Adventure in Alabama

Katelyn told us all about a year ago that she thought she'd graduate in August 2012 and to begin planning for the event.  I waited until about a month ago to get really serious about getting there.  I missed her high school graduation because the dumb ol' Army scheduled Harris' Purple Heart Ceremony for the same day back in 2008, but I digress.  Having completed all the required courses for a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology, Kate was planning to walk the stage on Saturday, August 4, 2012 at 9:00 AM.  I was determined to be there.  A few moments on the Southwest Airlines website made it clear I would not be flying to Birmingham and then driving to Tuscaloosa.  If I wanted to go, it would be in my car.  I started casting about for fellow travelers as soon as I realized I was looking at 13 hrs of driving - EACH DIRECTION!  Curtis thought going along was a great idea and Clayton also agreed.  I know that the entire clan would loved to have gone along but these guys had the clearable calendars so they were in.  

At the 5 hour mark of the designated route was Tyler - bingo! - housing! Mom graciously waited up very late on Thursday night for the 3 of us to arrive after having worked all day.  She got up and fixed breakfast for us Friday AM and sent us on our way.  She then drove to Houston, picked up my brother, Currie and they flew to Birmingham and rented a car.  We drove 8 hours.  Actually, we drove 4 hours to Vicksburg, Mississippi and took a break.  I got us some fried chicken to take to the Military Park and in we went.  Mom had reminded me that her great-grandfathers name was on the Wisconsin monument in the park in recognition of his service in the Civil War.  We began the driving tour and Clayton and Curtis were immediately entranced.  We stopped at the huge Illinois marble monument and they took photos and video.  It's pretty impressive in it's construction and there are bats living in the recesses of the carvings so it was cool to see.  We stopped at a couple more spots along the way but then we got to the Wisconsin memorial.  The names of all the soldiers who served were in bronze on plaques covering well over 50 feet of wall space but each group was alphabetized so we started at opposite ends and searched for Peter Peterson - I won!!  The boys saw their 3X-great-grandfathers name on a Civil War monument.  It was somewhat indescribable for them.  Vicksburg National Military Park needs more time than we had to devote to it that day.  I hope someday they will go back and see all it has to offer.  We had to eat our chicken and hit the road.

 

Laura and Kate at Baumhowers

Matt & Jordan

Clayton & Curtis

Four hours later, we were in Tuscaloosa.  Lots of family had already arrived and when Mom and Currie rolled in from Birmingham, we all went to dinner.  Kate was so happy to see us all and just glowed with excitement.  We had lots of fun and great conversation.  After dinner, some grown-ups went back to the hotel to crash and some grown-ups went out with the graduate and her entourage.  They called it a night just before 4:00 AM.  

One Happy Graduate

Kate had to be at pre-graduation festivities at 7:30 so she was up and gone pretty quickly.  The rest of us go to the Coleman Coliseum at 8:20, the procession began at 8:30 and the ceremony began at 9.  There were about 1,500 graduates.  A few hundred PhD's, a few hundred Masters and several hundred bachelors candidates who all paraded across the stage to accept the symbols of their accomplishments. The cheers for Katelyn's name were the loudest due to a really big entourage sitting all together.  It was loud and great.

After graduation, we all caravanned to Carmelo's for brunch.  Great meal, lots of laughing, a glowingly beautiful graduate and beautiful weather made it all perfect.  Now to go all our separate ways - The Marston's and McLaren's back to Fairhope, Matt and Jordan back to Chattanooga, Mom, Currie, Laura, Kate and Lex to Birmingham to see UAB where Lex is now attending and us back to Texas.  We took a rest first.  I even tried to go to the only quilt shop in Tuscaloosa but it is closed.  It is full of fabric and tools and patterns, but it is closed (I was sad about that).  The boys and I left about 4 and drove back to Vicksburg.  Since the park was closed, we did the next best thing.  We went gambling on a casino boat.  We left with eleven dollars and change more than we went in with and then had a bite at Waffle House.  We got to Mom's house about 1:30 and I woke up about 7:40 this morning.  The boys got up and we went to Kathy's to eat breakfast and visit.  They left for church and we drove 5 more hours to get home.  We went a little over 1,600 miles in just under 72 hours.  It was so much fun and all three of us are so very glad we went.  Thanks Kate, for such a great celebration of your awesome accomplishment!

Birthday post post script

Caroline and me in Gruene

Fireworks

Kitten tossing is kinda fun!

My beautiful boys and me - Harris, Clayton, Morgan, Curtis

Fireworks

One of two beautiful plants I got for my yard from my in-laws.

Here are some photos from Birthday weekend. . .

Barrett, Curtis, Chris, Clayton, Morgan and Harris

I am a Card Deck

I turned 52 last Saturday.  That's the card deck part.  If I were incredibly clever I could come up with lots of card deck references but 52 and card deck are about as far as I got with that idea.  Instead, I'll just recount my birthday adventures.  I managed to drag things out for several days.  On Thursday, my office had a pot luck to wish me a happy birthday and as is the custom at The SCOOTER Store, my desk was decorated with confetti, streamers and balloons.  It was quite festive looking.  I loved it!  Friday was birthday event free unless you count all the people asking me what I had planned for my birthday weekend.  

