It was February 7, 1964. A national day of significance. It was a cold Friday morning in Milwaukeee. Your Mom suggested that I stay home from work because the birth of Grasshopper No.3 was eminent. A call was made to Nana and Grandpa George in Plymouth. They had offered to come down to Milwaukee to pick up Grasshopper No.1 and No.2 when Mom went into the hospital. They didn’t get to Milwaukee until after lunch and as I recall we left for the hospital before Grandpa and Nana got to our house. I think we left hot water on the stove.
We rushed to the West Allis hospital. Your Mom was ushered off to the “delivery” area of the hospital and I was ushered to an office off the main lobby where a stern nurse administrator had a stack of legal documents for me to sign. We had insurance through work but I hadn’t been there 9 months so we had to pay all delivery costs out of petty cash (yeah, right. I had to arrange a payment plan with the hospital before I could leave the office). My recollection is that I had Grasshopper No.1 and No.2 with me and that I had to get them back to the apartment so Nana and Grandpa could take them home. The rest is a blur. I know the birth did not take long. Remember there were no cell phones with which to take pictures and no facebook to share immediate details with the world. “Sharing” was done by pony express.
Here comes the true confession. Today couples having children “share” together at the hospital for the first 24 hours to enjoy the whole experience. I didn’t do that. After Grasshopper No.3 was born (and I knew your Mom and No.3 were resting comfortably), I headed for Plymouth and celebrated with my side of the family at the City Club. So while your Mom (exhausted) and No.3 were in Milwaukee, I was drinking beer and dancing the Polka with my Mother and friends. That was not a good decision on my part. Yeah, I was young and stupid too! Today I would do it different. Yes, I would!
So now it is 47 years later. I’m sure that Grasshopper No.3 experienced the birth of his own children better than I did. No sir-ee. There was no beer and polka music at the City Club for him.
As Feb.7 comes and goes, it is a fitting to reflect on the significance of that day in our family. A new little creature entered this world and has been making it better every since.
Happy Birthday No.3.
Love,
Dad