Tuesday, May 18, 2010

A Special Birth Day

We are at the end of Five for Ten.  I have enjoyed this round as much as enjoyed the last round.  I have made many new friends, read many inspiring posts, and cried many times.   Thank you Jen and Sarah for hosting this and for all those who have participated.  It has been a blast! The last topic for this series is "Yes."

I got up, intending to take the test discretely.  The crinkle of the wrapper as I opened it woke Ben.  He knocked on the door and asked me if I was taking it.

I can't hide anything from him.

I took the test and he came in as we waited for the results.  In a few seconds, two lines appeared.

I looked at him, eyes glowing with happiness, and asked him if he was ready.

Nine 1/2 Months Later--Midnight

The contractions were getting stronger.  I squeezed Ben's hand as another contraction started.  He started packing the bag.

Bag in hand, he looked at me and asked, "Are you ready?"

The Next Day, Around 2:00 pm

The midwife checked me again.  "She's crowning.  You can start pushing."

Ben and I looked at each other, eyes blurred with exhaustion, hearts aglow with happy anticipation, the unspoken question hanging in the air,  "Are you ready?"

10 Minutes Afterward

The nurse cleaned the baby while the midwife stitched me up.  Ben alternated between holding my tired hands and staring at our beautiful angel.

When the cleaning was done, the nurse came over.  Holding our squishy faced newborn in her arms, she looked at us and asked, "Are you ready?"

We looked at each other, looked at our baby, and excitedly, emotionally, responded, "Yes!"

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Kristen at Motherese is hosting an on-line book club at the end of this month.  The chosen book is our friend Aidan's rookie novel, Life After Yes.  Having had the opportunity to read it, I am proud to join Kristen in offering a free copy to a lucky ready.  Leave a comment on this post before 6:00 am on Friday, May 21 and a winner will be randomly selected and announced that afternoon.

43 comments:

  1. So Sweet. So many important special Yes's in life. I loved this.

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  2. Just lovely, Amber. The kind of "yes" you never forget.

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  3. Sigh. I've had three, and it really, really never gets old. It's the most wonderful yes of all.

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  4. Oh, you make me teary. I almost want to have another one. Almost!

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  5. 6 and a half years after my first was born and I still don't think I'm ready some times. A lovely moment captured.

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  6. Tears in my eyes as I read this. So lovely, so pure, so perfect. Thank you!

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  7. That is one of the very best kind of "Yes" moments!

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  8. Absolutely beautiful. But I must admit that I am extremely jealous that you only had to push for ten minutes!

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  9. Awww! Very sweet post.

    I sang "Are you ready" by Teri Desario to my 1st born. It is "our" song.

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  10. That's my favorite kind of Yes!

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  11. What a beautiful "Yes" post! The perfect "yes!"

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  12. This post brought tears to my eyes. I wanted to scream, "Yes, I'm ready!"

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  13. I think I'm ready for Five for Ten to be over because I can't handle all of this crying! :) Thanks, Amber, for sharing this magical YES moment!

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  14. Beautiful, Amber. Smile on my face!

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  15. Aw, that is so sweet. I love it!

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  16. What is it they say, great minds think alike? You and I hopped to the exact same page of life for this post, that is amazing. I just love this and as you so rightly say, every baby born truly is a miracle.

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  17. So lovely, Amber. I felt the "yes" throughout your post and it took me right back to my own tremulous and excited yes! Great memories.

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  18. [...] to add: My friend Amber at Making the Moments Count is also offering a giveaway of a copy of Life After Yes at her place.  Please click over to her [...]

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  19. Aww, that was such a heart-tugging post! :)

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  20. Aww... such sweetness! Those Yes's are some of the best.

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  21. Oh Yes! That's the wholehearted Yes no No could ever subvert.

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  22. Sometimes I think that saying those series of yeses you write so beautifully about are really the last conscious and free decision we make. We say yes to so many things after that, many times to things our former selves might not have said maybe to (poop, spit-up, sleeplessness, economic whirlpool, abject terror when they're sick or injured and completely undefended vulnerability to the most profound love we've ever felt).

    Your kids are fortunate to be surrounded by such loving yes-energy.

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  23. [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Amber Turner, Amber Turner. Amber Turner said: Yay! I was able to write today! One more step to catching up with #FiveforTen. A little post about saying "Yes." --http://wp.me/pM2H4-aK [...]

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  24. We perform such miracles as parents by saying yes, even though we can NEVER really be ready!

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  25. The sweetest Yes! This made me teary. Thanks for sharing it!

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  26. That was an awesome post! Thanks. At first I thought "this should be titled "Are you ready?" but then "YES" is so much better. Lub it.

    Hey, I was wondering if you could share a swatch of fabric for my next magic quilt. Something that represents that beautiful story you entered for Service Soapbox. And if you don't mind, can I post that story on my Magic Quilt blog?

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  27. what a beautiful post, such love.
    i am off to learn more about this online book club....

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  28. A lovely moment, eloquently caught here.

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  29. Such a lovely moment that you want to snatch and put in your pocket. Nicely told.

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  30. This was perfect in its simplicity. The way you captured the essence of those important moments gave me chills.

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  31. There really is no other word for this but "lovely."

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  32. Yes! I bet you were ready and WAITING, at that point! :)

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  33. What a beautiful post! Thanks for sharing this with us.

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  34. I meant post. Not book. Sorry. :)

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  35. I love the "are you ready" theme in the book. Great writing, Amber.

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  36. This gave me goosebumps. I don't know why. =)

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  37. Oh, how wonderful to make a birth day into a YES post. :)

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  38. Yes, yes, YES!!! What a beautiful post. So lovely and so true.

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