I forgot about Three. His birthday came and went, and I didn't share any of the details of his birth. I'm sure a psychiatrist would have something to say about that. So let me correct my error, and regale you with the story of my second January baby.
All of my children arrived before they were due. I think this had more to do with me than them, because I was never willing to wait for complete gestation. This may be hard to believe, but I can be somewhat non-compliant. By the time I got to thirty-seven weeks with each pregnancy, I was over it. I would begin actively lobbying my obstetrician for help in moving things along. If you have been pregnant, you know how uncomfortable one can be in that last month. Uncomfortable enough to allow manual manipulation of one's cervix. Yes, it is as horrid as you imagine.
There was a problem with timing Three's birth. Macy's takes its inventory in January. I had managed to keep Two inside me long enough to allow a proper count, but I didn't hold out the same hope for Three. Furthermore, the weather in January can be fickle. Two had been born right after a blizzard, so I worried the Captain might be trapped in New York when Three made his debut.
All my worries were for naught. I went into labor on a drizzly afternoon, and after timing my contractions I called my mom for a ride to the hospital. The nurses hooked me up to the monitors and confirmed that I was in labor. I stayed that way for hours. Evening rolled in, and a decision needed to be made about sending me home. When I reminded the nurses that my previous delivery had been precipitous, they agreed to let me stay overnight. They gave me a sleep aid, I rolled onto my right side, and I passed out.
On the morning of January tenth, my doctor started a drip with a bit of Pitocin, I got an epidural, and a few hours later Three joined our family. He was my largest baby, at eight pounds and three ounces, and of course he was beautiful.
Last week I went downstairs to wake him for school. I smothered him with birthday kisses, and he became conscious enough to ask me what time he was born.
"I don't know," I answered. "A few of you were born around eleven a.m., and a bunch of you arrived closer to two in the afternoon. I do remember, however, that I got a fantastic night of sleep the day before you were born."
Three stretched, and uttered the phrase that only he would think.
"You're welcome."
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Late morning addendum: I woke up today and read all the news about the SOPA strike, which is an Internet based movement designed to raise awareness about a new bill that threatens us all. Read about it here: http://sopastrike.com/strike/. If you enjoy The Lone Woman Diaries, where I routinely print the lyrics to songs, and sometimes even the videos, please sign the online petition. I don't know about you, but I like my freedom.
Sure, having more than one can SOMETIMES cause us to lose track, but deep inside, where it counts, we know and they know what that mom-baby bond is all about. No matter how old any of us get.
ReplyDeleteHappy Happy Belated to Three! And to you.
Julie
Heh heh heh.
ReplyDeleteAhhh a good night's sleep...i'd remember that part too.
ReplyDeleteGood God, Meg, I love you and all, but I think you need to do some more homework about this legislation. As I understand it, the law would require the aggrieved to petition to have measures taken against the offenders. You and people like you do not use The Internets to rip off others' intellectual property, to sell fake goods under another's trade name, to harass others through use of their brand. All kinds of miscreants use the Internet to rip off others, to hack into others' businesses, to steal identity, to profit from stealing others' property. This causes not only trouble for real people like you and me and for creative artists who have their material stolen, but also, I can tell you first-hand that it costs businesses lots of money to defend against this kind of stuff--costs that get passed along to consumers like you and me. Check the list of groups supporting the legislation; people from all walks of life who are tired of being ripped off and are interested in stopping criminal conduct. This isn't about free speech; this is about stopping illegal conduct. You don't engage in the kind of criminal conduct that the legislation is trying to combat. What are you worried about?
ReplyDeleteNow, all that said, I recognize that our benighted members of Congress are likely mangling the language in a way that the law will be misused. And all sorts of misguided plaintiffs' lawyers ("greedy, dishonest miscreants" or "GDMs") will find enterprising new ways to use the law to cost people more money by filing frivolous lawsuits. So maybe the legislation is a net loss, and I'll be fighting against the GDMs on even more grounds than before (which is great for my employment, by the way). But the effort is well intended, I think.
Oh, Maccabee, you know I just wrote that to see if you're still reading. And because I have a deep-seated distrust of The Man.
DeleteYou are correct, sir; I have not read the legislation. However, am I mistaken in my belief that a system already exists within our overly litigious society that allows aggrieved parties to sue accused miscreants? I do not trust our Congress members to accurately sign in to their email accounts, much less police the Internet.One man's "good intent" is another woman's "excessive force."
Smooches.
Megan, you sound like my mother who gave birth to seven children. When I asked for the time of my birth so I could get an exact horoscope, I got a vague, "Oh, somewhere after lunch. Maybe one, or three. I can't remember, but I do remember the beautiful baby lambs that were frolicking in the pasture opposite the hospital. I could see them out of my window. So it was daytime." : )
ReplyDeleteWhen the Captain read the post he reminded me that he was still taking the count for inventory when I went to the hospital. Then I remembered that I had been nervous about calling him when I the contractions started, because I didn't want him to have to come home if it wasn't necessary. I may have to write these things down, because I will certainly forget more as time progresses!
DeleteI do wish I'd seen baby lambs, though. That's a lovely remembrance.
Heh. This sounds like my third's birth. I got an epidural and went to sleep while Magnum went down the street to a diner to have breakfast (the hospital wasn't serving at the time). And you're right, 37 weeks is about the limit. (Also, I read the SOPA legislation. It is, at best, redundant and, therefore, unnecessary. I have other qualms with it, but my overall feeling on the matter is: right intentions, wrong language.)
ReplyDeleteWhat the...? I just realized I forgot my Happy Birthday, Three! I don't know what's wrong with me. Sorry, Three. And Happy Birthday.
DeleteHappy belated to Three! 37 weeks is absolutely the limit. Sweet Girl was forced into the world at 41 weeks, 4 days, and some hours.....but who's counting?
ReplyDeleteAlso, you inspired me to give Snow Patrol another chance. What I hear on the radio is more techno-eque than I tend to go, but then again I haven't been paying enough attention to the lyrics. They should throw you a free concert. ;)
I hope you're having a great Jazz-Hands January, because everything (even trying to mold and guide adolescents and other youth) is better with jazz hands!
I'm dancing as fast as I can! And now, with Jazz-Hands! Perhaps I can scare the children into following my guidance if I wear a leotard and leggings.
DeleteEven I don't like every Snow Patrol song. I tend to appreciate the ones that are about failed romances and broken promises. Hmmm, what does that say about me? But I mainly lurv and envy Gary Lightbody's ability to paint a picture in so few words.
An example from the new album:
"Those Distant Bells"
The car crunches gravel/And the wind licks at you/This dark spell you're under/Has you dumbstruck by the gate/And it hurts every muscle/Just to walk back to the house/Now this home that you both made/It looks haunted from the yard.
As someone who values an accurate and well done horoscope VERY much, I have to ask if any of these birth certificates have times on them? Or if the hospitals still have records you could ask after and get the times there, so as to jot them down (like ON the birth certificate)?
ReplyDeleteJulie
(who is now all concerned for future exact timing needs)
No worries, Julie. There are actual times listed on the birth certificates. I even think I know where they are! I just don't recall his time, although 11:36 a.m. popped into my mind. It would be interesting to do his horoscope, because my lovely Three doesn't always exhibit the "classic" Capricorn traits.
Delete