Chris is Pregnant

Thursday November 7, 1991

Another poor night makes another slow morning. A ginseng helps. By 11 a.m. we are off and running for a day of errands. We do alot of banking, stop at Lemona, where I leave a note and bottle of sparkling cider to welcome our new tenants. I hope they stay for years and years, happily.

We stop to visit Gary and Maria. Then on to Sears to check out washers and dryers for mother.

We get home about 9 p.m. Chris calls. She worried because we're out so late. She tells me she just found out today she's pregnant. Baby should be born in July. I have alot of concern but I don't tell her. Her 38 age and overweight plus her general health concern me. I only tell her how happy I am and I am. Hope it's a healthy girl!

After another sleepless night, Mom is running around all day and into the late hours of the evening. No wonder I was worried. Yes, that baby (Derek) was indeed born on July 14, 1992, one day after his due date, and after 36 hours of labor and a C-section. Mom was right to be concerned. The pregnancy was difficult. The nausea began that very day, but didn't last just during the morning. It lasted 24 hours/day for 9 months, to the point where I could not work or even get out of bed, the longest 9 months of my life. A granddaughter was not to be. Mom and I were so close that even though I was already 38 years old and had one son, I longed to have a daughter to have the same kind of close relationship Mom and I shared. I tried 3 times, and gave birth to 3 boys. By the time Ryan was born I was 42 years old, too old to try again. When he graduates from high school in 2 years, I will be 60. Most of his friends have grandparents my age. It's not easy to raise teenagers at this age!