Don't "Get It?" Don't Read It.

As many of you already know, Big Sexy and I have welcomed our third (and dare I say, final) baby into the world, just a few weeks ago.  Not due until April 29th, with a scheduled c-section of April 22nd, you can imagine my surprise when I woke up around 4:30am on Sunday, March 10th to find that my water had broken.  We were truly caught off guard.  After being admitted and spending five days in the hospital, trying to NOT have a baby until my new scheduled c-section on Monday the 18th, Bruno Michael decided to make his debut without much care as to what the medical professionals had to say, early Friday morning, March 15, 2013.

In the interest of Baby Bruno's safety, I had to reserve this story until he was out of the NICU and safely at home.

Many of you will get to the end of this and still have no earthly clue what I'm talking about. Some will know where I'm going and conclude that I am the nut job you always thought I was.  And others will just "get it."

If you are one of those who thinks that a coincidence is just a coincidence or if you are one that doesn't believe in guardian angels - read no further, and crown me Crazy (cause that's probably not too far fetched).

I'm not one for coincidences.  I think things - even small things - happen for reasons that we may never understand, in this lifetime.  I like to look at life as layers of mystery, hoping to be unraveled and revealed.  These are the things I love to ponder at 3:00am on any given night where sleep eludes me. 

I've always had this outlook, for as long as I could remember.  But the philosophy really solidified for me when I discovered that Big Sexy's birthday was the same day as my mother's - July 3rd.  And that's not all.   His birthday is 7/3/73.  Born 7lbs. 3oz.  Odd, right?  Well, the number 73 has followed him most of his life (BA - "Before Aim") and has continued to follow us throughout our marriage.  It is uncanny the number of things that have (or have had) the number "73" in it.  Anything from driver's license numbers to credit cards, etc.  A psychic once told me that this was the universe's way of telling us that everything was "okay" or that we were "on the right path."

Regardless, it is a neat little phenomena that sort of follows us around through life - and makes me smile when I see it.  When I put the kids in the car in the morning, to take them to preschool and my dash board says that I have 73 miles until empty - I think it's going to be a good day.  When we take a trip and our hotel room has the number 73 in it somewhere - I feel like we are going to have a better-than-expected time.  When our bank issues me a new debit card and there is a 73 in it, I hope and pray this means that we will make all the right financial decisions for our little family.  LOL

Crazy that a number can make me think happy thoughts?  Probably.  But, it's how I'm wired.  Some people have family crests or plaids.  We have a family number.

So, on to the story . . .

As many of you know, the safety and security surrounding newborns in the hospital is typically handled by banding Mommy, Daddy and Baby all with a matching code of some type, on a bracelet.  Codes are checked anytime Baby needs to be moved to and from Mommy's room and upon discharge - ensuring that the correct Baby and Mommy are paired.


With NICU babies, it is handled in a very similar fashion.  Except, the NICU is locked, with a phone just outside the doors.  When you pick up the phone it automatically rings to the NICU Nurses' Station and a brief conversation sounds something like this:

Parent:  Hi, this is So-And-So here to see Baby So-And-So.  Our number is:  Blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah.

Nurse:  Okay, come in.

With that, the little red light on the locked door turns green (briefly - for anyone trying to navigate a wheelchair through the doors, just after a c-section) and the door is unlocked.  Then, off you go to the scrub room, where iodine and soap filled sponges are guaranteed to take the top five layers of skin off your hands and forearms in a slow, methodical and menacing fashion.

So.  Baby Bruno's  bracelet code?  "22409"






















Guess who I thought of?

I choose to believe that Baby Bruno has a Guardian Angel.

Any one care to join me?