Jackson Armstrong, my first born son was born on April 3, 2008 @ 9:19pm after 6.5 hours of unproductive labor and an unplanned cesarean. The first time I saw him after surgery went something like this:

I remember hearing him cry for the first time. We were still in the OR and I remember gearing up to freak out because he’d not cried yet, then there it was, the most beautiful sound I’d heard all day! I was so happy!

I remember that Jack was handed to me by a nurse and I couldn’t quite process what exactly was going on due to all the drugs they had me on…tat is until I looked into his tiny little face. He was sleeping so peacefully in my arms. MY baby, the one that had been in my body for 40 weeks was finally in my arms. He was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I grinned from ear to ear, then got rather serious as I told my husband he needed to find the nail clippers. Jack’s nails needed to be clipped.

I remember I spent hours counting and kissing his tiny toes and fingers. I was in awe of how his birth weight of 8 lbs 5 oz didn’t quite seem to fit in his tiny little body. I remember examining his long legs, the spiky newborn hair on his head that was so soft and smelled OH SO GOOD. I wondered – Why don’t they bottle that exact smell? Wow…that smells SO incredibly good. His entire little self smelled of that wonderfulness.

Even now at almost two years later, I remember our first meeting in great pride and overflowing love for my big brown eyed, sword loving, book loving toddler – After all, he made me what I am today. A mother!

Benjamin Wayne, my second born baby boy was born December 26, 2009 @ 10:41am.
I remember feeling LOTS of pressure in my rib cage as my doctor delivered Benjamin through my abdomen. Poor baby had been so crowded he rarely straightens his legs. Clint and I were told to look left and there he was. My big baby was PINK and oh so healthy.

I remember hearing him cry for the first time & I cried too. Clint brought him over to me, so I could see & he was beautiful. He looked just like Jack! I cried some more and kissed him before he was off the the nursery for his check up.

Inspired by this mom’s blog post: Alpha Mom