A Birthday Timeline...
Today is my mom's 60th birthday! Happy Birthday Mom! 12/12/12
Forty-two years ago on a Saturday, Mom spent her 18th birthday moving from sofa to chair, to bed, and back to the sofa. She was miserable and feeling like she was going to be pregnant forever. She was staying with her parents because their house was closer to the hospital. Her mom said, "You are going to have that baby this weekend." Her mom was right.
Mom's water broke on Sunday morning, December 13, 1970 and I was born less than five hours later - a whopping 9 lbs and 11 oz. (back story)
Thirty-four years later...
It was a Sunday. I watched the clock for when I thought mom would be home from church so I could call and say Happy Birthday. But I never felt peppy enough to call. I was laying in the bed when the phone rang but I didn't move. My husband came in the room and brought me the phone. She said, "Hey!" I flatly responded, "hey". I'm pretty sure I wasn't able to feign enough enthusiasm for a sincere, "Happy Birthday" wish.
She got off the phone saying to herself, "She's getting ready to have that baby." She insisted daddy take her to Target so she could pack her bag to come here. Meanwhile I moved from chair, to sofa, to bed, thinking I was going to be pregnant forever. I wasn't even 37 weeks along yet. I had no hope that the time was soon.
The next day was my birthday. I spent it looking at the clock, and taking showers to let the water beat on my back. I had already been to the hospital twice and they told me I didn't need to come back unless my water broke. The doctor had told my husband to talk to me (distract me with conversation) during my contractions. During one of these distracting conversations, I finally agreed to the name Christopher after I had been saying, "NO", every time it was suggested.
I was having the best sleep I had had in DAYS when my water broke. It was still my birthday when we got to the hospital. I was two days shy of "Full Term". No one was worried. They told me Happy Birthday, then a 10 lb Christopher was born on Tuesday, December 14, 2004 at 5:47 am.
