#5 is 28!!! Oh what a birth that was...

Wait, is it weird to still remember the birth of your child, who isn't a child anymore...?

Well, I am weird, so here goes...it was hotter than the dickens, whatever that means. The sun shone down on our tin hut, aka mobile home, and stifled us, this strange May heatwave, bringing 90 degree temps and humidity.

So on my due date for my fifth child, after putting one Miss Emily Anne on the bus to kindergarten, I packed up Abigail 4, Benjamin 2, and Mirielle 15 months, and headed to the big mall in the big city with my sister Cheryl. Her two oldest, Katie and Becky, were in Kindergarten and first grade (or second?). She had Susan, Claire, and Janet with her, was pregnant with her sixth. Somehow it made sense to us for two pregnant ladies to bring six small children to the mall on this hot day, which was my DUE DATE. It was hot, and we wanted to walk around, get the kids out of the hot houses, be together, and, okay, we're crazy.

So we got on the Thruway, and when the lady handed my sister the toll card, my sister told her that it was my due date, and was it okay if we did a U-ie, if we needed to? The toll-booth-lady scrunched down, peered into the van, and looked at me. "YOU!!!", she said...she did not like me. She was the very toll-booth-lady who had handed me the ticket a few weeks previous, when I was on my way to visit my parents...it was windy, the ticket blew away, and I did not even attempt to pretend to open my door and trundle out and chase a small slip of cardboard in the traffic, 8 and a half months pregnant, and a van full of kids. Nope. I just smiled at the lady, and apologized as she gave me another ticket, all the while she was grumbling about how she's accountable for each and every one and she was in trouble and and and. Well, I WAS sorry.

Anyway. We got on the Thruway, and headed towards the mall. Contraction! uh oh. Five minutes later...contraction! and yeah, every five minutes, so we got off at the first exit, got back on, and headed to the hospital. We all went, with the six kids. My sister waited with the kids while I was brought in, and four centimeters, I could have waited longer, but the contractions were coming, and it WAS my fifth baby, so I was staying. Paul came from work, and my sister headed home with the kids, and one of our friends stayed to help at our place with them...

So...I checked into the hospital at noon, and Joseph Michael was born at 11:45 pm. It was a long day, but so nice and cool in the hospital. Back then, you weren't allowed to eat anything in labor, so Paul bought peanut M&M's from the vending machine and poured them in a cup, and I sneaked them. Have you ever had a birth that, in retrospect, seems like it was easy? I guess I forget lots of the pain and agony, but I had no pain meds, and this birth seemed okay...he was born, and he was so long and lithe, so relaxed and stretched out. He WAS long, 23 inches, I think, and 8 lbs 10 ounces, I think. (shh, I don't always remember all the details). But he was a chill baby, always stretching his legs out of the swaddling blanket, and very content.

Now he's grown up and married, bought a house in town. Time just flies, I tell you.

Today I need to go to the store to stock up on butter, milk, half and half, bread, bananas...so an Aldi run. I will get Joe something for his birthday and drop it off. Samuel and baby Grant (Grant was one in December, so he's not really "baby Grant, but oh well) are leaving tonight to come here for a week. Sam has drill in the Army reserves on Saturday and on Sunday, but I'll watch Grant for him. Sonja K. has an MRI on Saturday afternoon, too.

Suzanne is graduating from high school this year, and we have to plan a grad party for her. I have to look at things from her perspective, it's a big deal for her, for us, it's like,...oh another graduation. She's the 13th child...but I am excited for her, and proud of her. She's taken really hard classes and done really well. She is going to college, probably in the spring term next year. Suze is a super sweet girl, a kind hearted soul. She made half moon cookies for the senior auction, one of the teachers bought them. She baked them last night...


There were extras, but I only had the tiniest nibble of Cam's, and oh dear, Suze nailed it, it was good.

Anyway, there's school to do, and and and.