Ten. . .Nine. . .Eight. . .Five - Oh Well, I Tried

In our continuing saga of the days they were born, today's story is about Clayton's arrival on October 9, 1985 - get it? 10. . .9. . .8. . .5. . . Anyhow, this was one terrific day to be sure.  To completely grasp it's terrificness, you have to know just a little bit about Morgan's delivery - it did not go as I planned, hoped, prepared for, wished, dreamed or imagined.  It was long, involved heavy medication (which I did not want) and ended my relationship with the OB who cared for me throughout my pregnancy but that story will come later.

For my care with my second pregnancy, I chose the General Practitioner who was taking care of Hollis, Morgan and me for well, general medical stuff.  His name was Curtis Ryder and he and his staff were just wonderful to all of us.  In mid-January of 1985, San Antonio had a record snowfall of 13 inches.  It was unbelievable!  I have great pictures of my not quite two year old playing in snow piles that were taller than he was.  We had a little 4 wheel drive truck so we were able to drive over to see and check on Hollis' mom and grandparents but it was wild the way it shut down the city.  Somehow a few weeks later, I had a positive pregnancy test (Clayton does not enjoy this part of the story but in the interest of historical accuracy, I had to share).  

When I was about 20 weeks along, Dr. Ryder ordered my one and only ultrasound test and we knew by about the first week in June that boy #2 was on his way.  The choice of his name was pretty easy.  We both loved the name Clayton and thought it went well with brother Morgan's name and Lewis was Hollis grandparents last name.  Now we just had to wait.  Let me just say that being big time pregnant in the summer was not as enjoyable as having a baby in April.  I discovered that there are many reasons that wild animals have their offspring in the spring and I came to value those reasons. About a week before my due date, I went into labor.  I had not been sleeping well and Hollis stayed home from work to take me to Dr. Ryder that day.  He said I was in labor and sent us to Village Oaks Hospital (where I had Curtis 3 years later) which had just opened its' Labor and Delivery Department because it had just opened the hospital a few months before.  Signs of incomplete construction were all around the building.  I was in a Labor & Delivery suite which meant that I would not have to be moved at the last possible moment to a separate delivery room which was what happened to me with Morgan.  Hollis and I watched a baseball game all afternoon and my labor progressed without any medication.  About 6:00 that evening, Dr. Ryder stopped by on his way to dinner and broke my water.  I told him not to go far.  By 7:00, I was begging for drugs.  The wise husband said that if I was not pushing by 7:30, he would get me drugs.  By 7:15 or so they had gotten Dr. Ryder back to the hospital and I began pushing and at 7:30.  At 7:49, 8 lb, 8 oz Clayton Lewis was born.  Apparently having them a week early results in a lighter baby than when they are 2 weeks late i.e. Morgan and Harris who were both over 9 lbs, but I digress.

So this awesomeness only took about 8 hours and I did it with no medication at all!!  Shortly after Clayton was taken to the nursery for assessment, Carol, the nurse came in to help me get cleaned up and settled and she told us that the construction was going to require that the water be turned off for the night and oh, by the way, Clayton was the 13th baby ever born in that hospital.  She was running a sink of warm water when Hollis came back to the room to give me the stats on the baby.  He and I were beyond relieved that this delivery had been such a breeze compared to the first and Carol the nurse was actually one of Dr. Ryder's office nurses who took L&D shifts to augment her income and because she really liked L&D.  I was very excited to have 2 people I already knew attending the birth.  As she began to help me get into a fresh gown and get settled, Hollis said "That was easy! Wanna do it again?!?" and I enthusiastically replied "I'm ready when you are!!" and Carol said "You guys are sick!!"  

Clayton Lewis Wooldridge

Our friend Stuart came to see me in the hospital after both Morgan and Clayton were born.  He was quite astonished with the no-drug me as compared to the drugged-out me of the first time and willingly obliged when I asked him to go get me a hamburger, fries and a shake.  I don't know if you've ever noticed but just about all the commercials during a baseball game are for food.  I labored all afternoon and there were nothing but Burger King commercials on between innings!  I was chattering and happy and very hungry and I will always be grateful for his willingness to fetch me food.  Willis had brought big brother Morgan to the hospital earlier to meet his baby brother and Hollis had gone home with Morgan for the night.  

I wanted to be released 6 hours after delivery with this baby but that would have been the middle of the night so I agreed to being released the next morning and I was.  Clayton was about 14 hours old when we left the hospital.  Mom came from Houston and took wonderful care of me for a few days.  Clayton was a wonderful, easy baby who slipped easily into our family.  There was no way he was going to be the last but that story comes later.

September 8, 1988 - It's a Boy!!

