JOEY'S BIRTHDAY

Today was Joey's birthday. He is 39 years old now...my baby! All day I've thought about the day he was born. I had quick and fairly easy births with Tammy and Buddy. But not Joey. I was in the hospital from 8 a.m Sunday morning...and he was born at 5 p.m Monday. They'd get me up walking and my pains would intensify and get close together...and I'd start hemorraging...I'd lie down, and pains would quit. Early Monday morning the doctor decided to induce labor. Breaking my water didn't work, so he gave me meds in an IV....OUCH!!!!! One constant labor pain without letup for an entire hour! AT one time...about three, they decided both the baby and I were in distress so they called the school and left word for Joe to come to the hospital. (he had basketball practice)...but the message they left was...it wasn't an emergency, but he should come to the hospital as soon as possible. The message he got was....it was'nt and emergency...we were doing ok. So, he didn't come until after practice....about 8 pm.

About 4:30, the doctor decided I had to have a c-section. But....as I was moving from my bed to the gurney, my labor came back with a vengence....bearing down pain so hard I couldn't stop it.
They rushed me to delivery....game me a spinal block...that didn't work, the doctor missed the spot. I ended up having natural childbirth....the doc couldn't even give me anything for the pain when he stitched me up....double OUCH! Because of the botched spinal....I had a headache for a week every time I sat up.

The same day Joey was born, Joe's cousin's husband, with whom we were quite close, died. He was driving to work that morning, didn't feel good, pulled off to the side of I-75....and died of a massive heart attack. Subsequently, all Joe's relatives were in town from Pittsburgh and Florida, and I had a steady stream of visitors to my hospital room and the nursery.

Then the day we went home...Saturday....(Mom had come up to stay with Joe and Tammy and Buddy)...the kids had been playing with the bassinet and broke it. Joe and I had to go to Sears and buy a portable crib for the downstairs. Also, a new washing machine because mine had quit working. Actually, Mom had overstuffed it and burned up the motor. She had never used an automatic washing machine except at the Laundromat! And a washing machine was a necessity because babies still wore cloth diapers.

We got back from Sears, and Mom informed us that Daddy was over at Aunt Susie's. He had come to pick her up...when she had planned to stay another week with me, but Daddy said a week away from him was Enough! Since Joe wouldn't go without me, he and I, with all three kids, drove Mom up to Ypsi. I was in total pain, sitting so much. On the way home, we stopped by Avanelle's and got a pillow for me to sit on.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOEY. YOU WERE WORTH EVERYTHING I WENT THROUGH BRINGING YOU INTO THE WORLD.