Fifty years ago, daughter was born

Fifty years ago, give or take a day or two, I was as big as a house. My daughter would be born soon. My mother-in-law had just gotten out of the hospital. She decided it was a good idea to go to Mumma’s for strawberries.

Mumma’s (moo-maz) was a place on the north side of Dayton where the customer could pick their own strawberries or go into the store and purchase fruit that had already been picked. We elected to pick our own.

We must have been a sight to see with me waddling down the rows and her wincing with every movement. If I remember right the berries were worth every minute of discomfort.

A couple of days later my husband was driving me to the hospital. He had a death grip on the steering wheel and was as white as the day we got married. All the way there I begged him to turn around. I wasn’t tired of being pregnant. I did not want to give birth. All I wanted to do was go home.

Less than 10 hours later we welcomed our daughter into the world. She was beautiful. She still is.

I was in a room with another new mother. When they brought the babies to us they were wrapped up tighter than a burrito. The other woman unwrapped her baby. I was afraid the nurses would get mad at her for messing up the baby’s careful swaddling.

Two days later they set us free with no instruction booklet to go by. When we got home we put the baby into the cradle. Our dog took one look, sniffed the baby all over then stuck her nose in the air with an audible, “Hmmph!” then turned and walked away. The baby adored the dog, and it was mutual. She learned to walk by pulling herself up by grabbing onto the dog’s fur. One of her first words was “off” because she wanted the dog to get off of her blanket.

Many things have changed in the past 50 years. I am a grandma in addition to being a mom. I have held several jobs, lived in two different states, had several operations and refuse to let people pick my flowers.

My tiny baby has grown into a smart, caring and all around wonderful person. She has children of her own and now knows what I meant when I would tell her that I hoped she had kids just like her.

She is my sunshine and my pride and joy. I wish her the happiest of birthdays and hope she knows how much she is loved.