Today Megan was Born

It was 32 years ago today. It was in the early hours of the 31st but that is close enough for a Halloween baby.

It was still light in the late afternoon. Day Light Savings Time had just ended. The weather was mild with a hint of cool. The resident manager of our apartment, Rosalyn, lived across the hall. She had been in and out checking things out with us. Mom is resting on the bed reading, nibbling at a Triscuit. Rosalyn had just left to freshen up her "hi-ball", when Mom appears in the door way to the bedroom with one hand on her back and one hand on the door jamb.

My question, "IS THIS IT?" The answer, "I don't know, maybe it was a little . . . uh-oh . . . " with a grimace and a blinking of the eyes. "UUUUUHHHHH . . . ! Help me sit down . . . no help me stand up! HAVEYOU GOT THE KEYS?"

Rosalyn pops back in and goes into over drive. She doesn't have any hand in this but she is all a mess. I lead Mom out to the car, and off we go. Not too fast, not too slow.

We arrived at the hospital. Mom checked in in a room and then the crash delivery team took its leave and mom got into bed.

Then it starts. "You want to play Hearts or Gin? "Oh, . . . oooooohhhhhh . . . wah, wah wah . . . That ones over, Gin."

So that the way it goes from about 5:30pm until . . .

Break in our drama.

Their is a woman in the next room over who is quite far along but going slow. She is already on the loony drip and she is seeing things on the ceiling. It is quite hilarious.

These contraction and dilation checks go on. There is a fetal monitor to stay ahead of the game. The OB nurse is all cheerful and apologetic about the "tripper " next door.

Around midnight, my fren' Big Kat shows up. He has already been through the delivery process twice and he is all enthusiastic. So we chat in the room; walk the hall, check out Carson in the waiting room. Around 2:30am, it is time to take the show to the delivery room. No, I waited outside with BK. At 3:15, the door pops open and out walks the doctor with a nicely wrapped . . . olive prune with a head of black hair that ended right around the bridge of her nose. So, what happens next? BK gets the honor of accepting the little package from the nurse that the doctor
had lateraled to. Then I get the package. She is still . . . damp. The nurse is adjusting her little Jacques Cousteau head gear. She smells just like a very organic thing. What a relief. OK, Big Kat, cuts out. We finish up the paper work. I make a couple of calls and head home. I have a couple of more calls at home, have a shooter of some distilled spirit and fall into the bed. It is 6:00am. At 7, good ol' Roz is at the door wanting to know everything. I get her settled and get back for another couple of hours sleep. By noon, I am back at the hospital and everything is right with the world.

Today, I went into the village hall to pay the water bill and I notice that everybody is dressed up for Megan's birthday. I tell the story to the ladie there and they let me get a hand full of Tootsie Rolls and Jolly Ranchers.

It is another swell October day.

Happy Birthday, Megan.

dah