Dear Second Born.

Dear Bob,

Late in my pregnancy I was the epitome of the cliché “heavy with child”. I was so full of baby. I knew you would be a big. I even remember saying that you would be 9, if not 10 lbs.  You were a very stronger kicker.  Your due date was June 9.

The week before you were born our air conditioner went out. I was so big and felt so hot I would almost cry myself to sleep having my own little pity party. Dad knew a Mr. Kitchens who was kind enough to expedite fixing our air conditioner as fast as he could when he saw how big and pregnant I was.

On Friday, June 12 I had a doctor’s appointment. I saw Dr. Smith and he felt my stomach and said he wanted to do an ultrasound - cutting edge technology for that point in time. The ultrasound confirmed that you were breach. Dr. Smith told me to go home and wait to go into labor. He explained that when babies are born breach there is sometimes a little damage and it might result in learning disabilities. I was beyond upset. I called Nana and told her – only asked her not to tell anyone since it was Aunt Amanda’s wedding day on Saturday,  June 13,  and I didn’t want to rain on her parade.

Saturday dawned and I felt sick – emotionally and physically. I was missing the wedding. All day long I was not feeling well. Our friends, Dottie and Gator, called and asked us to come over on Sunday for homemade ice cream. I told her that we would be over if I wasn’t in the hospital.

I think I went to bed around 10:00 Saturday night with low back pains. Dad was watching Saturday Night Live. Once I got in the bed I realized that I was having contractions. I waited and counted. Then I got up and told Dad. We decided to get ready. He got Audrey and her little suitcase loaded up and drove her to Grandmother and Granddaddy’s house. While he was gone I took and shower and washed my hair and packed the last few things for the hospital.

Once we were admitted, Dr. Miles came by to check on me. I told him about the baby being breach and he did not give me a choice of going through labor. I am ever so thankful that he was on call and not Dr. Smith. I was so relieved with his decision.  They gave me a general anesthesia so I was not awake when you were born.

I do remember waking and asking if you were a boy or girl in the recovery room. They told me boy – a big boy – a 10 pound boy! I said I knew it. Not that you were a boy, but that you were going to weigh, at least, 10 pounds.

Dad saw you before I did –just after you were delivered when they were taking you to the nursery to weigh you and clean you up. There was something in the basinet next to you wrapped in gauze and your Dad panicked, thinking you had a clubfoot, or something. It was only a suction bulb wrapped in gauze. I think he asked a nurse and she told him what it was. He was so relieved. Granddaddy had come up to the hospital and waited with Dad while you were being delivered. 

I didn’t get to really see you until they brought you to me early in the morning to feed you. I recognized you immediately. Like I had seen you before, only I hadn’t.

There was a nurse with large hands at the hospital that called you, “Robert Reeves, the movie star!” You looked so large, especially compared to the preemie babies in the nursery.

You were born on Sunday, June 14, 1981.

Love, Mom