Carolyn. She had to go back home for work the next day so we let her stop and see you before she had to leave. Mommy was barely awake for that visit, but Auntie Carolyn LOVED you. You’ll love her too, when you’re older! The only sad thing about having you in Red Deer hospital was that Daddy wasn’t allowed to stay with us in the hospital room. He had to go home that first night, not long after Auntie Carolyn left, and we were on our own. Oh, we had nurses to help us, but it was not as nice as it would have been to have Daddy there every minute! On the first night, we had an easy time. You slept the entire night except for a half hour of nursing a couple of times. Unfortunately, Mommy didn’t get to sleep at all because our roommate’s baby was up ALL night! Daddy was the lucky one, being able to go home and sleep in a quiet house.
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On your second day in the world, Oma and Opa brought your big brother Zane to meet you.
On your second day in the world, all your grandparents and aunts and uncles came to see you. Daddy told everyone to come at the same time so that you and Mommy would have most of the day to rest. You see, you weren’t even a day old and Daddy was already looking out for you. We had to move our little party down the hall to the atrium because there were too many visitors for our room, but it was worth it since the rest of our day was nice and quiet! Your Grandma and Grandpa were the first ones there, and Uncle Garry and Auntie Melina, Katie, Ashley, William, Uncle Tom and Auntie Penny, Mack, Tissie and Keenan all came soon after. Uncle Reuben, Auntie Monique, Noah and Jaiden came too but not till supper time. You were passed around to a lot of pairs of hands that afternoon, and the owners of those hands all loved you. A bit later that day your Oma and Opa came to visit, and you got to meet your big brother Zane! I have to tell you, once he saw you, he barely even noticed that Mommy and Daddy were there. He kept coming over to look at you, and learned your name in about five minutes and was telling everyone else “that’s Sam”. We just know you and your big brother will be best friends when you’re older.
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Our second night in the hospital was hard… you were getting hungry for real milk and Mommy didn’t have any quite yet, so you were up ALL night nursing. You wanted to eat and eat and there was nothing there so you cried to nurse every five minutes! Mommy was starving too, both of us snacked all night! Eventually the nurses actually had to carry you around in the hallways for a little while just to let Mommy get a little rest. But your hard work paid off – the next morning, Mommy had milk for you and you were able to eat your fill and get a good sleep… and let Mommy have a nap too! Our roommate had gone home with her baby, so at least we didn’t keep anyone up that night.
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Holding Mommy’s hand for your very first car ride.
On your third day in the world, we got to go home! After lunch, Mommy and Daddy packed up all our things and the doctor came to look you over. She said you were doing great and that we could go home, so around supper time, we did just that! You didn’t like the car seat and cried at the top of your lungs right from the moment we put you in the car. Daddy finally pulled over and Mommy climbed in the back seat and held both of your hands all the way home. Once you had Mommy’s fingers in your grasp, you fell asleep right away and when we got home, you kept right on sleeping while Mommy crawled into bed. Oma brought Zane home and he was SO excited when he saw you sleeping in your cradle. He climbed up in bed for a picnic with Mommy and every time someone came into the room, he pointed you out and told them your name. He already loves you so much!
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But no matter how much your big brother loves you… Mommy and Daddy love you even more! Our little family is even more amazing now than before. We are so happy and excited to have you home, and so blessed to have such a(nother) wonderful little boy in our lives. We can’t wait to watch you grow up. We both love you so much!
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Your measurements when you were born:
- Height: 20 inches
- Weight: 8 lb 13 oz
- Weight on going-home day: 8 lb 6 oz
