And now - on his 6th birthday
Oh, how did my sweet baby Isaac get to be 6 already?! It just seems like yesterday that we were expecting you, then having you, holding you in our arms, a family of four. What an awesome 6 years it been!
I want to start by remembering this day 6 year ago...it was a Friday, I woke up around 5 a.m. with slight contrations. As I made coffee they were more noticable so I decided to take a shower just in case. Once in there they really picked up so I told Shock to wake up granny that we were going to the hospital. In no time I was definitely in labor - I couldn't believe when granny stopped at a barely yellow light on the way to the hospital before 7 a.m.! We were admitted, I told them my last labor was 10 hours total & that I'd learned from that experience that I didn't want my water broken until my epidural was good & numb. We got all the papers and stuff done, monitor was going, I was progressing, epidural had me happy, and granny was entertaining little almost two-year-old Isaiah with Sesame Street dvd's. Then I told everyone to go to lunch and when they got back we'd break my water and have a baby. The doctor (and everyone) thought I was crazy but I told them, "really, go, have lunch, it'll make everyone feel better, and when you get we'll do this." So that's what happened - daddy, granny, Isaiah & auntie Jessie went to eat, along with Dr. Christman. Our nurse, Ken, stayed with me. When everyone returned Dr. Christman broke my water and said he'd stay nearbye just in case. Sure enough in less than 20 minutes I was complete and ready to push! They set up the mirror, I pushed only a few times (I remember watching in the mirror & just being fascinated) and out came Isaac Thomas Maikori. I cried. Everyone was in awe. You went right on my tummy/chest and we marveled at you. You looked a lot like your brother. You had tons of black hair. You were so sweet! 6lbs 6oz, 19 inches long, born 7/16/04 at 12:59 p.m. Your labor and birth experience was the best one I've had. It was quiet, intimate, controlled, memorable, perfect. 15 hours later, at 3 a.m. during a routine check they said you were having a hard time breathing. They took you to the nursery, I followed. They did x-rays and told me you had a touch of pneumonia on one lung and had to go to the special care nursery. I was devastated. We came immediately in the morning (maybe 6 a.m.) to see you. It broke my heart to see you in the warmer with a IV and all these tubes. The worst came when we had to leave you at the hospital for one night after I was discharged on Sunday. Thankfully due to the mother-baby program I was given a room the next day in your name on the floor next to the special care nursery and we were able to stay with you the rest of the week. We were discharged the day you were one week old. Hooray!
I also want to reflect on the last 6 years with you. You are hysterical! That is the first thing that comes to mind. I love your sense of humor and you always keep us laughing. Your name, Isaac, which means laughter, couldn't be more appropriate! Also, your middle name, Thomas, after your grandpa, couldn't be more appropriate because you definitely have a sense of humor and wit about you just like him (and mommy!). As a baby you loved binkies & nursing, hated bottles. You came around on the bottles eventually but it was hard to get you to give up your binky. You never had a favorite blanket but love your "green pillow." You loved Baby Einstein and Blue's Clues. You also loved your big brother and were such a welcome addition to our family. You've always had tons of hair and had your first haircut before your first birthday. We really cut it short "big boy" style when you were around 2 and I'm sorry we did - you look too old now when I look back on pictures of you then. I love your big curls. Speaking of curls, ever since you were a baby and still to this day when you're tired you rub your hair at the front of your head, which you now call "your curl," and I'll never forget the first time we cut your hair off & your hand went up there to rub and you could tell you didn't know what to do without it there. You're still that way today when we cut it short - you miss your curl to rub. You say the funniest things and have the best comedic timing. You're a skinny thing and although you eat (you love pizza the most!) you've always been smaller - I was so scared when you were a baby because you almost fell off the growth chart! You slept with us until you were 10 months old. When we kicked you out and put your crib downstairs you were furious and had 3 nights of good cry-it-out spells before you gave in - then you loved your crib and would sometimes even go to the stairs and point downstairs saying, "ni-ni mama, ni-ni" when you were tired and wanted to go to bed. You were hilarious and would scale out of your crib - I'll never forget the day I came in to you crawling along the chair rail ledge - you'd gotten out of the crib, onto the rail, and were crawling over to the guest bed to get down & out....escape artist. ;) You've always loved music and to talk. I was so amazed at how articulate you were at such a young age - you talked way more than Isaiah did by 1, 1.5 years. You were always humming or singing tunes and knew your abc's by around 14 months old. I remember Aunt Susan being so impressed with you at GG's 90th birthday party because you were just 2 but sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star for her all the time and not only did you know all the words but you were so in tune! She still talks about that to this day. I loved how for Halloween one year when you were 1, Isaiah was Batman and you were Robin - but you HATED the Robin eye mask and freaked out while I was trying to take your picture. It's also hilarous to me that you wanted to be the "GPS man" for Halloween when you were 4 and hands down had the best costume of the night according to everyone we passed - you had a UPS box for your candy and everything! And that was your choice! You