Luke Owen Johnson: January 2010

Saturday, January 30, 2010

A Letter from Mommy

Dear Luke,

Today is your FIRST Birthday! It doesn't seem like that could be possible. Then again I am still in shock that you showed up in this world so early…2 months early. You wiggled my whole pregnancy so I say you wiggled your way out, too. You were born on a Friday night, and that weekend the weather was sunny and nice and of course it was Super Bowl weekend. Things were not normal with your entrance into the world! Right after work, Mommy was in Target shopping for diapers to take to your baby shower the next day. Poof mommy’s water broke. At the time, I thought it was just a leak. After calling the hospital they informed me I needed to be on my way. I picked your brother up from school went home got him a sippy cup and headed back towards the hospital. Thank goodness for Aunt Ber she met us along with Daddy (after many many calls to get in touch with him) at the hospital. They rushed me up for delivery and you were born at 7:01pm.
They say that the birth of your child is the best day of your life. Well, for me it was the absolute worst day of my life. Not because of you. But because instead of taking lots of pictures and holding you on my chest and watching you sleep in our room – you arrived into this world not breathing. Instead of celebrating your birth - I had a doctor rolled up on a chair by my bed saying you would likely not live thru the night. That has to be the longest night of my life.. I laid in bed crying all night wondering if god was going to let me keep you. I talked to him a lot that night…
Come to find out your Great Grandfather (DB) had passed away the same day. So weird your brother and you were born on the days your great grandparents left this world.
Your NaNa & PaPa got here as fast as they could from Tennessee. When PaPa came in to see you and talk to you.. he is the only person you responded to. It was really hard to lay in that bed and know you were supposed to be in there with me and then to leave the hospital without you just broke my heart. We had to explain to Cooper how the doctors were taking care of you. He wanted to know everyday why you weren’t home yet.
The NICU Unit is for sure a great place but also very scary and we stayed for 33 days. I remember asking every day the oxygen counts, if your little heart had stopped. Eventually, you got better and better tubes kept disappearing. Then it was off to counting how many MM of food you could get down in a 30 min window. That was pretty stressful times. Mommy ended up getting a pretty bad staff infection and couldn’t come see you one day but got to look at you thru the window as Daddy held you. I will never forget Valentine’s day… you were all dressed up and looked like precious little cupid. It was for sure a very tough time for Mommy and Daddy a lot of our friends were celebrating births but we still didn’t have you home. God for sure provided us the strength and the great friends to surround us during such a rough time.
Later on in the year (sept) you had to have yet another surgery. This was to correct Hypospadia that you were born with. This was scary too I didn’t like having to put you to sleep and sit and wait. You had to have 2 surgeries the same day because they thought something was wrong with your throat as well. It made for a super long day but you and “Joe” the Monkey came home with us to get better.
Now as you turn ONE. I am so excited that you have done everything they said you would be 2 months behind on. That is how they count preemie stuff is by the date you were supposed to be born. So for the whole year we have had to almost count 2 dates your birthdate and the day you were supposed to be here.
You have been a wonderful baby you never cry and always have a smile on your face. You always make us laugh. You are all about dancing and just love anything with a beat, you are going to be quite the little dancer. You are talking like crazy.. buuubbbaa, daadaa, naaanaa. You laugh at everything with that funny little laugh you have and are truly one big ray of sunshine. We are so blessed to have you as a part of our family and sooo glad god made the decision to let us keep you. You have brought so much joy to each of us.

I love you sweet boy and Happy Birthday!
Your mommy