Another View: Josh's birth

I got this from my mom last night. It's her view of Josh's birth. Granted, I was a little too busy to know most of this was going on and probably didn't care if I did know! HA!! It will be nice for Josh to have one day.

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Have you forgotten that I was in the room all day with you and Kevin and your daddy was outside in the waiting room running out the side door smoking one cigarette after another? Someone showed him how to go out a side door, and he took advantage of it. I tried to get Kevin to go get something to eat, but he wouldn't leave you.I went out and got Charlie, and we went downstairs and ate. I brought Kevin some crackers back, but he wouldn't eat them. I can remember the chair he sat in all day {I might say his jump-in-the-box chair} because every time you moved he jumped up and ran over to the bed and asked you if you were alright. He would get a wet rag, and wipe your forehead. I also remember the chair I sat in. It was a bit softer than the one Kevin was sitting in. I remember sitting there thanking God, you and Kevin for letting me stay in the delivery room with you because I missed that with you, and I felt like God had given me a chance to be there when you had your child. It helped relieve some of the emptiness I had felt all those years for missing the first 22 months of your life. Somehow that made up for some of the feelings I had carried around with me all those years. I did, and still do, miss that part of your life just as you miss that part of Ellie's life. Your friends came pouring in about 1:00, and I would go out in the waiting room and keep them posted on your progress. Thank God they kept your daddy entertained or he would have had a nervous breakdown or smoked himself to death. I remember after you had him they all got to come in the room and was passing him around like a sack of potatoes, and I thought to myself they shouldn't all have come in here at one time. I had never heard of that before. Now that I think about it they did that back in the old days. When a woman would have a baby at home all the women would be by her side and all the men would sit out on the front porch and wait.

I will never forget what I wore that day and every one of Joshua's birthday's since. I even wore it today even though I didn't get to see him till tonight. I will never part with my gold and black jacket and will wear it on Joshua's birthday as long as I live.

I remember his birth just like it was yesterday. I didn't think his little {or I might say big} was ever going to come out, and when it finally did I thought he was the prettiest thing I had seen since we saw you for the first time. My heart was pounding so hard until he made that first sound. I remember the nurse telling me I could come closer to him. I bent down and said,"Little Leroy it's your grandmamma {that is what I was going to call him and called him that while you were carrying him, but that changed after he got here} and he open one eye and looked straight at me and melted my heart right there and then and still does to this day. I love hearing him say I lub you tooooo. MeeMee will always love you, Joshua; you are very special to me and Dee Dee because you are our first grandchild. Now we have two to love. We love you too,, Ellie, and I hope someday I will hear you say I lub you toooooooo. I love you and Kevin too for giving us two special grandchildren.

Love You
Mama