March 16 26 years hence

To celebrate Amy's birthday today, I thought it would be fun to reflect on her actual birth day.  I plan to share some of my 26 year old memories of those days surrounding her birth and then I will share some reflections from my Spring/Summer 1988 journal.  It might be fun to see how they differ!  You'll have to trust my methodology here.

Memories first:  My first pregnancy progressed pretty much as expected though Jim had planned to take his band to NYC to march in the St. Patrick's Day parade right around Amy's due date.  March is Music in our Schools month so he had taken a group to the local mall to perform.  I went and ran straight into one of our former students who shouted out on the mall "There's Miss Ryan!"  I was just about 8 3/4 months pregnant and very embarrassed.  I think I left.

The night before he was supposed to leave, I made tortellini for dinner and did some ironing.  Not long later, I began to feel kind of sick to my stomach.  This progressed and we fretted the way first time parents do.  I think Jim put his foot down and we called the doctor.  Off to the hospital we were directed.  I was a bit annoyed because I was SURE they were going to send us right back home and I did not want to be "that" person.  We carried a bowl because I felt sicker and sicker.  Jim came off the Rte 17 ramp a little too fast and was stopped by the police.  It was a classic Lucy episode.  Jim told the officer to follow us to the emergency room if he wanted to.  He did not.  They kept me.  Amy was born the following afternoon.

By that time, the band had departed without Jim and I'm pretty sure this was the main subject of the daily gossip wave on campus.  I remember Jim holding Amy watching the parade on the TV in the room.  I remember answering the phone in the room groggily and the person on the other end said "Amy?" hesitantly and I said drunkenly "Yeah...isn't that a nice name?"  The call was for the mother in the other bed--Amy.    I remember they brought another new mother in to share the room and it was a student of ours.  "There's my library teacher!" I heard in my haze of drugs and lingering flu symptoms.  When I came to, I was in a different room thanks to Jim. 

Some memories of that time written in my journal 26 years ago:  Back at the hospital, we knew we were in for it when the admitting nurse said "Another one?".  We were whisked off upstairs and monitored.  It wasn't long before we realized this was the real thing--they didn't send us home! Your dad had to make the calls to tell people he couldn't make the trip.  This, of course, meant the entire school knew what we were up to by this time.  ......I was so sure you were a boy--that's what most everyone predicted.  That--combined with the anesthesia--made me almost forget to ask if if you were a boy or girl.  I was harboring a secret wish for a firl just like you.  I was so lucky.  

And, honest to God, here's the last entry in this journal written the fall Amy had started kindergarten:
You are currently in a phase where you are being very very helpful. You take pride in looking after your brother for me and especially seem to enjoy helping me cook.  The other day, as I was sort of dozing on the couch, you climbed up to the cupboard and set the dinner table with everything we needed by yourself!  I was very impressed.  Now, excuse me--at the moment you two say you are locked in the bathroom.

And nothing more follows.........This probably explains why I still have -to this day- one of those keys for such situations taped inside the cupboard door OUTSIDE the bathrooms....just in case.