A few days ago, I found myself pondering the day Curtis was born.  No reason in particular for the trip down memory lane but his birthday is next month.  When the boys were younger, I used to take part of their birthday day to tell them the story of the day they were born.  It was the 4 best days of my life!  Here is the story of the day Curtis was born.

I was about a week or so away from my due date to have my 4th baby boy in 5 1/2 years.  Morgan had just started Kindergarten and was gone in the afternoon to school.  Clayton was not quite 3 and Harris was 16 1/2 months old and had just started walking.  I was just thinking about getting Morgan ready for the bus and about 9:15 my water broke.  Side note here:  Morgan rode the bus to and from school each day but Hollis did not like this at all.  I convinced him that I would not be able to take and pick up Morgan every day with 3 little ones at home and he relented on the sole condition that Morgan be picked up and dropped off right in front of the house.  The first few days of school, he had been dropped off at the corner and Hollis insisted that I call NEISD transportation and have this corrected.  That morning, I called and the person I talked to asked if I could please watch the drop off that day and make sure that he was safely crossing the street.  I told this person that I would be happy to do that but that I had just gone into labor and would probably not be at home that day when the bus arrived.  Morgan was picked up and dropped off right in front of the house for the rest of the school year.  Nothing like a well-timed request to get what you need.  

I called Hollis, who at that time, was working all the way over on the other side of San Antonio.  He asked me if he had time to attend a 9:30 meeting before coming home to get me and I told him to go to the meeting but not dawdle afterwards.  I then called my friend Donna to come hang out with me until Hollis got home and to stay with the boys until my mother-in-law could come stay with them.  Donna chased the boys and yelled at me every time I got off the sofa because she was certain this baby would fall right out of me if I stood up.  Hollis came home, we grabbed my suitcase and left for the 3 minute ride to the hospital.  It was the hospital where I had had Clayton 3 years earlier (he was the 13th baby born there when it had just opened but that story will have to wait) and I really was looking forward to this birth for several reasons.  We got all checked in about 10:45 and my doctor came in to check my progress.  He said "You're only 7 centimeters!"  I said "I'll work on that!"  By 11:45 I was pushing and at 12:18, my last little boy was born.  He weighed 8 lbs 4 ozs which made him the runt of the 4 by just a few ounces.  Dr. Curtis Ryder had just delivered three of my 4 babies so we named Curtis after him.  He was quite overwhelmed when we told him that he had just delivered Curtis Leland Wooldridge.  Although Dr. Ryder and I both knew from an ultrasound at 20 weeks that I was having boy #4, I hadn't told Hollis that this was the case.  I sort of took the time to get used to the idea and be ready for another boy.  It was a good idea.  

One of the reasons I was looking forward to this delivery was that this hospital was a pioneer in having a birthing suite. I was on a full sized bed and they never took Curtis out of the room.  All of the other 3 had to spend time in the nursery but not this guy.  After he was born, Hollis put his feet up in the recliner in the room and went to sleep.  I just sat in that bed and could not stop staring at my new little angel.  You would think that by kid #4, I would be over it but I wasn't.  He was amazing and I just sat there staring and falling in love.  I didn't know where I was going to get the energy to nurse him, and chase his brothers, and accomplish all the other stuff my full life had me doing, but I was deeply in love.  

All the way back when I had Morgan, I had wanted to be in the hospital as short a time as possible after delivery.  My mom was wonderful at taking care of me after a baby and I just wanted to be at home.  With Curtis, they released me 6 hours after he was born.  At that time, Jeopardy was on every evening after the news so I have always told people that he was born at 12:18 lunch time and I was home before Jeopardy was over that day.  Hollis and I did have the steak dinner that they offered new parents but we hit the trail right after that.  When we arrived home, my neighbor across the street was just getting home too.  I asked her if she wanted to meet her newest neighbor and she came right over.  She asked when he was born and I told her.  I will never forget her next words.  She said "I suppose you picked Morgan up after school too!"  I would have if I could have but as you know, he rode the bus.  

Recovery from this delivery was not the smoothest and I wound up back in the hospital 6 weeks later hemorraging but it was a quick overnight stay and all was fine after that.  I was blessed to find some super duper vitamins that insured my milk supply was what it needed to be and I nursed him for a year.  

A few years ago when Clayton was in college and Harris was in the Army, I declared a rating scale.  If I talked to 2 of my boys in one day, it was a good day.  If I talked to 3, it was a great day and if I talked to all 4 of them, I called it a perfect day.  September 8, 1988 was my first perfect day.  There have been many, many since but I am kinda glad I know when my first one was. . .  Happy Birthday next month Son.  Thanks for a great arrival story!