In 1985, life took us out of the military and into civilian life which included a move from the west coast to 22 miles west of New York City. That meant we had the opportunity to get acquainted with the New Jersey culture and it was an interesting transition.
There were no such things as personal computers, cell phones, Facetime, email, texting ...even cordless phones were yet to be invented. All calls were made after a certain hour at night and timed because every minute was costing you, so keeping in touch was more challenging, and we relied on maps and yellow phone books to find what we needed. And we had done it before, but NJ...
NJ culture was a different one than we had ever experienced. For example, we've lived in a lot of places, but NJ is the only place I ever heard people screaming from the front of the grocery store to the back telling each other to "drop dead!" I actually got rammed by someones "carriage" because I wasn't going fast enough. No lie. I was extremely pregnant at the time and had my 2 year old daughter in my own "carriage".
It was challenging living there. Trying to get to know people, understand the intensity of their behavior, and even decipher what they were saying when they talked. We're laid back SoCal natives and we just didn't get it.
So when the time came for #2 to come into this world, we were faced with several issues. My handsome half flew for People Express Airlines at the time, which required him to be gone a fair amount, and we had not been able to plug into a community of people. That's a nice way of saying we didn't have any friends. Pathetic, I know...
But I thought I still had some time to work out the logistics of this new baby's arrival. #1 was a couple of weeks early. I shouldn't have been taken by surprise when #2 decided to make her entrance even earlier!
I was faced with some real conundrums when at 9:00 am on December 10,1985 I had to ask myself "Has my water actually broken?" Only the first of the puzzles to be be solved that day.
So while I thought on that, I made breakfast for my daughter, picked up the hand set with the curly cord on the brown kitchen phone, and called the doc.
He said I should come in. I agreed to after doing a little pick up and figuring out child care. To which he replied "come in now, or I'm no longer responsible for you." Yeah. I wasn't kidding about the intensity of that New Jersey culture!
First call was to People Express to get a message to my husband. Of course, he was flying and at the time was cruising along at 35,000 feet. Company scheduling wasn't thrilled with playing go between, until I calmly said the words "I'm in labor". Then they couldn't do enough to help me out!
Then I called California to see if my mother in law was OK with coming east a little early. She was already packed. Bless her!! Brother in law made sure she was able to make a quick flight change in Denver that got her to NJ in record time.
After that came the whole transportation/child care issue. What to do...
I called the church which we had only been attending a short time, and the assistant pastor agreed to come and pick me up. Then I called another young woman in the church who agreed to watch my older daughter until her dad could get home and pick her up... at some point!
Bound Brook Presbyterian Church
Bound Brook New Jersey
At this point, I still wasn't sure if my water had broken, but kept moving forward.
The pastor carefully delivered us to Somerset Medical Center and the last time I saw my oldest daughter that day, she was sitting on the floor with one of New Jersey's finest in the lobby of the hospital sharing her bag of fruit loops. To say that it was a bizarre experience would be putting it lightly, I suppose.
Somerset Medical Center
I don' t know these fine men, but one of their older brothers enjoyed sharing
fruit loops with my 2 year old.
Eventually, handsome landed in Newark and the passengers were held back so that he could exit the airplane first. When they were told he was on his way to the hospital because his wife was in labor, he actually got an ovation from a B-727 full of passengers. Then he proceeded to drive at the speed of sound to the hospital, fearful that he wouldn't make it.
On arriving, he found me standing in front of the nursery windows and still VERY pregnant. The relief didn't last long for him, because as soon as he got there, I made him turn around and go home. I had forgotten the camera. He made it back and baby girl was born at 3:00 that afternoon.
Only 6 hours after the adventure began.
Handsome began the day in Florida, his mom was in northern California, and I was in New Jersey. By that night, we were all in the same state and our oldest got to bed on time. Amazing and absolutely by God's grace.
Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly
beyond all that we ask or think,
according to the power that works within us,
to Him be the glory in the church
and in Christ Jesus to all generations
forever and ever.
Amen.
