Midnight: I think that might have been a twinge. No, maybe not.October 1, 1979. It dawned a gorgeous Fall day, a wee bit on the warm side as Memphis is wont to get when the seasons are a'changin'. It was also Yom Kippur, holiest day of the year for the Jewish people...completing the High Holy Days...a day typically spent in synagogues in prayer.
4:00 a.m.: Ah, felt it again. Possibly more than a twinge. Maybe a pang? No, gone again. Probably nothing.
5:00 a.m.: OK. That was definitely more than a pang. I do believe that was a contraction. I think we're going to finally have this baby!
So, how does this once-and-future Methodist know so much about Jewish holidays, you might ask? Well, I know about this one because when I called my obstetrician to say "I think it's time," his office staff said "Dr. K isn't in the office today. It's Yom Kippur, you know." Uh no, news to me. Better let me know what Plan B is...and soon, 'cause here comes another contraction!
9:00 a.m.: Yep, definitely another contraction...here we go!!Except...
There was no "we" at that moment on the outskirts of Memphis. There was only a "me." The other half of the "we," the one soon to be known as Daddy, was in Nashville...200 or so miles east on Interstate 40...taking care of some business he'd thrice delayed as my September 15 due date came and went. It then became a race to see if Mr. T could get home in time to take me to the hospital...or, if I could hold my breath long enough to make the contractions stop or at least slow down. Hold my breath?! Yeah, it sounds silly to me, too, but at the time I remember doing just that.
Long story short...I held on, he made it in time, we had a great stand-in OB-GYN, and Missy M finally arrived by C-section, 20 minutes after midnight on the 2nd.
Happy Birthday, Baby Girl! A joy then...a joy now...and a joy all the days in between.
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| Welcome to the World, Baby Girl! |
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| Day Number One as a Daddy |
J
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