“One more little push, Macie. Small, small, small . . .” Keegan repeated.
And that was it. The very little I felt through the whole process was the very end. I couldn’t feel the pain of my son being born. I couldn’t feel the burning some women feel when the head is trying to come out. I did, however, feel when his body came out of me and my whole body went from tight and pressure, to lightness. My eyes flung open and they landed right on him. Dr. Carrie was suctioning his nose, and rubbing his stomach with a cloth. I looked up at Dodger and tears were falling from the corners of his bright blue eyes. I thought I saw love when he looked at me, but that was until he saw his son for the first time. That was it for him. Hook line and sinker, Dodger was done for with this little person. He hadn’t even cried yet, and he was so wrapped around his little fingers.
I looked back at my baby just as he was being laid on my chest and vigorously rubbed and cleaned. I don’t know what I was expecting, but his little body was heavy and warm. Gurgling sounds escaped his throat as he tried to take his first breaths from outside my womb. I was delightfully unaware of anything else the doctor was doing to me “down there” as I stared in awe and wonderment at my son. He was here.
“Oh my gosh, he’s perfect, Macie,” Keegan cried.
“Good job, Babe.” Dodger kissed my forehead, and bent to gently kiss the baby.
I melted. Every moment of my life led to this. Every tear, heartache, ounce of love, all of it. It was like a movie reel playing through my head. Falling down and scraping my legs, eating birthday cakes, fighting with my parents because I stayed out too late, my first time driving a car, high school parties, my first alcoholic drink, Dodger . . . it led me here. My son cried out. He had strong, healthy lungs. I tentatively brought my hand up and placed it on the back of his head.
“Hello, Foster. I’m so happy you’re here.” I spoke quietly to him.
The lights were bright for his little eyes. He tried opening them. Blinking a couple times, his tongue came out and he sucked on it. When he was able to keep his eyes open just enough he looked at me. I knew I was blurry to him, but he was looking right at me. It was an instant connection.
“I love you so much already.”
“Would you like me to take a quick photo of you three?” Keegan asked.
“Yes, please.” Dodger handed her his phone and he bent down to us.
“I love you both,” he whispered so only I could hear.
I closed my eyes and smiled, putting my forehead on his cheek. Keegan took that opportunity to take the picture. We’d forever have this moment.
“Okay, we need to weigh the baby. Any guesses?” Karen announced.
She picked him up off me and put him in the baby warmer. She did a few things to him like cleaning him off better than he had been, gave him his first shot, and took the weight.
“I say ten,” I answered.
Dodger chuckled. “You would. I’m going to guess eight.”
Keegan went over and looked at him. “I’m going to go with eight-point-five. Dr. Carrie what about you?”
He was still doing some work on me and he glanced up. “Uh, let’s go with seven.”
Karen said, “He’s eight pounds even.”
Dodger smiled. “I’m good.”
“So what’s his full name?” Keegan asked.
Dodger and I had decided early on, before we’d even found out about the sex, that the name was the one thing we’d keep to ourselves. It wasn’t too hard to hold to it since we only agreed on a name about a month ago.
“His name is Foster Evan Brooks,” Dodger stated proudly.
“It’s absolutely perfect,” she exclaimed.
Doctor Carrie finished up, and congratulated the both of us. I was feeling tired, but the family would be heading in to meet the baby. The first person in was Donna. I didn’t expect anything less.
“Oh my gosh would you just look at him!” She was bawling.
Paul was behind her and he was all smiles. “Handsome boy, you two.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
Camden came in behind his dad and looked over his mom’s shoulder at his nephew. “Hey, I think he has my nose.”
“Psh, you wish,” Dodger said. “This kid is too cute to have anything of yours.”
Camden punched Dodger’s arm. “True. But if any kid looks like Keegan, I’d say we are lucky.”
Keegan beamed, and I winked at her. A baby may be in her future a lot sooner than she thought.
“Okay, I’m dying to know . . . what’s his name?”
Dodger told them and Donna squealed with happiness.
“Woman, will you settle down while you are holding that baby. He’s precious cargo. In fact, why don’t you just come see your Paw-Paw, and I can start teaching you a few things about women,” Paul cooed at Foster.
Donna turned herself as if to block him from taking the baby, but she conceded.
My mom and dad looked on in complete wonderment. I was beyond pleased to see nothing but smiles from them. My mom had come over to kiss me on the cheek, and she softly whispered that she was proud of me. It was another moment for me to catalog and remember for the rest of my life.
Each family member held him and told him how loved he was already. The smile that was on my face couldn’t be wiped away. Dodger was wearing his pride on his sleeve, and everyone was so full of happiness. Time passed quickly with them all here. I was eventually moved to a recovery room where I’d spend the remaining time in the hospital. I got a new nurse and she explained everything that I could expect.
As it got later, everyone decided it was time to leave and give me some time to rest and Dodger a chance to actually hold his baby more than he’d been able to already. When they were all gone, I sighed and looked at Dodger. He was sitting in a chair near my bed and he was staring at his son. He heard him talking softly to him and touching his little hands with his fingertips. I did everything I could to memorize this. I didn’t want to take a photo, I wanted to feel it. I wanted to remember his face and how his crooked smile was so full of expression. It was as if Dodger was saying a million things without speaking a single one.
This is what family was. We grew up, moved on, and had families of our own. We added to what was already our foundation. Nothing could be more perfect.
“Hey,” I said quietly.
“Hmmm?” Dodger barely wanted to stop looking at Foster.
“I love you.”
He positively beamed at me. “I love you too, Macie.”
With all of this perfection, I required rest. I was exhausted. I closed my eyes, visions of Dodger loving our son and making sure we were both as happy and healthy as we could be were what I dreamed.
THERE WAS FAINT CRYING in the background. The body next to me groaned. I tried to move my head, but it was too heavy. And good lord what was that smell? Oh, my hair. Seasoned moms weren’t kidding when they said the first two months were the hardest.
“I’ll get this one,” a groggy Dodger said as he got up from the bed.
“Unless he needs to be changed, you don’t have a boob.” I sat up and scrubbed my face with my hand. “He’s hungry.”