40 years ago today!!

When Bonny was born, I was in labor at the hospital for over 7 hours - and it wasn't very comfortable to say the least.  In those days, they kept you flat on your back the whole time!!  And in my case, they sent a rather annoying young intern in every so often to say, "Hey Sunshine, how is it going?"

So with Harry, I decided to stay home until I thought birth was fairly imminent - we were within walking distance of the hospital, so I was confident my plan was a good one.

All day on the 7th of September, 1972, I was feeling crampy.  I was 11 days overdue - just like with Bonny - so I was thinking this might be it.  But when Harry asked if we should go to the United Homes dinner at Chuck-a-Rama that was scheduled that night, I suggested he go and get the free meal, since I was convinced nothing "real" was happening yet.

I think he got his first course before I called the restaurant - this was indeed before cell phones - and had him paged!!  We got someone to come and stay with Bonny and hustled over to Holy Cross Hospital - where Harry Francis made his appearance less than an hour later!!

 

The Sunshine intern was no longer there, but in the ward where I was taken after Harry was born, there was a very young woman who was not married and who had just had a baby. boy too  Her foster parents had told her that if she kept the baby she could not come back to the house.  She sat in her bed crying because she wanted to keep her baby.  I have often wondered about her.  On every birthday of Harry's, I would wonder where that boy was now.  The nurses were close-lipped - as they should be - and I was possibly too wrapped up in my own drama to talk to the girl myself.  So it all remains a mystery that I will never solve.  But I hope both of them have found happiness!!

Harry was a good baby - in  fact, one day Harry the dad asked, "When is he going to start crying?"  And he didn't spit up either - Bonny had been a colicky baby and so we thought every baby was that way.  (Bonny may have been a fussy new baby, but once she got over the colic, she was our ideal - you could set a clock by her!!)

Harry has continued on in his life being his own person - a wonderful son, husband, father and friend!!

Happy Birthday Harry - here's to a great day and wonderful year ahead!!