I present this picture for Photobooth Friday to wrap up PickleBoy Birthday Week.

Twelve years and three days ago the sun went down on the day this baby was predicted to come. I just fell apart. A late baby? Not me, pleeease not me. We lived in Melbourne, Australia at the time and we awoke the next day to a transit strike. We had no car - there were no trains - there were no buses. The taxis that remained were impossible to get. And the soon -to-be PickleBoy's dad left for work. Then at 11:00 am I felt the undeniable and electrical 'ping' that meant this contraction is different. I made my phone calls - first the husband, then a message to the midwife, then the dear friends who had convinced us to have the baby at their home in their big oval tub. I went through the first hour of labor alone and in a slightly controlled panic. He had no way to get home - this baby who we had tentatively named Tallulah - completely convinced he was a 'she' - was coming fast.

And then everything fell into place. One of the then-husband's accounts dropped in unexpectedly at his work and offered him a ride home, my midwife checked her messages and raced our way, then the three of us had a precarious contraction-filled ride to our final destination. The tub was filling as we entered, my water broke and I got into that much bigger and beautiful body of water and got to the hardest work my body will ever do. Then at 3:38pm this baby came up into the world and changed my life forever. Lucky, hardworking me with a four and a half hour labor from start to finish. From full dialation to birth in 12 minutes and then 'she' was here. In my undrugged stupor I said "but she has a penis"! He was Baby X for a week since we hadn't even considered boy names.
He became Riley.
He became my greatest joy.
And as my dear friend Beth said yesterday, "This world is a far better place because he is in it."



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Also, I entered this photo to JPG magazine for their 'self portrait' issue. If you like it could you throw a vote my way by October 7th? It is another of my 'through the viewfinder' shots.

Thanks and have a great weekend!