PUSH GIFT ... I am NOTmaking this up



"Push Gift" baby #4

  



This weekend Jon surprised me with my newly completed "push gift".  I knew it was coming, I just didn't know WHEN.  He and my local jeweler (an elderly couple who had also not heard of the push gift phenomenon), mostly the jeweler's wife, had a great time designing this custom piece.  Jon explained to them I had just had our 4th boy the day before, and she was MORE THAN WILLING to help him design something amazing... because I deserved jewels for "pushing out" 4 babies!

"Push Gift" #3 was a beautiful diamond necklace with three graduated size diamonds representing each of our three boys.  This push gift (although it looks red for some reason to me, and it is actually white gold) has my birthstone in the middle, and each of the boys birthstones on the side.  Awesome. 

My mom is laughing at me, my friends are wondering if I am making this stuff up.  My mom even told me this past weekend that she has asked teacher(s) at her school and they laughed hysterically because they too think I am making up this whole "push gift" phenomenon.  Mom, like my Aunt Debbie, both said, "I just got flowers."  Flowers are nice ladies, and I probably should defer to the adage of, "it's the thought that counts."  But, I'm not, and I think the ladies should unite. Please don't misunderstand ... I am NOT saying a beautiful, healthy baby is not gift enough, they are amazing little miraculous gifts (gifts that wake up three times a night and have poopy blow outs in their pants, but gifts nevertheless). 

It's the 9 months of growing said beautiful baby, the puking, the sleepless nights, the inability to breathe, complete loss of sanity and emotions (crying at dog food commercials), restless legs, charlie horses, in my case the doctor appointments 45 minutes away 1-2 times every week, the blood thinner injections 2x day, cat scans, ultrasounds, the little bugger kicking one of my ribs out of place, followed by 20+ hours of labor and then pushing your body through the equivalent of a marathon bringing this little person into the world ... all while the husband (dear, dear, Jon) actually uttered the phrase, "suck it up, you're fine."  My response, "this better be a hell of a push gift this time around." 

So, to appease any naysayers that I am making this push gift thing up, I offer the following, straight from the Wikipedia, source of all knowledge after google search engine (lol) .

A push present (also known as a "push gift" or "baby bauble") is a present a new father gives a new mother when she gives birth to their child. In practice the present may be given before or after the birth, or even in the delivery room. The giving of push presents has grown in the United States in recent years.

History:  The tradition of gift-giving to commemorate a birth has long roots in England and India. The term "push present" first appeared in a publication in 1992. According to Linda Murray, the executive editor of BabyCenter.com, "It’s more and more an expectation of moms these days that they deserve something for bearing the burden for nine months, getting sick, ruining their body. The guilt really gets piled on." Other sources trace the development of the present to the increased assertiveness of women, allowing them to demand a present more directly, or the increased involvement of the men in pregnancy, making them more informed of the pain and difficulties of pregnancy and labor.

A few favorite phrases from this wikipedia bit of knoweldge.  The understanding of the rigors of growing life.  Not super comfortable.  Women who love being pregnant, straight to Jesus with you.  Women like me, we love Jesus, but pretty much hate you.  Today's woman, being a tad more assertive, God bless us.  Ladies, we got the vote, can own property, and no longer have to bite down on a leather strap while birthin' babies (thank you epidural).  Assert your womanhood.  Now, push gifts are not always extravagant.  I'll admit, baby #1 was flowers (which my Dad had to insist Jon buy me or Dad would have bought for me because that's just what you do when your wife has a baby).  Baby #2, I know I got flowers, and I'm pretty sure something shiny.  I'm like a bird, if it's shiny, it needs to come home to my nest.  Baby #3, baby #4, he had to out do himself.  I'm old, my uterus is old, and both were surprises. 

Grand finale?  I love my push gift, love, love, love it.  Nice work Jon.  With my medical history (here's the TMI), I can't be on any form of birth control.  Never have been able to be.  Baby #1, baby #2, infertility.  Baby #3, WTH!?  But we weren't taking preventative measures and according to my 5th grade "maturation program" these things are possible.  Baby #4 ... let's just say I think my now infinitely fertile body could rival the 85 kids and counting Duggars if we don't take immediate drastic measures.  Jon, I now need you to man up and finish the final portion of push gift #4 ... schedule your vasectomy ... or so help me, push gift #5 will require carats, and I do mean MULTIPLE carats of diamonds (and p.s. Drew starts college in 5 years ... followed by Bradyn ... then Caden ... then Bennett).