happy mama day - part one: and so it begins

Wow. Nine years ago today my water broke in our apartment building's elevator. My contractions had started and I wanted to get one more load of laundry done before heading to the hospital (little did I know how much little miss overachiever would be challenged in the years to come). I was riding the elevator down to the laundry room with the least friendly man in our 12 story building. I just kept praying he would not realize what was happening as water rushed down my legs. It felt like a gushing rapids headed for the falls, but he did not blink an eye. Had it been any of our little lady elderly neighbors - Freida, Sarah, Ginny - I certainly would have told them. They were so excited about the arrival of this new little one.

Five years later as we were moving out, I told that neighbor, Tom, about that fateful day and his role in it. He smiled. Over the years he had loved watching Max play sports in the playground and talked about my little man becoming a major league athlete of some sort one day. Tom was there in the elevator on and off as Max gradually grew taller and was finally able to press the 2 button for our floor. Tom had changed a lot over the years.