Memorial Day Memories (May 30, 1966)

 Originally Published Dec. 2012

My Memorial Day memory actually starts the day before.  It is a Sunday and Norm and I are spending the day at my mom and dad’s home in Forest Lake.  My sister, Joanne, had just returned home that weekend from her first year in college in Wisconsin and she brought a college friend home to stay for a couple of days before his flight to his hometown in New York.  It just so happened that her friend, Chuck, ended up being her husband three years later!

But, I’m getting ahead of myself.  We had a wonderful day with my family.  My mom, who always liked having people around, wanted to continue our family “reunion.”  And so, she asked us to stay overnight so we could celebrate Memorial Day together.

I was all for it; but, for some reason, Norm said, “No.”  I presumed it was because we didn’t bring extra clothes along and we also had told his brother, Bill and his wife, Maria, and their five kids that we would all go on a Memorial Day picnic.  So, I didn’t push the matter.  I was tired and we had already had a wonderful day.  So, we went back to our apartment in St Paul.

I spent part of the evening getting ready for the picnic by boiling potatoes and eggs for making potato salad and getting our clothes ready.

At 6:30 the next morning, however, my water broke.  Did I forget to mention that I was a little over eight month’s pregnant?  This being my first child, I had no idea that a baby could come early.  My due date was June 22 and I, being the naive youngster that I was, thought that my baby would be born on June 22.  Why, I hadn’t even gotten my thank-you notes written from my baby shower Norm’s family had given me a week before!  This couldn’t be happening!  

I had promised our five nieces and nephews that we would go on a picnic.  And, believe me, Maria was not happy about having to go on a picnic.  She didn’t want to prepare food, and bring toys, bats, gloves, chairs, picnic supplies, etc. to Como Park on a holiday.  This just wasn’t a fun time in her book – but I had promised her that Norm and I would bring the potato salad and Norm would help Bill play with the kids so we could relax a little and enjoy the nice weather.  And, now – Norm had to call and tell them that we were going to have a baby instead!

That call had to wait, however.  It was only 6:30 in the morning, after all.  So, we got out our list of what to do if one goes into labor at home.  First thing to do was to call the doctor.  But, again, 6:30 is rather early – especially on a holiday.  So, we decided that could wait awhile since I hadn’t even had a contraction yet.

Besides, being three weeks’ early, I hadn’t even packed my suitcase!  Back in those days, a mother got to stay in the hospital for five days.  So, while I packed my suitcase and changed clothes, Norm got ready.  I remember his walking into the bedroom while running his hand over his chin and saying, “Do you think I have time to shave?” How did I know?  So far, nothing was going by my plan.  The baby was three weeks’ early, I was soaking wet, my suitcase wasn’t packed, and my sister-in-law was going to be really mad at me for making her go on a picnic.

We got to the old Miller Hospital in St. Paul and the nurses called the doctor.  We decided not to call my parents or Norm’s dad until after the baby was born.  We were going to do this on our own.  Around 10:30, Norm did call his brother to let them know we wouldn’t be going with them on the picnic.

Well, the contractions did start and the doctor came in.  Dr. Lilleberg was his name.  He told me that he felt like was going to deliver his own grandchild.  That may seem like a strange comment – but, you see….. he delivered me 21 years before.  So, I knew I was in good hands.

And because he was such a terrific doctor, I believed everything he told me.  And he told me that my baby would be born in the afternoon.  Yep….. as you can imagine, by one minute after 12:00 noon, I fully expected that baby to have been born.  And he wasn’t.  See?  Nothing was going by plan!

A little after 3:00, I had this strange feeling of having to push and I told the nurse.  They called Dr. Lilleberg, sent Norm to the Father’s Waiting Room, and rushed me to the delivery room.  At 3:30 PM exactly, Michael Edward McGraw was born – he weighed 6 pounds, 4 ounces and measured 20” in length.  He had a little bit of strawberry blond hair and I do have to admit that he had the biggest nose I had ever seen on a baby.  Just like his father.  Yes, sir – he was a McGraw! 

Norm called his dad and told him the good news.  Then, he called my parent’s home.  Joanne answered and he told her that she was an aunt.  She was so excited and got all of the details and then headed for the golf course.  You see, my mom and dad were golfing at the time of their first grandchild’s birth.  They were on the 7^th green when they heard someone yelling, “Hey grandma, hey grandpa.”  When they started golfing that afternoon, they weren’t grandparents, so they didn’t think the person yelling was looking for them.  Then, they recognized my sister and completely forgot about finishing the rest of their game.  They all climbed into the car and drove to the hospital.

A little side note – when I returned home 5 days’ later with my new little baby in my arms, I noticed that the potatoes and eggs that I had boiled the evening before I went into labor were still on the kitchen counter where I had left them to cool.  You know?  We never did go on a picnic with Bill and Maria and their kids.  I think one picnic a lifetime was enough for Maria.

A year later, on May 30, at 3:30 PM, Michael had his first Dairy Queen ice cream cone.  And every May 30^th since, Michael makes it a point to have a Dairy Queen on his birthday.