Kaleb -- Dec. 15, 1999

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The name Kaleb is a Hebrew baby name. In Hebrew the meaning of the name Kaleb is: Dog; brave. In the Old Testament; Caleb was a companion of Moses during his time in the wilderness.

Kaleb didn't come by his name easy, we must have changed it a dozen times before finally settling. I will be the first to say that nothing about Kaleb coming into this world was simple. For starters, he was well over cooked and extremely content about remaining our "bun in the oven." I, on the other hand after having a very easy pregnancy was not content. My back hurt, I had cankles, and my face was as round as that perfect Halloween Jack-O-Lantern. I wanted him out and by out I meant RIGHT NOW!!! After some coaxing my doctor decided to induce labor at 43 weeks. At the age of 19, I was convinced after reading every childbirthing book the College had to offer that I could have a natural-medication free labor and delivery (WRONG again). After the induction started, with pitocin running through my veins, and the doctor breaking my water, I WANTED DRUGS!!! I had never in my life been in so much pain and was convinced Kaleb was trying to rip his way through my body like some sort of satanic alien creature. My mom was so supportive and encouraging and stayed right by my side through it all experiencing my pain and welling up with tears when there was nothing she could to take it away. We had a huge support team awaiting his arrival! I had given up after 9 grueling hours of hard labor, locking myself in my L & D bathroom and I was convinced they wanted me to die before giving birth. A bright light came my way in the form of an Anesthesiologist and boy was I ever a happy woman, highly medicated YES but happy. The epidural finally relaxed me enough that within an hour I had dilated to 10 and was ready to push this baby out WOOHOO! I will spare you the horrific details of Kaleb's birth as he was a 10 lb baby and I can't imagine the bloody horror scene his birth left behind.

My doctor exclaimed, "oh my gosh it's a good thing I was able to catch him because I definitely needed two hands, he is so BIG." He immediately felt horrible for letting me go so far overdue. Kaleb didn't make a sound when he entered this world and scared me to death as he was 14 shades of purple. As they started beating on him he finally let out a low roar as we all gasped sighs of relief. Because he was so big and I required some medical attention it took over an hour before they placed him in my arms where he immediately sealed his way right into my heart.  All of a sudden my whole life changed, I couldn't imagine loving something so much in one short moment. I wanted to hold him close and tight forever and never let go.  I vowed that every ounce of energy and strength I'd ever received in this world was going to be invested in being the best mom that this beautiful baby deserved.

I couldn't have asked for a more perfect baby, Kaleb from day one has always been extremely good natured. He never cried more than a whimper aside from when he was teething and he was always pleasant to be around.

To date, Kaleb is still a wonderful child, our trials with him are very few. He is kind hearted, compassionate, sincere, one track minded, wise, father-figure like, and above all bursting with love to share. Kaleb is a very quiet child, half of the time you would hardly know he is around aside from the tv being on or being provoked by his siblings. He is very passionate about hunting and fishing and the discovery channel. I hope that he will follow this love and use his passion for animals to be successful in a  career someday. Unfortunately, Kaleb is not a lover of school, he skates by and has very little drive except when fun projects arrive. We have to push him in positive directions or bribe him with good grades. Kaleb is a lover of money, it burns holes in his pockets which concerns me for his future. We adapted the same rule my mom had, half of whatever you make goes into your bank account for the future.

Not a day passes that I don't find myself so incredibly grateful for the moment this amazing little boy was placed into my arms. His soul is that of a wise owl and his eyes hold the deepest depths of the sea. Kaleb doesn't say much but he never neglects to tell me daily "I Love You Mom." He is known to slip his hand in mine as we watch a movie or just come up and give a random hug, these are small things I cherish about him. Our world would not be complete without his presence and there aren't enough words in the dictionary to explain the love I hold for him in my heart. I will never forget the moment Kaleb made me a mommy and how it changed my life forever!!!