A very bright star appeared in our lives.

It was 24 years ago today that a very bright star appeared in our lives.  Levi was born at 5:10 a.m. on March 7^th 1990…he weighed 9lbs and 11.5 oz.  I’ll never forget what one of the maternity shift nurses said to me during the 12 hour labor. She asked, “Is this your first baby?” To which I replied, “Yes.” She said with a chuckle, “Your life will never be the same again!” I’m not sure that’s the most reassuring thing you can say to an almost newly anointed first time mom.  I’m not going to lie, that comment did plant a tiny bit of worry in my mind.  I started to worry about whether I was really equipped to do the job.  After all, I was only 23 and had very little experience with babies. Against all my irrational fears, he proved to be an easy going and fun baby to care for. Hallelujah! The job was easy!  Levi Alexander Ekanger was a big beautiful baby with bright green eyes and thick red curly hair. He was healthy and as soon as he could crawl, he was active! Our days together were filled with a lot of joy J  I referred to him as my little curious and funny man that I first lovingly nicknamed Boo and then Buddy…we went on two walks a day and I was so eager to do everything right!  I read all of the parenting magazines and hung the recommended black and white mobile above his crib to make sure to stimulate his brain. The years rolled on and I enjoyed every minute of my stay-at-home years with my little shadow.  I brought him everywhere with me!  One of the most memorable events together was when he was about 5 months old and I carried him in a huge aluminum hiking back pack baby carrier.  Things were OK in the beginning of the night when we first arrived at the Esther Bubly photography exhibit at MCAD, but by the end of the night and just when I had earned the place in line to meet Esther Bubly (Celebrated Life Photographer) Levi fell asleep!  He weighed about 25 lbs!  If you’ve ever carried a sleeping child, you know what they mean by the description dead weight!  It felt as though my back was aching and breaking, but we (Esther & Me) both carried on as if nothing was out of the ordinary.  She answered my questions and admired the beautiful sleeping cherub on my back.  Later that evening my friend Julie helped me take the painful contraption off, and my back revealed dents from the pressure of the back pack. Levi just slept through the whole thing! The memories are too numerous to recall and this little star became a bigger star and now he is the most amazing 24 year old I know.  OK granted, I am biased (and of course I don’t know many 24 year olds) but for a multitude of reasons he is already a leader to many. Our hearts pour over with pride as he is just a couple of years away from earning his PHd in chemistry. The most important thing about our blazing star of a son is that he is conscientious, thoughtful, forward thinking, totally plugged into life and SERIOUSLY FUNNY! I love you Buddy!

Happy Birthday! We are so proud of you Levi, our cool and wonderful son J

 Lisa Ekanger