I fell in love for the second time on July 10, 2012. Maddox was born on a Tuesday at 5:13 pm via emergency C-Section. We had arrived at the hospital that morning at around 7:30 to be induced. However, I was not progressing and my blood pressure was rising to dangerous levels. The doctors began the surgery at 5:00 and 13 minutes later, our little angel appeared from behind the curtain. I remember feeling incredibly sleepy from the epidural but when the anesthesiologist told me I would see my baby soon I kept my eyes open and tried my best to stay awake and lucid. First, I heard him cry. Immediately, tears came to my eyes and an overwhelming feeling of love, relief and anticipation came over me. A second later, I saw my son for the first time. He was beautiful and I loved him instantaneously. They took him to a table behind me to clean him up and check him which took about 5 minutes. The table seemed to be miles away and those five minutes seemed like hours. I couldn't wait to hold and kiss him. I remember Maddie's legs being outstretched and up in the air while he was laying on his back. It was so funny. Finally, Allan carried him over to me and we cried and kissed our little son.
During our stay in the hospital, Maddox proved to be the perfect baby. He loved to be held and never cried. He would only fuss a little when he was hungry and he would make the cutest little squawking noises instead of cry. Most nights, he slept in my arms. I have never slept so peacefully. When he was circumcised, the doctor said he slept right through it. He nursed well and took a bottle well. We knew that we had been blessed with a special baby. We believed that Heavenly Father blessed us with an easy baby to help us make it through the trials we faced right after his birth. Maddox was a miracle to us because in spite of all the pregnancy-related complications I experienced, he was perfectly healthy and we never had to worry about him. I remember my doctor telling me that sometimes, babies learn to thrive and become even stronger than they would be otherwise when their mothers have preeclampsia. I knew that this was the case with Maddox. He thrived when I struggled. He was strong when I was weak. I know that my ability to recover was in large part due to his existence and resilience.
