Memories

My firstborn is getting married in 3 days....it blows me away, as I reflect back 33 years, when our firstborn son James Robert King was born.

A healthy 6lbs. 15oz. LONG labor, but SO very worth it. Jimmy was my 'trial and error baby'. Most of the mistakes I made as a mom, I made on him before I made them on Brian & Shannon. Jimmy & I had a few crying sessions together, although he doesn't remember them. A few cases in point:

Case #1
I was going to save money and use cloth diapers. So after the bazillion boxes of Pampers ran out (that's all we had back then. No huggies, or whatever else there is out there now. Just Pampers) that I'd received at my baby shower, I switched to cloth, and promptly proceeded to pin my baby's diaper to his skin! I just couldn't figure out why he was screaming. He'd been fed, burped, and changed, so I checked his diaper to make sure it wasn't on too tight. OMG! I pinned him to his diaper! I felt so bad-I'd hurt my baby, dear God forgive me! We cried together.

Case #2
Clipping the baby's fingernails. With baby clippers. I wasn't good enough. I clipped the very tip top of his baby pinkie right off! Oh it was a tiny tiny piece, but for THIS mama it may have well been half his finger! HE didn't cry, but I sure did! He just kind of looked at me like, 'why are you crying, mama?' So I bandage his poor little mama-induced owie and in a couple of days it was fine.

Case #3
Jimmy was slightly club-footed as a baby, due to his position in the womb, so at about age 3 months, our family Dr ordered foot braces for him. Basically what it consists of is 2 hard soled shoes, but on the opposite feet, with a steel brace in between. To be worn at night while he slept. Well, one morning I took his braces off to bathe him, only to find that the skin underneath his big toe had somehow stayed too moist, and was peeling away, leaving an ugly, gaping wound. It honeslty looked like someone had taken a knife and sliced his toe. I totally freaked out, and ran him straight to the Dr, bawling like a baby myself. Once again, I'd hurt my baby. Or so I thought. The Dr assured me that I had not hurt him, but rather the shoes were wrong for him. Of course, being a novice at this mommy business, I didn't have a clue. So the Dr suggested just getting a regular pair of shoes, and putting them on the wrong feet, which I did. It worked perfectly.


So many mistakes I made with him...and I worried that somehow the mistakes I made would scar him for life. Thank the Good Lord, they didn't.

So, as our son pledges his life to his bride, I'd just like to say how very proud we are to be his parents. My little baby, married. Wow. It blows my mind, and puts a knot in my throat the size of a heart-mine.

To my firstborn: I love you son, and I wish nothing but blessings for you & Jessica as you embark on your life together, as husband and wife. May God provide you with decades of blessings, good health, and prosperity.

Until next time....Blessings~