HAPPY BIRTHDAY WILLIAM!!!

Today, October 15, 2008 my nephew William turns one. We celebrated this past weekend with "William's 1st Tailgate" as UGA beat UT. (I actually missed the party because of a wedding but that's another story). He clapped as he finished his cake and stood up in his highchair to show everyone how he was covered head to toe in red & black icing.

I can't believe that it was just a year ago that I had flown to Mississippi to be there when my sister was induced. She had been in the first stages of labor for about 3 weeks, dialated to 4 centimeters and just generally miserable.





We went out for seafood dinner at a great open bar down on the bay at an open air restaurant and then home to be ready for our 5AM wake up call to head to the hospital. My parents' were in the guest room and I was sleeping in the office between the guest room and the master bedroom. Sitting up, reading a book, I heard someone come down the hall and then a knock at the door.

"Wanda, Leah's water just broke, do you want to go to the hospital with us?" I opened my door to find Will, my BIL, speaking through the guest room door to my mom. And the madness started. Will went to get their bags, my mom started getting dressed and we all started talking at once.



After a few moments, I went back to Leah's room to check on her. She was standing there, a tight funny look on her face, holding her pants. She looked at me and held them out to me.

"I can't get these on," I took them from her and dressed her as she stood, looking more pale with each moment.


"Where's Will?" She asked after a moment.


"He's putting your bags in the truck and Mom's getting dressed. You need anything else?" She shook her head and literally waddled down the hallway towards the garage. I followed, stopping at the guest room to hurry my mom along.











"Leah's ready to go, you've got to come on," I stage-whispered to my mom, aware of my dad sleeping in the bed. I walked back to the den and grabbed my phone to call my younger sister. Her phone went straight to voicemail. I left a message and went out to the garage to see about Leah. She and Will were sitting in the truck, cranked and ready to go.

"Where's Mom?" I shrugged and pointed back to the house.


"Go tell her we're leaving NOW." I turned back to the house and met my mom in the kitchen. She hurried to the truck and I waved them off.










I went back to my bed and began to read again - I knew I wasn't going back to sleep. The phone would never wake up my dad so I need to stay awake in case they needed us.


About an hour later, my phone rang. Startled and anxious, I grabbed for it.


"Hello?"


"Lindsey, are you awake?" My mom's excited voice came through the phone.


"I answered the phone, didn't I?" The smartass in me couldn't resist.


"He's coming... she's progressed really quickly, they think he'll be here any minute. You and your Dad should probably come if you want to be here. I gotta get back in there but ya'll come on," Click. My mom hung up and I was left with the task of convincing my father to get up and go to the hospital in the middle of the night.

"Dad..." I whispered as I knocked on the guest room door. "Dad, wake up... Mom just called and Leah's about to have the baby. Do you want to go? We need to go..."

"HUH?"



"Dad, wake up, Leah's having a baby, we've got to go. Do you want to go?"


"Yeah, yeah, we should go. I'm up."


I turned around and quickly put back on my clothes from the day before. I combed my hair and went out into the living room. My bleary eyed dad showed up a minute later.

Then we were in the car and on our way, I was so excited. No way was I missing this!



3 hours later, shifting in an extremely uncomfortable waiting room chair, I was wishing for my bed, any bed, or just a pillow.



"Seriously, she called us because it was happening 'right then' and now it's 3 hours later... Can we go home and come back when it actually happens? Or afterwards? I'm dying here..."


My dad looked at me with tired eyes, raised his eyebrows and went back to watching the crazy movie on cable for the second time that night. I shifted again and got up to stretch. If I ever win the lottery, the 2nd thing* I'm going to do is donate decent chairs for the maternity ward at the Gulfport hospital.


"He's here, he's got a head full of hair and he looks just like Will!!!" My mom's voice comes down the hallway. She comes into the waiting room, crying and smiling. "Come see, he's here!!!"




We follow her back to the Labor and Delivery area, it's a little after 4AM and we meet William Gregory Ferguson for the first time. A bright, blue eyed baby with a head full of blonde hair, he snuggled in his swaddling blankets. We watched as the nurses bathed and clothed him and tested him and we ooed over his every breath and movement.





Watching William grow and change this year has been so exciting and overwhelming - I never knew I could instantly love as I have with him. He's all boy - moves at full speed and crashes through anything that stands in his way. With his four front teeth and 3 more on the way, he's toddling full time now - well, unless he's tired and then he'll crawl because it's easier. He's learned where his nose and his toes are, he'll clap when he's done something 'good' (like finishing his meal), he stomps his feet and turns around when you sing the song, and he giggles at everything. I chase after him in slow motion, saying "I'm going to get you" and he runs away, laughing, and then stopping when he's ready to be 'caught' and tossed in the air. It's an amazing process to watch and it happens everyday.







Happy Birthday William!!!












*First things first: NYC Shopping Spree!