loved the UPS man (or GPS as you called him) that came to granny & grandpa's when you stayed with them so when you saw that costume it was a done deal! I also love how when you are away from home you miss me. You're very brave with Isaiah, and it's never bothered him to be away from us, but you're different. I don't like for you to be upset but it's precious to me how you just kinda get homesick from time to time and just want your mommy. You'll cry for me, granny will call, we'll talk, and then you're okay. You're my sensitive son. You are the sweetest, kindest boy and your heart is tender - I love that about you. You love big and you hurt big. I hate when your feelings are hurt or when you cry. I love how thoughtful you are. You open doors for mommy, give me flowers, dance with me, and recently wanted to make me breakfast just because. I pray you hold onto those qualities and shower your wife with that love, tenderness, and romance one day. You love to snuggle, hug and give kisses. I'll take those forever. You were very upset once when we were talking about heaven & what happens after you die - you told me you like your body - so cute. You've always looked up to Isaiah and couldn't wait to do all the things he did. We knew you were ready to start school the year after him even though you were almost 2 years apart because you were so advanced academically for your age and because you couldn't wait to go to school with him. Your first day of pre-k was hard on me and yet I was so happy for you. I was amazed because you'd been more of my "spirited" or sometimes "challenging" child but in school you were an angel and moved your clip only 2 times the entire year - several less than Isaiah had in pre-k. In Kindergarten you did even better! The first week or so of school I remember Isaiah asking if you guys could walk in without me - it broke my heart as I watched you two walk in together - not "needing" me in that regard. It made me proud and yet marked a new point in your lives where I knew you were really growing up and away...I guess I'm doing my job if you're both confident enough to go in alone...and yet I'd love to hold your hands & walk you in forever. Mrs. Andres couldn't say enough nice things about you, what a good student you were, how you helped her, and what an awesome friend you were to others - always worried about how others felt and wanting to make them comfortable. You were even the 1st quarter super star! I'm so proud of you for so many reasons. Just when I thought it couldn't get any better I got to see you as a big brother. Wow. You are so sweet, kind and loving with Immanuel. You love holding him, kissing him, helping with him, playing with him, anything you can do. He loves seeing you, too! He looks so much like you did as a baby. You're a great little brother, too. I guess that means you're just an awesome middle brother! I love your creativity, your imagination, and listening to you play with Isaiah, making up stories, or watching you dance and play, singing along to songs or commercials, seeing your art work when you color, paint or cut, how specific you are in your writing - you love to be neat in your penmanship, and even how anal you are when you mess up you get very frustrated and have to crunch the paper up and start all over. You hate to be wet - that cracks me up. You love to potty outside. Sheesh - boys! I love watching you learn to read and how well you're doing. I love your attitude - one look at your kindergarten graduation picture says it all -you're always posing and being silly and it's great! Your hysterial personality shines through all you do. You currently say, "dude!" all the time and drive your daddy crazy with that. You recently lost your first tooth and were so freaked out by it - you did NOT want me pulling it or touching it, but it finally came out. Now you have another loos one but won't even let me wiggle it, lol! You talk about girls too much - much more than Isaiah did, so I have a feeling I'm going to have my hands full when you're of age to really pay attention to girls. I even overheard you downstairs playing on time and you told Isaiah that "So and so is my girlfriend and Hannah is my wife." Ugh-oh! I quickly explained to you that you don't ever get to have both - you were so embarassed that I'd overheard you & didn't want to talk about it. You crack me up! You're just the neatest kid, fun to be around, always willing to compromise, a good little and big brother (just the fact that you don't mind sharing your birthday with Immanuel says so much about you!), quite the comedian, an excellent student, a lover, a musical soul, always willing to say the first prayer and do a beautiful job of it, and such a joy! I love you more than words could ever express Isaac Thomas! I look foward to continuing to watch you grow from the baby I once held in my arms and sang lullabies to as I rocked you to sleep, worried about in the hospital your first week of life, to the "terrific" toddler you were, to the silly boy you are now that brings such joy and laughter to our family, into the young man you'll soon be, busy with school, sports, and girls, to one day a man, hopefully with a lovely wife and your own beautiful children - you'll be a wonderful husband and an incredible daddy. Always remember to love, respect & treasure your wife, play with your kids, have lots of fun with them but teach them also, cherish every second with all of them, and above all, remember God every minute of everyday, pray often, and make Him the center of your life and your family. I will always be with you, whether near or far, forever in your heart & your memories, and I love you more than you'll ever know, more even than I can comprehend...I thank God for the day He trusted me enough & chose me to be your mom....what a blessing that beautiful day was, six years ago, July 16, 2004, at 12:59 p.m. my life forever changed for the better. Happy 6th Birthday, Isaac, I love you!!!!
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