Waiting To Go Into Labor

 April 1975 was  coming to an end.  In a little over a week  May would arrive along with our little baby.  I could actually go into labor anytime now!  Our nursery was just perfect.  It was decorated in pink, blue, and white ready for either a son or a daughter.  In the era of the 1970's you could not find out the sex of the baby until it was born.  The idea of knowing the sex of the baby before it was born was like something out of science fiction!  We had no ultrasound.  What was going on inside the mother's body remained a secret.  So the idea of pink and blue suited us just fine.  I nested by cleaning every cabinet in every room.  I was going to be the Donna Reed of mothers!  Waiting was getting to me, so I suggested that the up-coming weekend we should go ahead and attend the wedding of one of my best friends, Diana, in Washington, NC where I grew up.  Dr. Forbes said it would be fine since it was only 1 1/2 hours away and there were plenty of hospitals around just in case.  So off we went  to Washington to spend the weekend on James' parents boat, The Edna Mae, to enjoy the water of the Pamlico River, see family, and of course enjoy Diana's wedding!  It was going to be a gorgeous last weekend in April.  We arrived early Friday afternoon and just relaxed. 

Saturday morning, April 26th, around 6:00 I was awakened by the baby kicking extra hard in a frantic kind of way.  I woke James up and told him what was happening.  This went on for several minutes.  Then I assumed the baby went back to sleep, so I did also.  Later on that morning when I finally got out of bed walking out to the main salon, James' mother exclaimed that the baby had dropped down.  I felt my body and she was right!  This little kicker had nested way up high under my ribs for the last trimester of my pregnancy and it hurt!  Now, relief!  Wait a minute!  Since the baby had dropped down into the lower pelvic region, that meant I was really getting ready to go into labor!  We were all so excited!  The baby was coming very soon!  After nine months of waiting, I was ready to have this baby and welcome him/her into the world!  James' mother was a former practicing RN and had helped to deliver many a babe into this world, so I felt comfortable staying put.  In fact, I felt great!
The rest of the morning I worked on my rabbit baby quilt Mrs. Fitts was helping me make.  I needed to work fast now!  Each stitch was a stitch made with love.  This quilt would become a family heirloom for sure.

After lunch James and I got all dressed up to go to the wedding.  Mrs. Fitts had made me some mighty pretty maternity clothes and the particular yellow one I would be wearing today was a favorite.  The wedding was fabulous!  Diana was such a beautiful bride!  Everything made for a perfect wedding including the reception at her home, which is such a special touch to me.  It was great seeing my friends I went to high school with.  My belly was giant!  I had to do some special maneuvering to get around!  Oh I was so happy and enjoying myself so much!  Finally the bouquet was thrown and the newlyweds were off and so were we.  It had been such a busy afternoon that I did not notice that little kicker had stopped kicking.

                                                                 
                      Here I am Saturday April 26th, on the upper deck of the Edna Mae working on
                      the baby's quilt happy as I could be!

                                   Here I am in the yellow dress at Diana's wedding.