One year ago...

Levi will turn One-Year-Young tomorrow!!! Of course, I've been thinking about the events that led up to his birth last year, and as I do, I remember my mom reminding me of the day of my birth. "It was a Monday morning, we were only at the hospital for a few hours and pop, out you came around 11am." It always sounded to me so gentle and fast. Ha! I have come to understand a fast delivery does not mean painless!!!

Levi just did not seem to want to come out when his due date came and went. Granted, it was only 5 days after his due date that we decided to induce labor. Some women wait at least 2 weeks! I am so grateful to the Lord that I felt peace to go the hospital when we did. With that big of a baby, I don't know what it would have looked like if we had waited for him to come out on his own.

On April 3rd, his due date, I had scheduled to be induced at 7:30am. When that time came, I had no peace, was sobbing the night before, not sure what to do. I really wanted a natural delivery, and I wanted the Lord's timing for it all. So when 7 am came, I had to call and let them know I would not be coming in. Levi was going to stay inside for a few more days.

So I felt the Lord's peace to schedule to go in on April 8th. My doctor set that day, and I was sure I was going to have him before then. But nope, Levi just wasn't ready.

It amazes me how you can tell children's temperaments even when they're inside! Matt and I could tell even by 20 weeks pregnant, watching him on the little ultrasound screen that he had a pensive, more mellow personality. And yes, he has definitely shown that to be true in his first year of life!

So unlike some stories I've heard of women barely making it to the hospital before their baby pops out, Matt and I walked in, very calm, focused, trying to make each other laugh at the craziness of it all. In a few hours we would be holding our second little boy...wonder what he will look like...wonder what this labor will be like...

I can gratefully say, I have a great partner for such an intense feat! Matt was amazing. We were able to pray and use scripture through the delivery, and I really felt the Holy Spirit's presence through it all. It was healing for me after a delivery like Caleb's, (another story for another time).

After 4 1/2 hours Levi's shoulder was stuck, and we needed more nurses to help get him out! I heard a lot of them exclaim, "he's so big...let me guess how much he weighs...he's got to be 11 pounds!" And when they had put him on the scale, I had to do a double and triple take at the numbers it was displaying. This could not be true!!! Sure enough our little Levi was 2 oz shy of 11 pounds! It was by the grace of God that he came out all natural!

I'm so grateful for the blessing of our second son! Matt says he's beginning to think Levi is closer to my temperament, and Caleb to Matt's. That does make sense to me. I'm sure we will be seeing their personalities and temperaments develop over the next several years, but it is certainly fun to see glimpses while they are still so little.

Our little family is complete...at least for the next year or so...we'll see!