May 6, 1994

On By AngeliaIn In my heart forever & ever, Timeless Treasures

Dear Syd,

I don’t really have a great story about the day you were born. I do know the beginning of my journey was so hard and emotional. I found out I was pregnant, but I didn’t know if you’d really be a pregnancy. I thought I would lose you like I did the pregnancy before you. I was so torn about it, convinced I couldn’t possibly carry you to term. Strangely enough, I kept a weekly pregnancy journal anyway. Maybe one day you will read it and understand how extremely grateful I was that I did carry you to term and recorded every moment.

That is, up until you wouldn’t come out. Yeah. My first due date April 21st (my brother’s birthday) came and went. Then, my second (original) due date came, April 28th, then went. In the last four weeks, doc said it could be ANY day. Yet any day was another day, and another, and ANOTHER.

I was so huge, I had to turn over inch by inch in bed. I was so heavy I waddled when I walked. I grew out of my maternity clothes for the third time. The month of May came and it was HOT. Yeah, like today; 91. 🙂 I had to break down and buy maternity shorts. I dragged your dad out shopping and walking. When we weren’t doing that, I walked on the treadmill for an HOUR. I almost drank mineral oil. I was THAT desperate.

Then I got scared, because if you are in the oven too long, my placenta could stop nourishing you. You could die. It was almost like going back to the beginning. I was in turmoil. Afraid you wouldn’t get here. Afraid of the tragedy that shadowed our family when your 7 day old cousin Will died only 10 months before. The wounds still fresh and tender. Now I was walking on the treadmill with tears streaming down my face as I told you how much I loved you and just wanted you safe in my arms.

The smart Doctor Peters decided to induce labor for the emotional first time mom. Good call.  He scheduled it for early morning on Friday that week. The day before, I sat on the driveway visiting with our neighbors in my new shorts. When I got up that morning, I had a nice cherry RED sunburn on my front side – cheeks, forearms, and upper thighs – you know the thighs in stirrups while you are pushing with a 100 people in the room. Lovely, at least my cheeks were already red.

It took a loooong time for labor to start. For one, gosh you were stubborn. Two, I was having BACK labor which the monitor was not picking up. Third, your dad was SLEEPING on the couch in our birthing suite. I didn’t want to disturb him, so I just gripped the bed rails through the pain shooting daggers at him while the monitor showed nothing. Thank God a nurse came in and noticed I wasn’t reading my book anymore and decided to put an internal monitor in. BAM. Big spikes on the monitor now. Hey! I was in labor! What do you know.

The rest of the day went pretty fast until it was time to push. Remember how stubborn you were? Yeah, you didn’t want to come out then either. I don’t get it, you’re not even shy. I pushed and pushed and pushed. Finally they used a suction cup on your head. Nope. Forceps (ow). No. The doctor is looking at the clock, it’s 6:30pm and he has Ranger’s Baseball tickets. Brand new ballpark that year. Remember that? It was game time. Batttttter up!

7:03pm you made your entrance. All 7lbs, 1oz of you 19 3/4 inch long. You know you really did look kinda mad. Waaah, Waah. Your eyes were kinda squinted like WTH? I had pushed so hard on the last one, I popped my IV right out of my arm. I didn’t even notice as I reached out for you with my blood drenched arm like a war hero and oh my goodness! You looked just like me….I was shocked.
SydMe

Your dad and I stared speechless. Wah, you cried, softer now, peering around holding your wrinkly pickled hands.

You had gorgeous pink, pink skin, big eyes, a cute pug nose and a stunning cherry red mouth. You calmed right down at the sound of your dad’s voice. You just stopped and listened. I knew you were daddy’s girl right then and there. You were absolutely perfect (well except for the suction cup LUMP on your head). I couldn’t have been happier or more moved by the entire experience.

Sydney Elizabeth had arrived……………………Finally! And just in time for Mother’s Day Sunday. You were the best Mother’s Day Gift – ever (still are).

Have a wonderful “SWEET” 16. The world is a more beautiful place because you are in it.

We love you sooooo much (smuches, and smuches!).

Mom and ALL the family, old and new.


Ange, Sonny, and 6 wk old Syd.

28 thoughts on “May 6, 1994”

  2. Lovely, lovely story, Angelia. I wish you, Syndney and all your love ones a wonderful sweet 16 birthday! Great pictures! And what a stubborn little one it was! Lucky you raised her into a sweet teenager! Good job, Angelia.

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  3. How beautiful! Happy (belated) Birthday, Sydney. You and your Mom are so beautiful.
    I read about your memories of when Sydney was young and it reminds me of the very precious early years of my daughters’ lives. How special it all was. And is. And will be. It only gets better when you have a good relationship.
    All this wonderful-ness. And right here close to Mother’s Day.

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  15. Happy Birthday to your beautiful girl – wonderful post and tribute to her and she was just an adorable little baby!

    Have a wonderful, wonderful time celebrating such a special birthday with an even more special daughter

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  21. Man, I just LOVE birth stories… they are all so different and soooooo interesting to me. She did look exactly like you as a baby – coulda been twins!! 🙂

    Happy Mother’s day to you, friend!

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  23. Oh, I love your story. I’m due on June 1st with my first baby (a girl), so hearing any kind of pregnancy/birth story right now is great. Sounds like a long road, but worth it a million times over!

    Happy SITS Saturday Sharefest!

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  24. Congratulations Angelia! That’s some story. My daughter was the exact opposite, couldn’t wait to make a dramatic entrance. Been doing it ever since.

    Happy Mother’s Day to you and Happy Birthday to Syd!! Hope they are both special special days!

    ♥Spot

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  25. Cecilia

    Happy belated birthday to Sydney! (I just found your blog – thanks for stopping by earlier!) Isn’t it amazing how clear the details and memories of the birth are, 16 years later? My son is only 6 but I imagine I’ll remember his birth day like it was yesterday for the rest of my life. Nice tribute to your daughter!

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