Eleven years ago, I was 19 years old holding a beautiful, 4 hour old baby girl. We had a girl's name ready for her even though we didn't know she was a her. We did not have a boy's name so we were darn lucky she came out missing that part of anatomy. Her name would be Courtney Elise. She had dark hair just like her mommy. She was so tiny and petite. I knew she would be a daddy's girl the first time I saw her squeek in Dan's arms. He was smitten. This would be his buddy. The son he never had. The little person who would grow up to be a Steelers fan, throw a football like Big Ben, be dedicated to wearing that black and yellow jersey every Sunday and make sure she was by her dad's side when that ball was kicked off. She would be the one he coached in flag football because who wants to be a cheerleader on the sideline when you can be out on that field getting dirty and running as fast as you can to reach that goal line? She would change our lives forever.
It was a sunny, warm Thursday afternoon. I had just quit my job the day before since I was due in two days. That day I was also told by my doctor that I had a good two weeks before I would have a baby. I was excited to have the next two weeks of no work and all play. Boy was I wrong! I woke up on May 14th ready to tackle some cleaning. Errrr....ready to tackle some sitting on the couch more like it. I was going to make a great dinner of Tortellini and sauce with a salad on the side. Dan thought it would the perfect evening to drink some beer and chip a few golf balls on our apartment lawn. I did too. So I cracked open a Bud Light myself. KIDDING! The only cash we had available was stashed in an envelope for our cab fair to the hospital and Dan needed beer! We had no car so we made sure we had cash on hand for the big day. We walked where we had to go, took a bus, took a cab or relied on his parents to take us places. No way in HELL was I taking a cab or a bus to the hospital while I was in labor, but we had to be prepared. That particular morning his parents left for PA to attend his dad's seminary graduation on Friday the 15th. We assured them it was totally fine to leave the state. No baby was coming for awhile! In fact, we were so sure weren't going to have a baby that day or the next that we walked to 7-11 and spent the saved cab fair on beer for Dan.
I got all comfy in a chair on the balcony to watch the Tiger Woods wanna be perform his chip shots. (more like Happy Gilmore though) I stood up to go inside to make dinner and SQUIRT. Uh. Oops. I think I just peed on myself. *blush* Take a few steps. SQUIRT. Uh. Dang I need to buy some Depends tomorrow! This baby is doing crazy things to my body. Head in the to bedroom to get a clean pair of panties. SQUIRT. Jeeeeeez. Head to the bathroom to expect the ever so lovely odor of urine on myself and clean up when I realize this stuff doesn't stink. And it keeps squirting. Hmmmm....I interrupt chippy chipperton and tell him something is going on. I call Dr. Hirsch, who had just seen the previous day, and he tells me to go suck an egg. No WAY did my water just break. Uh. OK. If you say so. About 14 squirts later, we decide it's time to head to the hospital. My worst fear has come true, I have to take a bus or a cab to the hospital. O.M.G. Am I going to be screaming in pain during a contraction while sitting next to the homeless stinky man in those uncomfortable bus seats? Am I going to have my baby in the backseat of a stale smoke smelling plush carpeted yellow cab? *cry* We go with the cab. Except that one problem WE HAVE NO CASH FOR A CAB RIDE. We get in the cab and ask him to take us to the grocery store. Dan had a brilliant idea to go buy a pack of gum and write a check for over the price and get cash back. Perfect! As I am sitting in the cab with the cab driver trying to make small talk all while flipping out in my mind that I was going to birth a baby in this vehicle, he asks why we are heading to the hospital. Hm. Guess many pregnant women in labor don't ride it up in style in a cab to the hospital. I tell him I think my water broke and I'm in labor. He yells "WHAT THE HELL ARE WE DOING SITTING HERE AT THE GROCERY STORE FOR?" Buddy, if you wanna get paid I suggest you turn around and shut up and DRIVE.
We arrive at Martha Jefferson. We had to have been the most nervous people in the whole building. We head to L&D. I tell the nurse what's happening. She checks my fluid and sure enough it's amniotic fluid. GULP (not a gulp of fluid FYI). There is no stopping anything now! Except she wanted us to go home and wait it out and come back when I was in more active labor. I believe the look I gave her might have compared to look you give your husband when he tells you that you've put on a few pounds. (not that Dan has EVER said that to me but I picture myself evil eyeing him in to the ground and then stomping on his face, but I digress) She agrees to keep us there. We get all settled in. The last episode of Seinfeld is on! Every time I see that as a repeat, I automically time warp back to Thursday May 14th, 1998. After a nice epidural and some rest, I was told at 5:00 a.m. on Friday May 15th, I could start pushing another human being out of me. At 5:20 a.m. I was holding that precious little bundle of joy we named Courtney Elise.
Happy Birthday to my sweet girl.
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