Happy Birthday

Every year on my birthday my parents would recount the story of my birth. The name of the hospital, how I was delivered by a resident, blah..blah...blah.....and I would always think, these people are ridiculous. But the other day, while Noah was busy turning three, all I could think about were the events leading up to his delivery. How I went grocery shopping earlier in the day with Noelle and she said "don't let those heavy bags send you into labor". How I cried in front of Candice because she denied us a parking spot in the Avalon Wynhaven lot. and then I sat up late finishing an alphabet wall hanging for your room, that I would never put up. And than...two hours later, in my sleep, my water broke, and Pete ran around in a Panic. Somehow, we didn't even know that if water broke a baby would be born and we left for the hospital without a bag, without a camera. I remember what I wore and the tsunami news on the TV and Pete passed out in the recliner while you were born. and i remember how tiny you were and that you didn't have any baby fat and that i was scared to take you home. and i remember crying for days after that and thinking you were going to die and that there was never going to be any relief. That I would never do anything without you, and that I would never want to do anything without you. Your past three years have been my whole life, you're alive and I'm alive, and I love you Noah.