We were married less than a year when we thought that John's Mom was pregnant. We even went out and brought a bottle of champagne to celebrate. However, this was in the days before in-home pregnancy test kits and when the test results came back from the doctor's office, the word was that "the rabbit lived."
Nonetheless, John's Mom went back for another test in the following week or two and this time we got to open the champagne bottle when the test results came back "the rabbit died."
Next came the challenge of breaking the news to the rest of the family. It was November and we were at JW's Mammy and Papa's home and everyone was there, to include John's Grandma, to celebrate John's Dad's birthday. Following the cake and candles, John's Mom handed John's Dad a birthday card to "Daddy," and thus everyone came to know that JW was on his way.
When JW was eventually born, it was, of course, June. John's Mom & Dad were laying in bed in Great Neck, NY watching on TV the NBC Saturday Night at the Movies presentation of "The Battle of the Bulge" staring Henry Fonda, among others. In the middle of the movie, John's Mom's water breaks and we immediately head for the hospital where he was to be born, Syosset Hospital on Long Island.
We never did get to learn who eventually won that battle.The old saw is that early pregnancies are hard, and later pregnancies are easier. For John's Mom, the opposite was true; JW was the easiest and Jes was the hardest. In fact, upon arrival at the hospital in the middle of the night, the nurses noted that John's Mom was already dilating and immediately called the obstetrician. However, time passed and still no doctor. The nurse eventually called backed and it turned out that the doctor had rolled-over and had went back to sleep. He eventually got to the hospital and upon examination, immediately rolled John's Mom into the delivery room. As it turned out, the doctor came very close to missing the delivery.
Thus was how anxious JW was to enter into this world.
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