Bode Olan & Madi Marie

Look at the precious monkey, born on Cinco De Mayo 2010.  It was a little weird watching my baby sister have a baby, but even weirder watching my baby watch my sister have a baby.  Yes, my baby (now 9 years old) was IN the delivery room.  No one planned on it, she just insisted.  And she is not one to insist all that often.  Sure, she tries to buck the system once in awhile, but usually she is a go with the flow, always see the bright side, kind of kid.  

On this particular day, she became someone else's kid as I tried explaining to her that her father would be picking her up from school because I was going to the hospital to be with my baby sister who would be bringing this little bundle into the world.  Madi said that she felt like she needed to be there, a couple of times.  I tried to pacify her with the usual, "you can come up after he is here, and it may be a little too much for you to handle" types of responses.  She made a dramatic fall to the ground and became almost inconsolable (for Madi, anyway) and I was really taken back.  So much so, that I decided to give it a go.  When I called to inform the expectant parents that Madi would be coming too, you could sense some hesitation.  Actually, I think their exact words were, "who brings an 8 year old into the delivery room?  

So, we arrived and it was your standard room, complete with two mother-in-laws.  We all decided that at the crucial time, we would kick little Madi out into the waiting room.  However, no one really defined crucial, and so there we all sat.  Two mom-in-laws, one big sister with her 8 year old in tow, and one mama-to-be and her baby daddy.  The nurses were doing their usual checks when the doctor was called and the news came.  Unless this baby boy turned himself around, a C-Section was inevitable.  So, the advice was for the mama-to-be to rock back and forth on her hands and knees.  And in true mama-guilt fashion, she cried, blamed herself for this situation, and said, "If only I had been doing this all along."  

Her rocking time was up and the doctor came in and informed her it was time.  They would be wheeling her out for C-section.  Mama-to-be was teary-eyed, scared, as were the rest of us.  We had not ever had to go down that road ourselves, so we were anxious for her.  The mom-in-laws left, feeling like it was the "crucial" time, I guess.  I could not leave my sister and everyone forgot about little Madi, who just occasionally said things like, "I can't wait to meet him and hold him."

Another doctor happened to be checking in when the mama-to-be, told her the C Section news, and asked for a last minute check, just in case anything had changed.  The doctor obliged and after two seconds of checking, said the words, "push."  What?  We all looked around and the mama-to-be said, really?  Then, she said, "This is going from my worst nightmare to the best birth ever."  

Madi remained calm and sure that she was in the right place and had no intention of leaving.  The adults around her had brief panic attacks and emotional moments, but she stayed strong and optimistic.  Watching Madi hold that baby boy for the first time was priceless.  I think the little monkey is going to like his cousin, who demanded she be there the day he came into the world.