This was a milestone birthday for Annie.  She turned 21 today – a big milestone for her, but for Momma here it just brought back memories.

She was a bouncing 9 pound, 1 1/2 ounces at birth, 21 inches long, and jet black hair. She was born au naturale as my curved spine didn’t allow for an epidural.  Between that and having a dry delivery (my water broke 22 hours before she was born), Lordie Lordie… it was like popping a bowling ball out of a sandpaper lined pool table pocket.

I had been awake for about 32 hours before I finally started to doze off at the hospital.  Just as the blissful relief of sleep came to me, a former colleague of mine walked into the room and said, “HI KATHY!”  He and his wife were at the hospital taking a Lamaze class.  I was not a happy camper, for sure.  After that it took another grueling two hours to doze off, a sleep interrupted by nurses, cafeteria workers, custodians, hallway noises.

I was pretty sure that when I got home with my precious baby girl, I could finally sleep while she slept.  Instead I found myself always holding her, even when she slumbered.  I sat in my bentwood rocker and looked at the leaves turning gold outside while I cuddled my newborn.

Sleepy. Exhausted. Sore.  They were the happiest days of my life.