HAPPY BIRTHDAY Patti Lorraine

These are some of my favorite pics...I have many baby pictures of my Patti-cake but somehow I cannot find them so I'm begging my family to scan and email me copies...

I woke up about 7:30 am on the Saturday before Mother's Day 1990 and LaNelle and Peter were asking for juice. I heard the words but couldn't concentrate long enough to understand what they wanted. My brain was fuzzy and I felt weird so I got scared and called a friend to come over...I didn't even THINK I could possibly be in labor because I wasn't due for 10 days and LaNelle and Andrew were 3 weeks late! (Peter was born on his due date which was Father's Day but that's his story! check back in June) As my friend drove up, I doubled over with a contraction...this was pre cell phones and Pete was out delivering newspapers as a second job. Thank goodness just about then he called me to say he was going to eat breakfast with some other guys that delivered papers...I said, "I just had a serious labor pain, you better come home because I feel very weird." That was 8:00 am. My friend Barbra took the other kids to her house and Pete came straight home and we left for the hospital immediately (MaryBeth, I don't even think I had a bag packed!) I felt stupid for hurrying but after LaNelle my labors were short and I was going to a fancy new hospital on the other side of town so Pete sped...it had just opened..no nursey, only low risk pregnancies, all babies roomed in, there was a whole seperate parking lot with a seperate entrance for L&D, all private rooms with french doors leading to a private brick walled patio, with a jacuzzi in every room (which I never got to use!)...snazzy jazzy...and the TV was hidden in an armoir..oh yeah I thought this was my last baby and I was going out in style!!! We didn't even call our parents to tell them we were in labor because I was POSITIVE it was a false alarm and we were being silly...

we got in my room at the hospital at 8:40 and I was embarrassed and making a joke about running to the hospital like a 1st time Mom all excited over braxton-hicks pains and the nurse said "Well you are too cheerful to be in serious labor but I'll check you anyway after we get you settled" Right!! I was 8 cm dilated and 90 % effaced and that exam precipitated SERIOUS non stop horrendous PAIN...piggyback labor pains (another one starts before the first one ends!!!) I started crying and looked at Pete and said, "I'm not ever doing this again and I'm having this baby by 9 am." (It was 8:50) He and the nurse smirked over my head which just really made me mad...and when I get mad, I do not play around...I quit crying and told the nurse, "I'm serious, you better go call the nurse-midwife NOW!!" It's a good thing she was already at the hospital seeing another patient because I was ready to push at EXACTLY 9 am...

With just two pushes and NO stitches (THANK YOU PAT-PAT!!!!), my beautiful baby girl was born at 9:04 and weighed 8 lbs and 4 ounces. (10 days early!!!!!!) ha! dumb nurse!!

I seriously was in the shower by 9:15..and the nurse kept saying, "Why? you didn't even break a sweat! You still have on make-up. I don't even have to change the sheets! You should have a baby every year." WHATEVER!!!! We called our families and they all thought we were joking! Pete (who wasn't even a member yet) dressed and took all the other kids to Sacrament Meeting the next morning before they came to the hospital and brought me a rose from Church for having the youngest child! And then practically the WHOLE WARD came to visit (the hospital was very near our building...it was sooooo cool!). She was the first child of ours blessed in Church (Our Bishop, home teacher and my sister's family came to our house after Andrew was born and La, Peter and Andrew were blessed then). Patti's uncle, Jerry Edwards, pronounced her name and blessing on Fast Sunday in June at the Charlotte 4th Ward of the Charlotte South Stake in Charlotte, NC

I had thought Patti was a boy (her nursery was all baby blue) and I was so very very happy and excited to have another girl...I named her after her aunt and my best friends so she has an old person's name (she says only 40 year olds are named Patti) but I adore Pete's sister Patti and my two best friends were Patti Hall and Lorraine Love so she's Patti Lorraine. We called her that forever. I cannot believe she is 18...my sweet beautiful, kind, forgiving, righteous, talented and awesome daughter. She was my baby for over a decade and even though the twins are younger, she will always be my baby girl!!! I love you, Patti-cake!!