Birthday Button

The week we spent in the NICU after Camber was born, was an emotional roller coaster. We would get good reports about Camber's progress, but the tubes, wires, and machines stole the experience I had wished for.  It was hard to take it all in at the time, and I was mad that I had to deal with it.

  Many times a day, a sweet lullabye would play. Finally we asked what it was for and the nurses told us that they played that song each time a baby was born.  It was called the lullaby button.

   It sounds horrible, but I hated it each time that song came on. Doug would say, "Aww, another baby is born." And I would respond, "Oh great, a healthy baby. Why couldn't we have that?!"  I was mad and was reminded of the fact that our birth experience wasn't what I had hoped for.

  When I was home on maternity leave I saw a story on the news about the birthday button.(click that link for the WhoTV story from Channel 13). And then I was even more mad. Who pushed the button for Camber? We didn't. Did the nurses do it for us? In all of the hustle and bustle of getting Camber up to the NICU, did someone push it to celebrate his birth?

   No one pushed it! So I decided that I wanted him to push it for his first birthday! I talked to some people and finally got in touch with a social worker at the NICU who said it was a "very reasonable request" and she "didn't know any reason why we wouldn't be able to." I was SO excited! We were going to push that button!

   Later that day, after talking to the social worker she called back. She was just going to confirm time and date with us. That's what I thought...

  Nope. She said that she had talked to the director of maternity services and we wouldn't be able to come in and push the button. Stupid! She listed off a few reasons why we wouldn't be able to. But I was bummed!  I had it in my head that we would be able to do this for our little guy. To celebrate the year he's had!

  I let Doug know how bummed I was and he went right to work! He scoured the internet looking for a birthday button.  He found a game show button and decided he would make one.  He bought a music playing birthday card and took out the button and wires. He wired it up to the new game show button, put it in a box, and wrapped it up. To make our very own BIRTHDAY BUTTON.

My hubby is so talented!

  After opening presents this morning Camber was able to push his very own birthday button (over and over) to hear a very special birthday song! It was better than any lullaby button at any hospital!

This will definitely be our very own birthday tradition that we will pull out year after year!

We started our morning with presents!!  Camber is an expert at opening gifts. 

Then we celebrated by going out to a Birthday Breakfast! Mommy and Daddy both took the day off work to help celebrate our little stinky turn one! 

After breakfast Camber took a nap and we were trying to decide what to do for a 1st birthday! We had thought about taking him swimming at a hotel pool (there are a few around here you can pay to use), but we don't have any swim trunks that fit him. So we thought, "What does Camber love to do?" Walk! 

So where could we go to just let him walk? The mall? Ok!  So off we went. Mommy got to buy a few things while Camber just got to walk. It wasn't busy; he could stop and look at things as long as he wanted. No one told him to hurry up or move out of the way! We also let him play in the play place for awhile (and wiped down with major amounts of hand sanitizer and soap afterward!).

What more could a one-year old ask for?!

Well little boy, you have blessed our lives more than you'll ever know. And yes we may complain about the sleepless nights or your crazy personality, but we wouldn't trade it for the world!  You are the best thing that has ever happened to us and we love you so much!  

"Today you are you, that is truer that true. There is no one alive, that is youer than you!"

-Dr. Suess