Susan Senator

This is my middle boy, now 6’2″ and quite the young man. Tonight Ned and I will be attending our first high school presentation for incoming — ulp — 9th graders! Is this the little boy I carried? I don’t remember getting older!

But — March 9 will be 14 years ago that he was born. This was one of the best days of my life. My labor was actually a good part. Ned and I stayed up all night together, while the early labor pains began, and he held a tennis ball at the base of my spine every time I had a bad contraction. My sister and her fiance (now husband) John came over and took care of little Nat while we went into the hospital.

At the hospital, I requested an epidural, but the entire time, I could feel the pain. I kept saying to the doctor, “Hey, I can feel that!” Finally, they rolled me over to check: the needle had fallen out of my spine!

“It’s too late,” my doctor said. “You’re at 8 centimeters. You’ll have to just blow through the rest of it.”

Oooh, I wanted to kill her! But I persevered. Ned kept me conscious, saying, “Look at me, Sue,” every time the pain ripped through. Max was born pretty fast, needless to say. A big baby, 8 lbs 9 ounces — it’s funny how you never forget stuff like that. I looked at him and was confused — who was this? He didn’t look like the baby I was used to (Nat!). I could not stop looking at him. I still can’t, but I do it covertly.

Max came into this world with a burst of joy — and relief. He continues to give both to all those around him.