Memories on Mother`s Day 2008

I was the type of teenager that everyone wondered how I fit in with my somewhat wild classmates.  Those that packed liquor in their bags for the Sr. trip to Washington D. C. which led the guys to break a TV in a motel room about Memphis.  Most of the 6 girls were pregnant on their wedding day.

I on the other hand had never had a complete physical before I suspected the birth of Nate.  We lived in a tiny town named Lebanon, Nebraska.  The nearest Dr. was 15 to 20 miles away in Cambridge.  I drove over there, circled the Dr. office a couple times and headed home.  I did eventually keep an appointment then we moved to Alva for  summer school.  I gave the Dr. the only  Dr. in Alva I remembered and hand carried my records.  Dr. Stephenson was ancient and got sick before Nate was born.  He did give me great advice on one visit-"Get to the hospital quickly."  I woke up at 12:30AM and Dr. Simon delivered Nate at 2:00 AM.  The hospital was shorthanded and Dad answered the switch board while nurses attended me.  My night nurse was a male named of all things Harry Carry.  He more than once startled me awake in the middle of the night for blood pressure etc.  Nate did not like being in the nursery alone, was born with one ear folded over, and we stayed in the hospital a couple extra days because Dad received his Draft notice and had to plead his case in Plainview, Texas.  We were that close to being an Army family.

When Angie was born we lived in Stroud.  She was due after summer school started so on Sun. May 30 we took an all day ride on bumpy country roads.  She arrived just after midnight on Mon.  She had the most perfect round head.  We headed to Mooreland and eventually Alva the day after I got out of the hospital.  Townspeople thought something was wrong with her we left so quick.  Mother had a bed all made for me to get in when I arrived.  I didn`t go to bed but did stay there a week.

Sarah was born a couple weeks late after I worked at the pool and sat at a baseball game until 8:30.  Clinic hospital was packed and our first room was a bed in a storage room.  She arrived right around shift change at 11:00 PM.  Lots of nurses around but all debating whose job it was as they didn`t pay overtime.  She arrived on Karen`s birthday barely.

Anna arrived during the time Dr. Markert was in trouble for selling prescriptions for diet pills.  Dear ole Dr. Jones was trying to keep the hospital open singlehandedly.  I went to the hospital around midnight after Dad came home from playing basketball with the Harlem Wizards-a knockoff of the Globetrotters.  She was delivered minutes before Dr. arrived at 5:00ish AM. I declared as he came in "you better not charge for this."  He good naturedly replied"I won`t."  The insurance paid and my credit was something like $42.  I was paid to take her home.  Nurse Patsy Hatter told me he never charged if he didn`t make it or the baby was stillborn.

Josh was born after a 6 week wait.  This was before modern ultra sounds so his due date was a guess.  Around March 1 Dr. told me to stay close to town-could be any day.  Dad was a nervous wreck.  He continued his busy schedule of end of the year class trips etc.  One time as the bus went by the hospital a car like ours was there.  He knew I drove myself there.  Little did we know it would be 6 weeks.  I was tired of keeping laundry etc. done up.  Finally on Mon. after Easter I woke up 4:00ish AM, cleaned the kitchen, did a load of laundry and sent Dad to do lesson plans.  When we arrived at the hospital Nurse Tonya Roundtree told all aids to listen to me because I knew what I was doing.  I came out of the delivery room to a smiling Dad and Angie.  She had just gotten out of morning kindergarten.  I had to hurry so I didn`t miss out on the turkey dinner they served at noon.  Josh was huge at 9 pounds 6 1/2 oz. but another boy dwarfed him in the nursery.  We were the talk of the hospital 5 children the oldest still 7.

These are my memories of becoming a proud mother of 5.  The rest of the story will be becoming proud mother-in-law to 5 and Granny to soon-to-be 12 grandchildren.