We had moved from our tiny one bedroom apartment in the Lakewood area to a two bedroom closer to my mom and dad's house. We had the nursery all set. Much done in yellow. We purchased this old rocker too at an estate sale....coolest rocker ever - so comfy and soft. From the moment we got that rocker, I would imagine sitting and rocking our sweet one to sleep.
So, July 12, 1974 - it was a Friday. Michael got ready for work as usual.....I sat in that rocker and boy, did my back hurt! I kissed Michael goodbye and he turned and asked "think I should stay home with you hurting like that?" - no, I told him.....go on and go. I will call if it gets worse. Boy....did it get worse! About 11:30 I called my momma and told her how bad my back was hurting. She told me to come to their house so I climbed in the car and drove the 5 minutes to their house. We started timing the back pains and sure enough....about every 4 minutes it hit. We called Michael and all met at the hospital. Dr. Griffin was off that day....but he came in just to deliver my baby. They got me all situated in a room....and we waited. And we waited. And the pains got worse....and we waited. We could hear sounds from other rooms that were a little scary.....screams....horrible sounds. I just held Michael's hand and closed my eyes and struggled through each round of pain. Finally Dr. Griffin starts potosin to make my labor harder.....and oh my goodness.....it was. They couldn't give me an epidural until I was dilated to a 5.....nothing helped. I was stuck at 3. Oh my goodness, it hurt so bad. About 5 in the afternoon, Dr. G ordered an X-ray to see what was wrong. He came in to tell us that this was a HUGE baby and that was the reason I wouldn't dilate. Finally a young man comes in with a needle about a foot long to stick in my back. I begged for it. Heaven.....oh my goodness, it was heaven! After the initial stick (which I really couldn't feel because of all the pain I was in), the pain just disappeared. So then, to my recollection, we just waited and talked and waited and talked. About 9 or so they come to take me to the delivery room. They knocked me out so I don't remember the delivery at all. Doc G thought he would be doing a c-section, so they put me to sleep. He worked for an hour or so and finally delivered our 10 pound, 7 oz baby boy. All I remember is them wheeling me out of the delivery room and in the distance, they held up a baby boy for me to see.
I don't remember anything else until the next morning and I am on the phone talking to my boss. In comes a nurse with a little bundle of joy and heads toward my bed. I quickly hang up and think....I am about to hold my baby boy for the very first time. She puts the baby in my arms and I look at this tiny thing and can't believe I am a momma.....but then from the other side of the room (I shared a room with another new momma) I hear "ah, I believe that's my baby girl" - and oh yes it WAS her baby girl....all 5 pounds of her. The nurse quickly realizes her mistake and tells me she's going to go and get my baby boy. In she walks with this precious baby....twice the size of the baby girl I had just held. She give him to me and I hold him face to face. He draws his head back, and although it's shaking just a bit, he holds that head up and looks me eye to eye. My heart melts....I am a MOMMA!
Oh the years have gone by so quickly. It's hard for me to believe sometimes. I never knew that love I had inside me until I had him. I was a baby. Having a baby. But oh the love. We made some mistakes....so much I had to learn about being a momma.....but we did something so right because that little baby has turned into a precious son, father....man. I love him with all my heart and I am so very proud of him. I knew when I held him that first time, eye to eye, that he was amazing, God's sweet gift.....I just didn't know HOW amazing he would grow up to be! Happy Birthday Shawn Michael Corley. You are loved beyond measure!!
