Powerful with a Spear

After a false labor on August 16th, 2002, I was beginning to wonder if I would ever go into labor. On Friday night, Aug. 30, I did some shopping and picked up a little stuffed lamb that played "Jesus loves me." I was sure that we were having a girl and thought the lamb would convince Gary to let me name the baby Rachel (which means "little lamb"). Up until that point, we had agreed on a boys name but had no girls name picked out. I loved Rachel but Gary was not in agreement.

Then on Saturday morning, my water broke and we called everyone at 6am to let them know there would be a party at our house. My neighbor and good friend dropped her Saturday plans and came right over to make pancakes for breakfast! It was a great morning! My mom and Gary's mom came over. My Aunt and cousin and friend were there. My midwife, of course. We sat around and visited, I gave back rubs. I made an effort to drink castor oil to speed things along. I couldn't, but as it turned out, I didn't need to.

By lunch time we were talking baby names again. We were focused on a girls name because the boys name was set in stone. Or so we thought. Noah Lee. "Noah" means "rest, peace". I loved that name and the meaning was icing on the cake. In the process of going over girl names, Gary mentioned that Garrett was nice. He and his father are both Gary and my grandfather's name was Everett. So, Garrett combined them all. My mom had mentioned this name before but we didn't bring that up at the time, or he might have changed his mind.

I agreed to change our boy name if we could use Matthew for his middle name because it meant "Gift from God." With a new boy name and still no girl name, we headed up stairs around 2 in the afternoon. My cousin played with Aly and Aidan and they watched "Men in Black." She said that she kept turning it up toward the end, afraid of what the kids would hear.

At 4:09pm, my mother-in-law "caught" a beautiful baby and my midwife quickly unwrapped the cord from around the neck. Gary announced "It's a boy!" to which I replied "Are you serious?"

I remember him being big and...purple. I also remember feeling completely at peace with not an ounce of concern. They gave him a little oxygen and he pinked up soon after.

It was an amazing day. I loved sitting in my rocking chair, watching family and friends hold Garrett, celebrating his new little life. Seeing Aly and Aidan as they met their little brother. As I nursed him in my room, the house filled with the aroma of peach dump cake. It was a perfect day.

When the day ended, Aly and Aidan were tucked into their beds. My mother-in-law stayed over on the couch. That first night with Garrett was wonderful. It was quiet and peaceful. No nurses coming in, no sending him to the nursery with other crying babies. Just me and him. All 8lb. 15oz., and 21 1/2 inches of him. He was so handsome!

We visited with friends and family all weekend. Garrett showed off for my mom and rolled over the day after he was born! He had things to do, no time to just lay around! We assumed it was just a fluke until he continued to roll over...10 more times before he was a month old! By then he had put on some more weight and settled back into a "normal" pattern with his milestones!

Now, six years have gone by. We have learned that when we decided against the name that meant "rest, peace" we chose a name that means "powerful with a spear." What were we thinking? We have learned of our little boy's strong will and determination. We have watched him follow the "big kids" without hesitation. "I can't" doesn't seem to enter his mind much. We now watch him get on the bus every morning and come home to love on his little sister.

While folding laundry last spring, I learned of his desire to find out how to get to heaven. He announced to me that you have to ask Jesus into your heart if you want to go to heaven, but he hadn't because he didn't know how. And after a long talk, I watched as he prayed and asked for forgiveness. I can't wait to watch God's plan for his life unfold. To watch as he's drawn closer to God into a personal relationship with Jesus.

I love you Garrett! Happy Birthday!