This wonderful teacher I met during my last year of teaching named Caroline has become a dear friend.  Her birthday is June 29 and a couple of years ago we began a tradition of going to our favorite spa for facials and hairstyles as our co-birthday celebration.  This year we got appointments for 12:45 so we decided lunch first would be the best plan.  Morgan was working at the Gristmill so we picked Gruene as our first destination.  Morgan has been anxious to make me a Bloody Mary since I discovered that I love Bloody Mary's so I had one of those and Caroline had a 'Rita.  She and I split a fried shrimp plate which was delish and for dessert, Morgan made us birthday shots called Captain Morgan Undertows.  It was a couple of different colors, very sweet and I would have had another but I didn't think to ask.  I am new to the world of shots. So far, just in the last nine months or so I've had a Vegas Bomb (okay, 2 of those), a Purple Gecko and now this Captain Morgan yumminess.  I believe I will continue to explore shots.  I like 'em!  But I digress. . .

Caroline and I wandered in and out of an antique store in Gruene and then went to Gaston's.  We came out with naked, well moisturized faces and fabulous hairstyles.  We hit one more boutique and then headed home.

When the boys were little, it was fairly common for my birthday event to be dinner and the summer blockbuster movie.  This year we did that again.  Morgan, Harris, Kristin and Curtis brought pizza to the house and then we went to see Brave.  Clayton had to work at the rodeo so even though he came by the house for a few minutes, he didn't get to go to the movie with us.  Brave is wonderful!  I loved it.  It proved once again that I am really a 10 year old trapped in a 52 year old body when I turned down an invitation to go see Magic Mike with a bunch of grown up women in favor of seeing Brave with my kids.

Sunday family dinner was hamburgers and fireworks.  Harris is all about the fireworks and this year, he was actually able to purchase some - they were banned last year.  He had noise makers and pretty shooters.  It was a figurative and literal blast!  Clayton brought Shelby to meet the family.  Barrett and Erin were there and so were Chris and Casey.  I took a few photos of the guys and Curtis took some fun video.  I went to sleep both Saturday and Sunday a very content birthday girl.  I think if I were one of those people who begins to hate birthdays, it would have happened by now.  I truly enjoy mine.  Even the card deck one was great.

Today marks the 25th anniversary of the third time I gave birth.  It is time to tell the last delivery story even if it's about the next to last kid.  Harris was late like Morgan - maybe it's an April thing.  I was almost two weeks past my due date and awfully tired of the whole situation.  I had had an ultrasound test at 20 weeks along to verify my due dates and at time learned that boy #3 was on his way.  By now, Hollis, Morgan, Clayton and I all had middle names that start with L.  Finding an L middle name for this boy is easy enough - my grandfather's first name was Lyle.  He did not like it much.  He went by Steve to most other adults but I can still hear my grandmother exclaiming "Lyle!" when he used colorful language that she did not like.  We had a middle name.  The first name was trickier but I'll get to that in a bit.  I went to see my doctor the day Harris was born.  It was first thing that morning but I'll never forget what he said after my examination.  "Something is eminent."  No kidding, Dr. Ryder?!?  Something is eminent?!?  I am two weeks overdue with child #3 in 4 years and something is eminent?  He was not mistaken.  Hollis came home from work at his usual time that day and we took Morgan and Clayton over to his mom's house for some dinner and great-grandparent time.  If I dominoed in the next day or two, it would be a while before they got fussed over (and at) by Paw and Gregie.  Feeling certain I was in labor, I didn't eat but Hollis and the boys were well fed.  We then took the boys home and put them to bed.  Willis followed us home and we left for the hospital.  I arrived about 7:30 in active labor and we settled in.  My dear friend Suzy met us at the hospital and stayed for all the fun.  Dr. Ryder broke my water when I was about 7 cm and at 10:34, boy #3 made his entrance.  No drugs, no drama - there he was.  Once he was all cleaned up and in my arms, Hollis and I knew we had to nail down the name thing.  There were two choices:  Nathan Lyle or Harrison Lyle.  We did the only thing we could think of - we flipped a coin!  Heads would be Harrison, tales would be Nathan.  Heads, and Harrison, it was.  Paw's grandfather was named Stanton Harrison and he so wanted us to use the name. It always cracked me up that he pestered me so about using the name and then proceeded to call the kid Hayden for a couple of years.  I didn't get to use the same wonderful hospital for Harris that I had for Clayton but I had made the decision not to rush home in the morning as I had done before.  I would allow the hospital to care for me not just one, but two nights.  Dumbest plan I ever made.  I got tangled in the sheets my first night and due to some pretty bad lower back pain, I couldn't get out.  The nurse was not much help.  My overall care was just not what I would have gotten at home.  My mom arrived from Houston the next day to take over with the big boys and she brought them to meet the baby.  Morgan at age 4 was all about this new baby.  Clayton at 18 months was quite indifferent.  I really wished I had gone home.  The next morning as I was preparing to check out, the nurse came in and rolled my baby out of the room.  She said I was required to attend a new mothers class.  She said my current experience did not exempt me from the class.  She even said that I would not be allowed to have my baby back or check out until I had attended the class!!  So I sat there crying as they told me how to hold him, nurse him, change his diaper, put him in a car seat and care for him in general.  When I had the chance to go to a different hospital for #4 - I grabbed it!  I still managed a drug free delivery and took home a very healthy baby.  He was the biggest of the 4 at 9 lbs, 8 oz and was a very sweet east baby.  I love thinking about their "birth" days.  The memories are of hard work that results in the most precious prize of all.  I am blessed beyond blessed!

