Wednesday, May 19, 2004
AND ALONG CAME JOHN
It was March 2nd, 1957 and George had to get up at 3:00AM to leave on an early train. I got up and fixed breakfast before time for him to leave and decided to eat with him and stay up to do the weekly ironing. The baby was due March 8th and I knew I’d better finish the last remaining things on my list…I had a habit of delivering early and didn’t want things left undone. George had been three weeks early, Becky was ten days early and I was down to the last six days waiting for baby number three. No doubt this one would come early as well.
After ironing a while I began having a back ache. I didn’t think much about it. By the last few weeks an expectant mother aches all over….I kept ironing and noticed some low abdominal cramping. I continued with the ironing until it was done and put away. George called mid-morning and asked me to call the doctor and see what he thought. Maybe it was time to go to the hospital….
He was on a train headed for Enid, Oklahoma and told me he could “dead head” back if I was in labor. I told him I’d call the doctor and see what he thought and decide what to do. I didn’t want to get to the hospital too early and have to wait hours for another baby. I called Dr. Needles and he told me I may as well go on to the hospital and check in…..they would call him when the time was near. When George called back I told him that I was going and that Freda would take me. He planned to make the turn-a-round at Enid and hopefully get back in time.
I got Geogie and Becky ready to go home with Freda until George could get home and also packed myself a bag. Freda and her two, with my two loaded me up and took me to St. Mary’s hospital. Freda didn’t stay as the four children were in the car and she wanted to get them back to her place. In no time I found myself in the labor room being prepped for delivery. From the window in my room I watched the traffic flow past all afternoon. By dusk, Dr. Needles came and checked on me fairly often. It was Saturday evening and the traffic on Southwest Trafficway resembled a string of lights being pulled in two directions. I passed the time wondering where everyone was going. Everything was going on the same for them but here I was about to give birth to a new little “someone.”
By 9:15 PM a heard a baby cry and Dr. Needles told me it was a boy. So my third child’s identity was now decided ! I hadn’t really cared what the third baby would be since I already had my boy and girl so there was no disappointment. George came into my room after they settled me in and he had already seen the baby. We had talked about names and decided on John Francis. George Jr. was the Strain family name, Rebecca Jo was named because I liked the name of “Becky” and the Jo was for the book Little Women. I loved Jo’s character the best. Now we would have John for a good solid name and Francis was for my dad. I thought it would be nice to have a token name for the Andersen side of the family.
It was pre-arranged that mom would come up and help take care of the children until I could get home and on my feet again. With Georgie in kindergarten half a day and 3-year old Becky, she would have her hands full. After three days they sent me home and it was almost a carbon copy of when I wheeled to the car with Becky the first time. Only now there were TWO little ones looking bug-eyed at the newcomer and I could tell they didn’t think it was a good idea. All the way home they chattered a blue streak about what they had been doing while I was away. When we all arrived home I was glad mom would be there a few days to see me though. She was, of course, a lot of help.
I nursed John but he was colicky the first couple of weeks. I walked the floor a lot but eventually he leveled off and was a happy baby. As he nursed, I would look into his little face and there was something about his eyes that troubled me. It never seemed like he really saw me. His little eyes jiggled back and forth and looked “cloudy.” I watched him each day and wondered if I shouldn’t see the doctor about it. Everyone thought I had the new mother syndrome and told me I was just imagining things. Still, it nagged at me and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
When he was three months old I dialed the phone to call Dr. Needles……….
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
After ironing a while I began having a back ache. I didn’t think much about it. By the last few weeks an expectant mother aches all over….I kept ironing and noticed some low abdominal cramping. I continued with the ironing until it was done and put away. George called mid-morning and asked me to call the doctor and see what he thought. Maybe it was time to go to the hospital….
He was on a train headed for Enid, Oklahoma and told me he could “dead head” back if I was in labor. I told him I’d call the doctor and see what he thought and decide what to do. I didn’t want to get to the hospital too early and have to wait hours for another baby. I called Dr. Needles and he told me I may as well go on to the hospital and check in…..they would call him when the time was near. When George called back I told him that I was going and that Freda would take me. He planned to make the turn-a-round at Enid and hopefully get back in time.
I got Geogie and Becky ready to go home with Freda until George could get home and also packed myself a bag. Freda and her two, with my two loaded me up and took me to St. Mary’s hospital. Freda didn’t stay as the four children were in the car and she wanted to get them back to her place. In no time I found myself in the labor room being prepped for delivery. From the window in my room I watched the traffic flow past all afternoon. By dusk, Dr. Needles came and checked on me fairly often. It was Saturday evening and the traffic on Southwest Trafficway resembled a string of lights being pulled in two directions. I passed the time wondering where everyone was going. Everything was going on the same for them but here I was about to give birth to a new little “someone.”
By 9:15 PM a heard a baby cry and Dr. Needles told me it was a boy. So my third child’s identity was now decided ! I hadn’t really cared what the third baby would be since I already had my boy and girl so there was no disappointment. George came into my room after they settled me in and he had already seen the baby. We had talked about names and decided on John Francis. George Jr. was the Strain family name, Rebecca Jo was named because I liked the name of “Becky” and the Jo was for the book Little Women. I loved Jo’s character the best. Now we would have John for a good solid name and Francis was for my dad. I thought it would be nice to have a token name for the Andersen side of the family.
It was pre-arranged that mom would come up and help take care of the children until I could get home and on my feet again. With Georgie in kindergarten half a day and 3-year old Becky, she would have her hands full. After three days they sent me home and it was almost a carbon copy of when I wheeled to the car with Becky the first time. Only now there were TWO little ones looking bug-eyed at the newcomer and I could tell they didn’t think it was a good idea. All the way home they chattered a blue streak about what they had been doing while I was away. When we all arrived home I was glad mom would be there a few days to see me though. She was, of course, a lot of help.
I nursed John but he was colicky the first couple of weeks. I walked the floor a lot but eventually he leveled off and was a happy baby. As he nursed, I would look into his little face and there was something about his eyes that troubled me. It never seemed like he really saw me. His little eyes jiggled back and forth and looked “cloudy.” I watched him each day and wondered if I shouldn’t see the doctor about it. Everyone thought I had the new mother syndrome and told me I was just imagining things. Still, it nagged at me and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
When he was three months old I dialed the phone to call Dr. Needles……….
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
