Today
is my Caleb’s 15th birthday.
It
was August 1997, and we had just moved to the Kansas City, MO area for Jim’s
first teaching job. We already had two little boys: Noah was 2-1/2, and Jonah
was 1-1/2. Because of my Endometriosis diagnosis, I knew I might have had a
short window on having children.
So
many things went wrong when we were new in the area. I won’t go into those
right now. But we soon figured out that we would not make it financially if I
didn’t have a job. I applied for an interim position at the administration
office in the district in which Jim taught. And I was hired! Then I had the
issue of finding a child care provider.
Fortunately,
I found a lady close to the school and only a couple of miles from my office. I
really loved her, and so did the kids. But I found it was harder to leave them
every day than I thought it would be.
I
started my job the first week of October. I got pregnant 2 weeks later.
The
job was only a temporary position, but the 79 year-old lady I was filling in
for decided to retire… Go figure! And I was offered the job on a full-time permanent
basis. This was one of the best jobs I’d had up to that point in my life. My
boss told me that I could bring a pack-and-play up to the office everyday so I
wouldn’t have to put my baby in daycare. I wasn’t sure if he was joking! I was
so torn.
When
we had the ultrasound and found out that the baby was most definitely a boy, I
was so excited! And we chose a name for him that I previously said (when I didn’t
have kids) was so overused. But it fit him perfectly.
My
last day at my job was June 30th. Jonah had surgery for tubes in his
ears the next week. Noah got hurt the next week, and we ended up in the
emergency room (I can’t remember the details), and the next week, on July 14th,
we were in a hospital room at 5:30 a.m. for the induction.
Because
I had been induced before, I thought it would probably be a long process. We
had to get up at 3:30 a.m. that morning, and on the way to the hospital, I told
Jim it would be great if it was all over by noon. We both laughed and just knew
it wouldn’t happen that way.
Just
as soon as the Pitocin was started around 6:30, the contractions started, too.
Jim was trying to study for one of his masters classes, but we soon realized
this wasn’t going to be the same as the other two deliveries. I asked for
Stadol, and this took the edge off for a few minutes at a time. I fell asleep
and woke up in the middle of the contractions. It seemed to never end.
When
my parents arrived from Wichita with the video camera, it was too late for
video. It was too late for an epidural, too. I felt every single pain with that
delivery, and he was born before noon! Unbelievable.
I
shouted out “Oh good, maybe YOU can help me!” to every person who came into my
room. No one could!
Caleb
Joseph was a beautiful baby with dark curly hair and dark eyes. He was just
adorable.
And
he’s been adorable since then. The last year, he’s probably grown 6-7 inches.
He has braces, and his appearance has changed dramatically.
Oh,
he’s given us some interesting stories to tell! Like when he failed his
Kindergarten hearing test, and I took him to the doctor, only for him to say he
had wax buildup in his ears. Because of his previous ear issues, and the fact
he had tubes previously, I insisted on going to a specialist. It’s a good thing
I did because it was wax buildup… but they were pellets from a stuffed animal!
And one of the tubes had grown into his eardrum and needed to be taken out and
replaced.
This
is only one of hundreds of stories that make us laugh and cry.
I’m
proud of the young man he is. He still loves his mom and dad and brothers. He
loves his dogs, and he is generous and kind to everyone. Even those who
mistreat him.
So,
Happy Birthday, Beeble! I love you and am so proud of you. To say I’m grateful
you are my son is an understatement.
I
hope you always believe God has great plans for you. Because He does.
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