Happy Birthday Andrew, (My Little Man)

Well Sonsher, today is your 19th birthday. Where has all the time gone? I remember the day that the Red Cross called me down at Fort Lee, VA. It was around 1:00Pm on February 7th. Labor had started. Off I went to the airport and hopped the plane to Manchester, NH. Grammy and Ralph met me at the airport and that is when the fun started. Here was Grammy with her crappy Chevy Citation. I prayed it would make it to Woodsville, 2 hours away. Thank God it wasn't snowing. You should have seen that car. It made your gay blue ford tempo look like a brand new caddy. Well we didn't even make it out of Concord when the car started acting up. My only thought was that my sister is the only one at the hospital with your mother and she will pass out with the first drop of blood. After all that is what she is famous for.

We chugged along, car choking and gagging for air it seemed. Then it happened. A loud bang like a gunshot going off. The car gasped. It slowed and began to crawl to what I thought was its final resting place. We all got out of the car on this cold night. At least it was cold to me as I was used to warm Fort Lee Va. We opened the hood trying to figure out what was wrong with the car. We had no cell phone, no way of calling the hospital to say I am not going to make it. I so badly wanted to yell to the doctor to put up a wall to keep you from coming out so I can be there. Here we stood no flashlight, no tools, no clue as to what had happened. It could have been a sniper attack. Who knows?

After what seemed like thirty years a cop pulled up behind us. He asked what happened. As far as I knew the car had a heart attack. He got a flash light and we quickly discovered the problem. One of the spark plugs had come loose and popped out. The gunshot. Lucky for us the cop was well prepared, he had the tools we needed to put it back into place. We continued on our way. Finally making it to Woodsville. I walked into the front door and headed straight to the OB wing. No need for elevators here, only one floor. I walked up to the nurses station and asked where your Mother was and if you had been born yet. Dr. Glowa came out and greeted me. Nope no Andrew. I guess you thought it was to cold. She said that tomorrow they would induce labor again. "Again," I thought. It seems that labor was induced because you were 2 and a half weeks late. She said that your Mother would have labor pains all through the night, but she that she wasn't dilated enough to give birth. That was the 7th.

February 8th, I do not remember exactly what time that morning they gave the shot of pitosin to induce labor, but things started pretty quickly or so I thought. 3 centimeters, 4, 5, 6, 7, and then nothing. Contractions came and went all afternoon. Another shot of pitosin and soon things were moving again. I stayed right there the whole time. Finally 10 centimeters. There was hair. A head. A shoulder. "Oh damn he's turning" the doctor says with angst. Finally out you came. All naked ten pounds of you. The slap on you bottom. Your screaming as you breathe your first breath. The scissors were handed to me. Cut the umbilical cord. Blood splatters across my face. I walk into the nursery where they had taken you. Already you are crying. You had wet your diaper. I changed it, your first diaper change. I fed you. I burped you. I cried with joy and delight. My son, my little man, Andrew Micah St. Marie. Meanwhile the doctor was hard at work stitching up your Mother. It seems that when you decided to turn you caused some significant tearing. There was a great deal of blood loss. All came out alright in the end.

That was your first night in this world. Now you have 19 years of nights in this world and we have many good memories and bad memories. We have fishing, movies, game nights at home. Teaching you to drive. Stalling the Jeep twice on the back road from Bath. Fighting and arguing. Yelling and laughing. Crying and hugging. Wrestling and teasing. "Good Game" as I slap your butt. LOL (I don't think anyone else will get that.) Even after all these years Andrew you are still my Little Man. I love you and always will. I would give my life for you. Happy Birthday Son.