Filled with a baby eager to expand her limits, I leaned onto my engorged belly. Her tiny legs kicked my ribs in her endeavors to gain space. I had no more room to provide. As my husband watched, he said, “You look like a woman who can’t make it another day. Surely, this baby will come tonight.”
By eleven o’clock that night, Randy, a young soldier from Fort Hood arrived to spend the remainder of the night with our soon-to-be big brother. Contractions came with constant regularity — every two minutes. With each burst of pain, I announced, “Here comes another one”. No one arrived. “Where is our baby,” I wailed as the sun began peeking over the eastern sky.
At eleven o’clock on Labor Day morning, Joy finally began her arrival. I wondered, “Why did I ever agree to deliver this baby without pain medication? What was I thinking?” However, when the doctor held up a tiny baby girl, all wonderings vanished. We named her Joy Renee, which means joy reborn. When Big Brother David saw her for the first time, He whispered, “She’s so beautiful. I’m sorry I ever wished for a brother.
And so, through all these years, our baby girl has indeed been “joy reborn”. Through braces, cheerleading, drill team, rebellious teen years, college, the launch of a new career, marriage, and the death of her young husband, she remained joy reborn. She becomes more special with each passing year and I gratefully celebrate her birth and her life. Happy birthday, Joyous One!
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