Smitten

Meet my precious new nephew, Benjamin Roshan. He arrived via c-section in the wee hours of the morning on Wednesday, July 11, 2012. Measuring 19 3/4 inches long, he literally weighed his birth date (7 lbs, 11 ounces)! In 37 years of life, I have never heard of this happening.

Already, he's wrapped us around his little finger, as is clearly obvious by the look of utter rapture on my face as I gaze at him.

He's sporting his dad's dark hair and chin, but he resembles my sister. Especially across the eyes. My mom held him against her shoulder at one point, looking out, and as our eyes met, it was like looking at a baby picture of my sister's.

Throughout the long day yesterday, my brave sister endured many, many, many, many long hours of labor only to have a c-section. She is one tough Mama!

While waiting for word of his imminent birth, or after receiving news from the doctor, I was just reminded again and again of my firstborn's birth over 12 years ago. Maybe it's because I was waiting for her firstborn to arrive in the world that I was reminded of mine. The long hours waiting for her. The news of her fetal distress and necessary c-section. Sheer joy when she arrived tempered by sheer exhaustion. I had developed pre-ecclampsia about a month before my due date, and so not only was I administered pitosin to induce labor, I was also administered magnesium sulfate to keep my blood pressure from skyrocketing. It also made me very sleepy. Shortly after her birth, she began displaying signs of further distress. Late that night, she was flown via helicopter to a children's hospital in Iowa City. We learned the next day that she'd been born with a heart defect called Transposition of the Greater Vessels. She endured corrective open heart surgery when she was 12 days old. Twelve. Days. It was exactly five weeks to the day before she was able to come home from the hospital. There are many more stories I could tell you about that time, but this entry is not really about Tayler.

It's about Ben and his Mama.

One of the first times my sister ever saw me holding my newborn daughter, she turned to our mom and said in great wonder and amazement, "She's a mommy!"

Walking in this morning and watching my sister care for her newborn son as best as she can given the c-section, I had a similar epiphany.

After waiting for so long for God to bless her with a baby of her own, today that blessing became a reality. That wonderful little bundle named Benjamin has made her a mommy.

And we are all smitten.