Tucker's 9th Birthday

Today it has really hit me that my boy is 9. I still think of it as if it were yesterday.

*I'm just putting this disclaimer here; For those of you who are not interested in my reminiscing, blubbering, long and very personal account of the day Tucker was born, please just skip to the end where I talk about his birthday yesterday and things that happened.*

He was due on the 4th of February and with him being my first baby, they wouldn't start me. I had gone in around 1pm on the 7th for a stress test to see how he was doing. It was then that they figured out that he didn't have much fluid left and that he was starting to be under stress. They started the "pit" around 3pm and at 4 they realized that it hadn't been hooked up to my IV, it had been dripping onto the floor.

This picture had been taken on the 4th. My Dad always would tell people that his belly was as big as mine. Here is the picture to prove it.
Around 6pm that night, a nurse came in to check me to see if I was progressing and ended up breaking my water on accident. Which ended up being a good thing because Tucker had had a bowel, not a good thing for a baby to do. By 6am the next morning I was in so much pain, my contractions were 30 seconds apart and not dropping below a 40 and I still refused to have an epidural. They scared me more than the thought of labor. I was finally talked into getting one when a nurse came in and told me that I probably had 12 more hours of labor. I got the epidural. She was right. It was about 5:30 when I started pushing and at 6:05pm, he was here. The doctor held him up for me to see, cut the cord and the nurses all rushed in and he was gone. I had gotten just one little glance of my new born baby and that was it. Nate was torn about staying with me or going with Tucker. I had my Mom, Dad and Aunt Kathryn with me so I made him go with Tucker. It was about 10 minutes later that he came running back to tell me that Tucker had my brown eyes and dimples. That they didn't know what was wrong with him, they were doing more tests but he wanted to come tell me that and left again. It was 3 more hours before I was able to see Tucker again and this is what I saw.
My baby looked like an alien to me. I was so afraid to even touch him. They had him strapped down because he keep pulling out the tubes and everything. It was about this time that Kris and Glade showed up. Kris had been singing at the Opening Ceremonies for the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics. The doctors had told us that they had taken pictures of Tucker's lungs and that there were some holes that they couldn't figure out what they were. I was so afraid that I was losing my baby after just barely getting him here. Nate and his Dad gave Tucker a blessing and we went down to my room.
I remember making Nate climb into bed with me and hold me while we cried. It was the next morning before we would be able to hold him. This picture is one that Nate went home and printed off and put in a frame to have in my room so that when people came to see Tucker, they would be able to see the picture. No one but us and the Grandparents were allowed in the NICU.
By the afternoon, the doctors had re-taken pictures of his lungs and they were amazed that the holes they had seen the night before, were gone. Believe me when I say, the power of the priesthood is real!

Tucker still had to stay in the NICU for a week to finish off the medicine that he was taking. We were able to stay in the Ronald McDonald room that is right around the corner from the NICU so we were never far away. Tucker was the biggest baby in the NICU at the time. Most of the other babies were in there for RSV or because they were premies. Tucker hated having the IV. He was always pulling it out. At one point they had to put it in his head because he would not leave it in his hand. That was hard. It was a great day when we finally brought him home.
I had to put this picture in here. It is one of my favorite of Tucker with Grandma. It is on his first birthday, so I figured I could get away with it.
I don't know what I would do with out my Tucker. He is so amazing! He is such a great big brother, he is so smart!, he helps a ton and always tries to help me have a better day. Man, I love that boy!

*Okay, I'm done being a downer. On to yesterday*

Nate had class last night, so sometimes go to my parents on those nights. With it being Tucker's birthday, it worked out that we could do his birthday dinner on his birthday instead of having to do it the same night as the Super Bowl. Tucker had asked for a test tube birthday cake and my Mom did this.
Pretty good, huh! I think it's great! Tucker is very into science right now and I had tried to talk him into a Mad Scientist party for his friends but.. Right as we were sitting down to eat, Kathryn had been holding Kate and went to hand her to Papa so that she could help set the table. She hadn't know that she was holding Kate that close to the cake. Papa said her eyes were all big as she was coming toward him and then, Plop! Frosting all over the floor, Kate and Papa.

I think Tucker made out with a really good birthday. He got 4 different games, a model car to build with his Dad and Papa and a few other things to keep him busy.
We love you so much Tucker and are so lucky to have such a great 9 year old in our house to teach us how to be better parents. Tucker will no longer be in Scouts with me. :( But I know that he will still have fun without me.

Oh, I almost forgot about his treats with school. We hadn't gone and bought him any treats to take because I had been sick and Nate had been working nights. He was pretty let down about it and his Dad and I felt really bad about it. So Nate went and got some Little Debbie brownies and took them to the school before he had to go to his class and they were waiting there at Tucker's desk when he came back from lunch. Yep, that made us cool parents. :0)

Happy Birthday Tucker!