His arrival was the most peaceful moment of our lives. The midwife and nurse left the room, and my husband and I looked down at our red-headed angel and agreed - he was perfect.
The heavy bleeding, the "catastrophic pregnancy" scare, the conflicting test results, two false alarms, a nor'easter, the cord around his neck, my water not breaking - they didn't mean a thing because he was perfect.
Now, at five years old, he's not perfect all the time, and our moments are rarely peaceful - but I still feel the sense of calm and serenity when I think about his birth. He enjoys telling people that when he was ready to be born he thought, "I'm out of here, Mom" and helped me push him out. Someday he will be "out of here" and away from us, but for now I will celebrate with him, eat cake and ice cream with him, and know he will always be my happy, healthy baby boy.
