Happy 15th Birthday !

Happy 15th birthday Zachary!!!!

You have grown into a very Loving, Caring Polite, Dependable, Helpful boy. (Well, you are a teenager, so these characteristics only occur when you want them to be shown to others.)

There are a couple of events leading up to your birth that are vivid in my mind.

My OB/GYN decided that being the ultrasound showed that you weighed over 8lbs, that it was time to induce my pregnancy at 37+ weeks gestation. 

I was admitted to the hospital on Jan. 24th, so that an amniocentesis could be preformed to check your lung maturity before my induction. The test results came back positive that your lungs were definately mature. 

Ray, Ray and your older brother, Linwood (Jr.) came up to visit. Many, many years ago, a pack of Energizer batteries had a bright green sticker which informed customers of the battery test strip provided on the packaging, whcih indicated that the package of batteries were indeed fresh. 

With this pointer finger of his left hand in his mouth, Jr. poked his little  right hand, which held the sticker, through the bed rail and offered me the bright green Energizer sticker. While doing so, he softly and with a shaky voice from being afraid said "Happy Birthday Mommy!" This brought tears of joy to my eyes. A simple sticker offered to me as a birthday present. A simple sticker that most people would look at as just another piece of trash. Was given to me with so much love and from the heart by a humble 4 year old, meant so much to me.

 I asked my Nurse for an armband and some tape, which she provided me with. I placed my special birthday sticker on that armband and secured it into place with tape. I proudly wore the armband the entire time I was in the hospital.  I still have this armband safely put away with other momentos from years past.

. The vision of my hyperactive, yet loving 4 year old offering me such a simple gift of love, stays with me to this day. That was the best birthday present to this day I have ever received.

There are a couple of numerical facts, which are interesting pretaining to your birth and my birthday;

1. The year of your birth (1996), reverse the last 2 digits and you have my year of birth (1969)

2. The numbers of your time of birth (3:43PM)  + The numbers of your birth weight (7lbs 2oz.) + the two digits in your birth day (27th) = the age in which I would be on my birthday (27) on Jan. 27th, 1996.

3. Starting at your 1st birthday, the number of years you are or when one adds the two digits in your age, when I add the two digits of my age  upon my birthday, will either equal your corrent age or the two digits in our age will be the same. For example, take your age this year, (15) upon my birthday Jan. 27th (tomorrow) the two digits in my age (42) will also equal (6). 1,5 =6 AND 4,2 =6 . This pattern continues or some variation of it for many, many many, years.