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Saturday, November 26, 2011

Best Present Ever!

Our blog hop continues today so please don't forget to stop by my friends' blogs and leave a comment for a chance to win a prize.

Caroline Clemmons

Susan Macatee

Isabel Roman

Today I'm giving away a free download of my historical western Wild Texas Wind to one lucky commenter.

So what is your best present ever? Not necessarily one you've received, after all we know it's better to give so you can answer it either way--what's your best present ever, given or received?

This one is an easy one for me.  Nine years and a handful of days ago I received the best birthday present ever.  My son!

What's even more amazing is he was a complete surprise.  Oh I knew I was pregnant, LOL, there was no doubt about that.  But practically from the first weeks of my pregnancy he was larger than average and I was told to expect him to come early.  His due date was November 19; my birthday is November 22nd.  I never once dreamed he'd decide to wait and share it with me.

About a week before Halloween after a routine exam the doctor told me to go home and make sure my bags were packed and everything was ready.  the baby was in positron and would probably come soon.

So I went home.  Packed my bags.  And waited.  Halloween came and went, and still no baby.  The first week of November stretched into the next and so on.

Throughout all this, I had terrible Braxton Hicks, or false labor pains, so when November 21 dawned and I was nauseous and twingy, I assumed it was Braxton Hicks again.  Now two days past my due date and horrendously uncomfortable, I was beside myself wondering when this baby would ever come.  Sleep was next to impossible no matter how exhausted I was (I was caring for a busy 2 1/2 year old after all).  I remember at one point looking Heavenward and saying a quick prayer for it to be soon. (Actually it was more like a desperate "Would you come on and get this baby born, I can't take it anymore!!!!")

An hour later we were on the way to the hospital with me in active labor--talk about answered prayers LOL. A little after 11 pm I was settled into the hospital bed when the nurse asked how old I was.  I glanced at the clock and said "well, give it another hour or so and that will change."  Then and only then did it occur to me that I was going to have a baby on my  birthday. That should have been a clue to me that this is one kid with a mind of his own--believe me, that hasn't changed, LOL.

Nine years later, he's still the best gift ever.  Best of all he doesn't mind sharing a birthday with his mom.  I have made certain from the beginning that he has his own cake (no cheating and putting both our names on one cake!) so he feels it's "his" day and not just "our" day.  And since I have some experience with this birth date, I enjoy showing him the ropes (rule number one: do not turn on the news that morning or you'll hear how many years ago in Dallas it was since JFK was killed. Not a great way to start your day) and have promised him even when Thanksgiving falls on his birthday, he'll still get his favorite birthday cake (yes, my mom tried the "stick the candle in the pumpkin pie" trick one year hoping I wouldn't notice that they'd forgotten to bake me a birthday cake; it didn't work LOL).

If there's a downside, it's that there is always a lot of cake in my house by the time Thanksgiving rolls around so I have a fridge full of leftover goodies tempting me.

And of course, you have to feel for my husband.  Not only can he never again claim to have "forgotten" my birthday ...but no matter what gift he picks out, he'll never top the one he gave me in 2002.

So now you've heard about my best gift ever.  What's yours?

8 comments:

Stephanie Suesan Smith, Ph.D. said...

I like to do macro photography. My Dad hand built a gorgeous camera stand that I can use to take macro photographs, then gathered up a complete digital camera with lenses, close up lenses, and all the accessories for me to use on it. Talk about a labor of love!

Isabel Roman said...

Best gift ever...I don't know. Last year the whole family went to Disney, and while Disney always rocks, it was the whole family togetherness that really stands out in my mind. (That and parasailing!)

Hmm, when I was like 6 my granfather and dad built a sea-saw for me. Still remember that Christmas morning!

I don't know that I have an absolutely positively favorite Christmas (or birthday)gift! Every year is pretty special. :)

Calisa Rhose said...

Best present... I think it was my camcorder just before our first granddaughter was born. It recorded so many wonderful firsts before it died. lol

katsrus said...

My gifts ever were the homemade my gifts made at school. Always had to look surprise cause never knew what you were going to get. LOL. And last year my son bought a digital camera with his own money. Yay! Don't enter me as I just won a book. Thank you!
Sue B

Jeanmarie Hamilton said...

I think my best present ever was my only child, my daughter. Before and afterwards I've had lots of great presents. A few of them include the never wavering belief in me, and support of my writing by my daughter, family members, and my writing friends and readers.
Seeing a comet above the mountains one night with my young daughter in my arms watching with me. The orange comet shape of the Endeavor streaking across the night sky on its way to land safely in Florida, as I watched from my front porch in west Texas late one night, was a thrilling gift I'll always remember. Seeing dinosaur tracks so numerous that they resemble footprints at a watering hole, my toes touching the edge of one yard long theropod track in that mass of tracks recently discovered near my town, and the reality of dinosaurs' lives that those tracks gave to me. My dh buying me a desk for my writing after I sold my first book. My daughter's never wavering support of my writing.

Enjoyed your blog, Nic. :-)
*Hugs*

Nicole McCaffrey said...

And the winner for Saturday's drawing is....Calisa Rhose! I'll be contacting you shortly Calisa to confirm your email address and get your free download out to you.

Paty Jager said...

Hope you had a wonderful Birthday.. As you can see I'm just a bit late getting to this!

Monya Clayton said...

Hi Nic - I'd given up checking your blog, you were obviously too busy to post for a long time. Nice to see you active again. Yep, babies are great, and I have to pick my daughter as the best. After all, we had three boys before she arrived.

I think the next best gift I ever received was the poster you sent me of the cover by Kim Mendoza for The Pirate And The Puritan. Or maybe my first book in my own little paws.

Shared birthdays and birthdays too close to each other for comfort seem to run in families. I have one week in June with no less than five birthdays in it...

Happy Christmas from Australia, and I'll be thinking of you in the snow when we have the air-conditioner on Cool. Then again, going by the summer weather so far, it could very well be raining cats and dogs.

Best for hubby, the boys, and you.
Monya

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