"Happy Birthday Nick"

the snow was blowing forming deep drifts
as it settled quietly where assigned
it was a cold wintery day in northern Indiana
it was St. Nicholas Day, December 6th, 1962
my husband John and I were anticipating
the birth of our first child
I wondered as I waited whether
the baby would be a boy or a girl
it didn't really matter, just be OK
as things progressed, we decided to
warm up the four wheel drive car
and make our way to McCray Hospital
in our small town of Kendallville
it was a snowy slippery trip
the hospital was being remodeled
and it was cold in the hallways where
I walked waiting for Nick
my good friend, a nurse, Norma Robinson
was to be present at this event
just because I wanted her to be there
Dr. Bryan, my doctor knew better
than to argue with me
things did not go as well as we wanted
the hipnosis I had trained so hard for
fell by the way when we discovered
Nick was in a bad position
his elbow was the first thing out
perhaps this was foreshadowing
the ether I was given got to Nick
it hit him hard, so Dr Bryan ask
Norma who was looking out for us
to immediately put him in a rock-a-bed
an incubator that rocks
babies to keep them breathing
I did not get to see Nick right away
however, when I did he was amazing
perfect in every way, toes, fingers
arms and legs, eyes, nose, mouth,
penis and testicles amid the bruises
made by the forceps that helped guide him
into his cold new wintery world
I ask them to bring him to me
whenever he cried no matter how soon
it was after I just nursed him
I had problems with the feeding and a nurse
kindly showed me how to do it
and told me to ask that they did not
give him a bottle, except for water
the grandparents showed up fast
excited to see the new baby
my mother said he looked like a prince
after a week at the hospital
John came and took us to our West Avenue home
we were grateful Nick was OK
it was a difficult time for both of us
but wait, perhaps just as difficult for papa John
who locked himself out of the house
and had to put a garbage can lid through
a double pane kitchen window
scaring the dog nearly to death
this story made it into Grandfather Cliffs
column, Lines and Angles
in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette newspaper
now we were truely a family
what we had hoped and planned for was beginning
what a ride this would be
Happy Birthday Nick