Friday, June 17

I should have known. . .

This day in 1993 started off rather oddly. I should have known that something big was going to happen.

But I had just seen my obstetrician a couple of days earlier. He was headed out of town and assured me that the baby wouldn't be coming until at least a week later.

Still, I felt funny enough that I figured I should pop over to the hospital and get checked out. Now, we lived in tiny little Hillsdale, Michigan, and the hospital was just one block away from our house. My husband Jack and our 25-month-old, Will, were still fast asleep. I gently shook Jack awake and told him that I felt funny and was going to the hospital. "Is the baby coming?" he asked groggily. I told him I didn't know what was happening but that I'd either be right back home or would call him from the hospital.

The hospital admissions clerk could tell that I was expecting a baby any day--it was pretty obvious, you know? She let me go up to the third floor to talk to the nurses there. On the third floor, the nurses gave me a quick check and phoned the obstetrician on call. I was in labor, all right. I distinctly remember one of the nurses weighing me and asking, "Do you not have anyone to be with you?" "Oh, great," I thought to myself. "She thinks I'm an unwed mother."

Finally I called Jack. He took Will to a friend's house and came to the hospital properly equipped with my things. And a few hours later, Preston was born: a second red-headed boy.

I should have known that day would be special.


How could I have known, though, that this boy would wow the preschool teachers with his proper use of the term "reticulated python"?

How could I have known that this boy would have open-heart surgery at age 14 and, less than four weeks later, give the St. Crispin's Day speech from Henry V?

How could I have known that this boy would, at age 16, prepare the best Thanksgiving turkey I'd ever eaten?

How could I have known that, when his father was in the hospital on Mother's Day weekend, this boy would go to a ladies' clothing shop and buy me a dress?


Jack, Preston, and me at graduation--
I'm wearing the dress Preston bought me for Mother's Day

How could I have known that this boy would be chosen by his classmates to speak at their high school graduation?


How could I have known how much a boy could capture his mom's heart in 18 short years?

**I'm joining Amanda at Serenity Now for Weekend Bloggy Reading party**

21 comments:

  1. What a lovely post about a delightful & thoughtful young man.
    Happy Birthday to Preston!!
    Thanks for sharing a little of him, with us.

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  2. How could you have known that you'd make me cry!!??
    Well, you did! :)
    What a beautiful tribute to a handsome young man with extremely good taste in moms and dresses!
    I wish for him another 118 years to bless you and God with his life!!
    HUGS to all y'all!
    ~Leslie

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  3. Wow! You are so lucky to be blessed with such a wonderful young man!

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  4. How sweet. Sounds like a special young man. And he did great on the dress by the way!! :)

    Crystal

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  5. Congrats to you all! Sounds like such a lovely young man! :)

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  6. What a sweet post! You are indeed lucky to have this young man in your life.

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  7. Preston sounds like a terrific young man....and I know you are very proud of him. (I would be too.)

    I think you must be a very special momma to produce such a wonderful son!

    Is his heart issue all fixed now? And did you know he had a problem when he was a baby?

    He looks like he is very healthy and strong! And so nice looking!

    Have a blessed day Richella!

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  8. Oh...and may Preston have... A Very Happy Birthday!

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  9. Ahhh... I don't even "know" you and you made me cry! How could you have NOT known your son would be so awesome though?

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  10. Are you TRYING to make me cry???! What a beautiful tribute. I can't believe he would think to buy you a dress--and such a pretty one! He'll make a wonderful husband someday. :)

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  11. That is such a sweet story, Richella. Your Preston sounds like such an amazing young man, with really good taste in fashion, I might add. Happy Birthday Preston and congrats to you for doing such an awesome job raising him!

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  12. this is so beautiful. i could tell you that you might have known... if you could see the ebautiful in your own heart :) happy birthday to preston, one of your three favorites. {and what good tast he has- beautiful dress!!}

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  13. He must be so special. Of course he is . . . he has YOU for a mom!

    P.S. You have not answered the question I emailed to you. ;)

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  14. Happy Birthday to Preston! I know you are so proud of him! Carla

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  15. Oh, what a sweetheart! You will never Goodwill that dress. I can't help but think he will make someone a great husband one day. Congrats to such a special graduate! And I'm sure his fabulous Mama had something to do with that. :)

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  16. Beautiful post! Sounds like you've raised your son very well =)

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  17. This post got me all weepy this morning! It sounds like you raised an amazing young man. I have a 16-year old and it's hard for me to imagine him buying me a dress. Not sure I could entrust him with that task. Or with cooking our Thanksgiving turkey! Ha.

    Happy birthday to your '93 baby! :)

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  18. This just warms my heart. My oldest son is about to turn 16 and I remember giving birth to him like it was yesterday.

    Beautiful story, thanks for sharing!

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  19. What a positively delightful post! It made me weepy.

    What a spectacular young man. We need more of his kind! :)

    Congratulations!

    BTW -- the dress looks lovely on you.

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  20. Richella that was so sweet and what a handsome young man!! I know you are a proud Mama and you should be.
    Blessings and love.....

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  21. Awwww *sniff*

    10 years from now, this will be me with my baby boy. I was just looking at old baby pictures of him today. I grabbed him and said "how in the world did you grow up so fast??!!" And he's only 8!!!!

    What a wonderful post, Richella! :)

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