Sunday Story: The Beginning

I just started following Michelle at An Annoyed Army Wife and have been loving her Sunday Stories, so I thought I'd join in, week by week giving you a little snippet of my life's story, letting you get to know me. And, what better way to begin than by starting at the beginning?! So, without further ado...

February 1983

This is the story the way it's been retold to me by my mother on my birthday for as long as I can remember. If something isn't totally accurate, blame her and not me, because I don't exactly remember the day I was born.

Today was the day. Mama A's due date for her second child. She and The (then) Captain (Marine-variety) were desperately hoping for a little girl, as they had an 18 month old son, who until now had been the sole apple of their eye. They truly did not care about the gender of their child, but they really couldn't get excited picking out boy names. They'd picked out Kate in case their oldest was girl, and now they had their hearts set on using the name. Mama A had a doctor's appointment in the morning, and she dropped Big Brother off at her parents' house. Her dad was a Colonel (Army-variety) and stationed at the Pentagon, so they lived close-by, a bonus for a soon-to-be mother of two!

At her doctor's appointment, Mama A learned that she was dilated a centimeter or two, but the doctor said that despite it being her due date, it could still be a couple of weeks. Mama A made her way back to her parent's house to collect Big Brother and announced to Mamaw (her mom) that she was going to Woodies (Woodward & Lothrop) to buy a pair of pumps for Easter. Mamaw declared that no, Mama A would not be shopping today; she was going to have a baby! The two bantered back and forth for a while, Mama A saying that the baby could still be weeks away and that she had to have a particular pair of shoes for her Easter dress and she had to buy them now or they'd sell out of size 6's! Knowing that her daughter was going shopping regardless of any advice given, Mamaw insisted that if Mama A had to go, then she'd also go and sit in the car with Big Brother while Mama A went into the store, quickly made her purchase, and came right out. And then she was to go home and rest for the remainder of the afternoon; that baby was going to come today! Mama A complied, even though she didn't believe her mother.

Later that night, The Captain was watching the last episode of MASH while Mama A changed the sheets on their bed. Big Brother was asleep and the night was quiet. Mama started feeling bad and told The Captain her contractions had started. He told her not to bother him while he was watching TV. She went upstairs to time her contractions and call her mother. Mamaw insisted that they go to the hospital at Fort Belvoir right away and that she and The Colonel would meet them there to take care of Big Brother. Mama A gathered everything and everyone and they were off. But, of course, The Captain needed gas and he even "shopped around" for the best price, Mama A using some very Marine-like language to emphasize exactly how angry she was that he wouldn't just fill the car up at the first stop, and later that The Captain would even dare to ask her to figure out the gas mileage, despite his insistence that "it'll take your mind off the pains!"

Finally they arrived at the hospital. Mama A was met at the door by her parents, who scooped Big Brother up and ushered them all inside. As Mama A signed in, they found a wheelchair and pushed the sleepy toddler up and down the hallways. The Captain was parking the car and would meet them upstairs. Little did he know that when they first examined his wife, Mama A was already at 8 or 9 centimeters and they'd taken her right to the delivery room. When he finally got inside, the nurses were waiting at the door with a gown, and a few minutes later (exactly 59 minutes from the start of her contractions) The Captain had a brand new Daddy's Little Girl. February 28, 1983, 11:14 pm and 7 pounds, 14 ounces of bouncing baby girl!


And to this day, almost 28 years later, Mama A's special gift to me is a new pair of shoes, in honor of the day I was born.