It's a boy! - the first time. . .

Next Saturday Morgan will be 29 years old.  Cleverly, he and Desiree have decided to get married on April 6th next year and will all the excitement around that event, I won't even notice that he will be 30 - or so we all think!  Here's what happened when he was born.  As I've said before, I always took time on the boys birthdays to tell them the story of the day they were born.  The four very best days of my life and Hollis' life.  The story of the day Morgan was born actually started the day before he was born.  I was about two weeks past my due date and Dr. Lovell said that if I hadn't dominoed on my own by Monday, we would induce on Tuesday.  My only ultrasound test had been very early in the pregnancy so we did not know if we were having a boy or a girl but there was something about knowing that it would indeed be over soon that allowed me to relax.  On that Wednesday, the 6th, Hollis came by our apartment at lunch time to pick up a key to the safe deposit box.  We were paying for this delivery ourselves and didn't know if they would keep the baby until the bill was paid so he was going to get some savings bonds to cash so if the hospital was cash and carry - we would be able to carry!  As he came into the apartment, I was sitting in a chair with a plateful of leftover Chinese food propped on my very large belly.  I put the plate aside and got up to go to the bathroom and as I did, my water broke.  I immediately called the doctors office and after Hollis called his office, we left for the hospital.  Dr. Lovell at that time delivered at Metropolitan Hospital on the edge of downtown San Antonio.  My contractions began as we were arriving at the hospital but they were not what you could call regular.  As the afternoon progressed, my labor was iffy at best.  I agreed to have some Demerol "to take the edge off" of the contractions.  First bad decision.  A couple of hours later, Dr. Lovell decided from his office across the street that perhaps I needed to have my labor intentionally stalled for a while in hopes that when it resumed, it would be more regular and productive.  This would be accomplished with a larger dose of Demerol - I agreed.  Second bad decision.  I was very groggy, very quickly but the contractions didn't really stop.  Then the good doctor made another decision.  He decided that perhaps I should be put on a Pitocin drip to stimulate my contractions - while I was nearly knocked out from the Demerol.  I don't actually remember agreeing to this decision but it was the third bad one.  I labored all night long.  All the training in the Bradley method of childbirth was lost because I came to in the MIDDLE of each and every contraction.  I had no time to breath, prepare, anything.  When Dr. Lovell checked me first thing Thursday morning, he said that I could push.  I was still pretty out of it but I tried.  Shortly thereafter, he said that it was going to take forceps and a pretty stout episiotomy to get this kid out.  For this part, he thought a light caudle anesthesia was called for.  At 9:27AM, Morgan Lee was born.  And then I hemorrhaged.  I had already had an IV for hours but they were putting fluid into me as fast as they could along with drugs to make the bleeding stop.  I stayed in the recovery room until 5:00 that afternoon and the minute one bag of fluid was empty, another one was attached.  I did begin to come out of the grogginess and was able to make a few phone calls.  While I was on the phone with my mother in Houston, Hollis came into the room with the information card about baby Morgan.  He handed it to me and pointed to the line that said "weight."  I gasped quite loudly and my poor mom on the other end of the line was freaking out.  I said "Mom!! Do you know what this baby weighed?!?"  She did not.  I said "NINE POUNDS, SEVEN OUNCES!!!"  I will never forget what she said next:  "Laura, you don't have to give birth to Kindergartners.  You can start with little bitty dudes and work your way up!"

I was moved to a room about 7:00 that evening and finally got to see my son.  He was so big and so beautiful - instant love!!  I had a parade of visitors that evening and then Friday morning, I went home!  I had wanted a medication free delivery and to leave when my baby was six hours old but I wasn't even awake yet when he was six hours old.  Although there were several things about this delivery that were not in my birth plan, and although I did not get along well with Dr. Lovell and did not go back to him for the other 3 deliveries, I do have to give him credit for one decision.  In 1983, HIV was out there buy they were not screening blood for it yet.  My hemorrhage was really bad and Dr. Lovell could have just as easily ordered a pint or more of blood for me that day and changed my whole world.  I remain grateful to him to this day for ordering fluid - and not blood - for me.  Oh, and it turns out they bill you for babies - we got to take him home and we didn't even have to sneak him out in my suitcase! 

His 29th Birthday Dinner - Dad's stir fry.

Happy Birthday Son!  You continue to be a great source of love and pride for us and we couldn't love you any more than we do right now. 

     

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!