Lucky Us

I feel like the luckiest person on this planet. This year has been my favorite one ever! It’s funny because as a girl, I couldn’t wait for my ";lucky birthday";—you know, the one where I turn 28 on the 28th. I always knew this would be my lucky year, but never could have imagined the magnitude!

In sketching my future, I always dreamt of being a doctor, college professor, famous painter…something prestigious and professional. I have always yearned for challenging situations/occupations, and naively concluded that I had mastered the role of caretaker after years of being the ";neighborhood nanny."; Boy oh boy, was I mistaken.

And speaking of boy, my year began with my 3rd trimester of pregnancy, which was bursting with excitement and amazement about our future ";Foster family."; The baby showers, room-arranging, birthing classes and hospital tours made the final days fly. We ended the year 2000 with the ";It’s a Boy!"; news, and sweet baby Luke became that much more real.

Oh, was I excited to see him--but I never worried too much about his appearance because I was sure his hilarity would overshadow his looks. From the moment we felt his movements, we knew he was a riot! We would play games where we would push on my belly and he would kick right back…in the exact spot. He would jive along to his papa’s drumming and strumming, and his mama’s running and humming. The ultrasounds only enforced our beliefs, as he would swim from side to side, rolling front to back, dodging the probe. What a funny little man!

There was only one thing standing in our way of meeting Mr.Luke--the labor. While I would do it again in a blink, I must say that it made ";marathon running"; seem a breeze. Labor is a perfect word for the birthing event. I had the tragic ";false start"; and the fearful ";stuck"; at 8 cm. On the flip side, I had the perfect-est teammate and a fantastic nurse. Luke Kenneth Foster made his grand entrance at 3:44 p.m., 12 April. The main detail that I recall of my 15-hour labor is getting scolded by the physician because I jumped out of bed while Todd was cutting the cord. Whoops! I just wanted to get a glimpse of THE MAN.

Well, see him I did—I do! Everyday I beam with glee when I see, squeeze, smell my sweet Luke. He’s the best thing in our world. He is so full of fun and curious energy—he gives meaning to my life. It has been such an educational year. The irony is that this is the first year since pre-school that I haven’t taken classes. The greatest lesson I have learned is that I love—I mean I worship—being a mom!!!!! It is by far the greatest accomplishment of my life, and I am certain, nothing could top the bliss that Luke brings. Who knew I’d be this Lukey…I mean Lucky!