Flashback Friday!

Whoa. Watch out. I feel a big flashback coming on...because...today is my Little Love, my Shuggie, my Honey Bunny, my Lamb, my Porter's 7th Birthday!

The day was December 19th, 2001. Olen had just left the night before to go on a 24-hour late season elk hunt. We were living in Flagstaff and I was working full-time at Bank One. I woke up that morning feeling funny, but brushed it off as just feeling homesick for Olen. Went to work anyways.

My due date was January 21st, 2002. I was gi-freaking-normous and my doctor told me I would for sure need to have the baby at least two-weeks early or else my baby boy could grow to be twelve pounds at the rate he was putting on weight every week. Uh...didn't want that. So I was making plans with the bank for my last day to be in about three weeks from then.

It was a Wednesday. I had to run to the post office on my lunch break, to mail my brother-in-law's Christmas package. I grabbed a chicken quesadilla from Taco Bell (I couldn't eat there for four years after this day. Made an unwelcome reappearance during labor.). Eh-hem.

When I came back to work, my back was hurting more than usual. A new hurt. Then at 1:17pm, my water broke. Broke right as I was leaving the girl's restroom. Luckily, it was a private restroom, no bank customers. I walked very slowly over to my manager, Julia's, desk ( a sassy Latina who is also an angel) and told her my situation. She completely freaked out. I told her my husband was out of town. She freaked again. Latina style, you know what I mean. So we called my mom who was out shopping two and a half hours away in Mesa, where all my family lived. Then I called my sister-in-law, Valerie, because it was her husband that Olen was hunting with in some remote forest hours away. Those boys didn't have a cell phone, or service, in whatever woods they were in hunting that stupid elk; so she graciously offered to go out and look for them. The hunters became the hunted.

Well, the next thing to do was get me to the hospital. Julia drove me to the hospital and checked me in. I got a waiting room and then the flowers my dad ordered via phone to the Flagstaff Medical Center gift shop were delivered. It was the first time I understood that I may have my son without any family there to squeeze my hand.

But, no. Guardian Angels helped fly my mom to Flagstaff in under two-hours (this is seriously a miracle because it was nearing rush hour on the I-17) . Julia stayed till my mom was there and then kissed both my cheeks and demanded I call the bank when the baby came. Which was less than two hours later. Perfect as can be.

Porter was born five weeks early at 7 pounds 6 ounces, 19 inches. Olen finally made it back to camp and called the hospital about ten o'clock that night.

He said, "Love, is everything okay? Val just told me to call you at the hospital!"

I said, "Yeah, everything is fine. You're just a daddy now, that's all."

Olen finally met his son at one o'clock in the morning the next day.

New rule. No going anywhere three months before the due date. Hunting season. Fishing tournaments. Nothing. It's baby season, honey, and you're not going anywhere. Now nod your head. Good boy.

This was taken just a week before Porter came.

Was I a whale of a tale, or what?! Well, I felt like I was, anyways.

He seemed so small. But didn't stay that way for long.

In the hospital, I had nurses coming into our room to see "the 7-pound preemie"!

Porter always has had a good-sized noggin to hold all his clever brains.

Check out that gleam!

But always happy. What a wonderfully happy baby.

I thought I got a blond-haired, green-eyed baby boy. But by eighteen months Porter's eyes had turned brown, and every year his hair grows darker and darker. Olen teases me that it's my Navajo blood that is responsible for our chocolate-drop-eyed kids. And, well, I'd have to agree with him on that one. Thank you great great great grandma Meraboots.

Porter's motto: Dirt never hurt.

All boy. All the time.

...Unless your Aunties move in the apartment next door and babysit you while Mommy is out... Ha! Girls, I'd love to see you try this one now!

It was just the three of us for the first four and a half years of Porter's life. We had two "almosts", and continued praying that our little family would grow and we could be blessed with more children. But until that day we just kept living and loving the joy that is Porter.

Really digging my hair right here...hum...

Porter loves to be outdoors. Any place as long as it is outside.

He also loves fishing with his Dadda.

Which is good because his Momma likes to catch a tan when she goes to the lake, not so much fish.

Great at sports and all things involving running, kicking, sweating and high-fiving.

Then...May 2006...Porter's best friend finally showed up.

Without skipping a beat, these two picked up right where they left off.

Life got a whole new kind of perfect.

December 19, 2007 - Porter's 6th Birthday.

Porter doesn't like sweet foods, but he makes an exception for ding-dongs.

This is the cake he asked for. How great is that?

This year he asked for "the kind of cake that is in a circle". Bunt cake.

And that brings us up to date.

Thanks for joining me on this walk down Flashback Lane. It's one of my most favorite walks because it's also the anniversary of the day I became a mom.

Porter asked us for a pistol (what the what?!) for his birthday and we said "Never". So instead he's getting a football and the new shoes he wanted in the morning before school. Then as per tradition, the birthday person chooses the restaurant to eat out at and we all go as a family. Porter chose Ah-So. We've never taken him with us before and he is peeing-his-pants excited. Olen can't wait to introduce him to sushi. I can't wait to see how that goes. Then we'll visit grandparents and then head back home.

At home Olen and I will have his real birthday present sitting out (because we needed the football to practice flag football moves and he just needed new shoes). It's a bike. A beautiful blue big-kid style bike. He is going to absolutely wig out. And I can't wait.