Today is Mayim's birthday, he is 8 years old. When Mayim was born, he came out chubby. Chubby butt, chubby cheeks, arms, legs. And noisy. He was so noisy from the moment they took him out of my belly. He is still a very noisy kid. I remember the day he was born, I had to have a scheduled c-section. He was transverse breech, which means he was sideways in my belly. This kind of breech is impossible to birth vaginally, so I am very grateful that it was 2009 and not 1909. We both surely would have died. What a naughty baby. I remember being at the hospital, I had to undress and put on the hospital gown and I had to walk to the operating room. Did I wear shoes? I can't remember. I would not have walked down the hallway to the OR barefoot, right? That sounds gross. I don't remember bringing slippers. I don't remember and that is so odd.

The first time I gave birth, it was not a scheduled c-section. I had to hold as still as possible during horribly painful contractions so that the anesthesiologist could put a giant needle into my spine. But with Mayim, I was not in labor. I sat on the edge of the operating table and rounded forward holding onto Aaron, he was in front of me. They numbed my back and gave me a spinal. My lower half went numb, I did not like that feeling at all. Mayim's c-section was more uncomfortable than Lavi's. Why would that be? But he was born quickly, Aaron brought him over to me and I was so relieved that he was healthy and normal and perfect. I cried. They wheeled us into the recovery room and Mayim nursed right away. He was good at it. He looked right into my eyes and that was that. He was mine. And he was sweet and tiny and I wouldn't let them put a diaper on him and he pooped the meconium poop in the blanket. That was weird of me. I kept him in bed with me, always. I had to stay a few nights because of the c-section. I kept waiting for the nurse to make me put him in the bassinet like they made me do when Lavi was born, but she never did. I was allowed to sleep with him and I loved sleeping with him. He was noisy, like I mentioned earlier, a glimpse of what would come. puh-puh-puh.