The Story of My Birthday
Today is my Birthday. I was born 81 years ago on a Sunday on August 5, 1945. Here is the story
as written by my Grandmother about what happened that day.
The Beginning of My Life.
What a great idea
This
evening I came across my baby book I have saved all these years and
found some wonderful pictures of my mom and myself. My imagination was
boundless as I started thinking back to my childhood and all the loving
memories. I wanted to relive those times.
Dan Briel, an old real
estate manager of mine shared his idea with me some time back about
putting down on tape his life story. “What a great idea,” I said as it
popped into my mind, to relive my childhood on tape.
I plan to
start recording my life today. I’m going out and stopping in front of
every home I have ever lived in. That way I will be able to remember
more details.
The Beginning of My Life
My mother (Eleanor) had a sister (Marie) and they were both pregnant
at the same time. It starts off with a letter exactly as my Grandmother
wrote it, to my Dad in the Philippines during World War II.
Everybody
was pregnant at the same time. Here from left to right are Dorthey
Gallager(My Aunt) Marie Pisors (my Mom's sister) Eleanor Kaufman (That's
my Mom and I'm inside of her there somewhere) and then another one of
our relatives, sorry I can't remember her name.
Chicago Illinois
Aug 10th 1945
Dear Bob:
I am writing you this letter while listening to the
radio reports, that are coming from all over the world, the news of
Japans offer to surrender if we will recognize the sovereignty of the
Emperor. If that is all they want there seems little to argue about so
we surely can expect peace within a short time. Gee won’t that be
something and then you can come home to that little family of yours. And is
it some family. Eleanor’s eye’s just shine with the thrill of motherhood
and yesterday when I was there with Marie I went in to her room and she
was nursing the baby and it sure looked wonderful to see them. El says
throw away the bottles(I don’t need them) and I certainly hope she is
right as it will be so much better for the baby if she can nurse him for
awhile.
We sure had some excitement around
here this last week. Both girls were getting so tired of waiting and the
time seemed to drag along so for them. Last Saturday night Dad took us
all to the show to see Barbary Coast. It was a beautiful technicolor
picture and we enjoyed it immensely. We got home about 11:30 o’clock and
the girls wanted to know what else they could do to hurry things along,
Marie was going to take here second dose of castor oil in three days to
start things moving. Eleanor had taken one on the previous Monday and
the Doctor had told her to follow it up on Thursday if nothing happened.
Eleanor was so determined that she was going to help nature all she
could ( the real reason was that Dr Wexler was leaving on his vacation
on Monday and she wanted things over by then) so without telling us she
had gone upstairs and taken another dose ( 2oz at a time ).
Well then we
decided we would go for a walk, it was around midnight then so the
three of us Marie Eleanor and I went on a hike, up Elston Avenue, over
to Milwaukee on Peterson, up to Miami back across Elston Ave and around
to Marmora and back home again. Seemed as though we must have walked two
miles in all. Back home we all retired for the night but around 2:30
Eleanor called that the water had broken and she was having regular
pains and they were about two minutes apart. Of Course we all got
excited and I wanted her to put on a robe over her gown but nothing
doing she was going to be fully dressed and have her hair combed before
she left. I am going to try to describe just what happened from there on
as I know you are wondering just what happened and I sure am sorry that
you could not have been with her. She was a regular little brick and
was so determined that she was going through without hollering too much.
Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago were I was born.
We checked in at the hospital at 3:05 on the
morning of August the Fifth, 1945. Dad had driven Eleanor and I over but
hurried back to be with Marie because with all the excitement she felt
pains coming on too. A nurse came down and took Eleanor up stairs to the
labor room while I waited down at the office to register her. ( I was
so excited I couldn’t even remember what year she was born in or how old
she was. I just wanted to get up stairs in a hurry. On getting upstairs
I found that they had taken El into the labor room and the nurse said
she would call me as soon as possible. Around four o’clock the nurse
said I could go in and sit with Eleanor. She was in great pain. they
were coming about every minute. One would hardly leave when another one
would come. The nurse came in every half hour to examine her and said
she was doing nicely, that at 5 o’clock she was more then half open and
that the baby would be born at about 7 o’clock. (We had called Dr Wexler
and he said he would be there just as soon as the nurse called him from
the hospital.) Eleanor just lay there from then on moving her head
from side to side she kept saying OH----Oh-----Oh. About this time it
began to rain real hard outside and El and I watched the day break. We
could hardly see the roofs across the street at first and finally they
began to emerge out of the rain and the darkness. In between the pains
she would smile. Suppose that was the anticipation of the coming
arrival. The nurse had told Eleanor the last time she examined her that
everything was going fine and then the next time she came something had
happened and although she still had the pains they were not doing any
good. She called the house physician around seven o’clock and he came in
and examined her and then sent for Dr Wexler. At 7:45 Sunday morning
they took her into the delivery room and from then on I sure sweated it
out. I was alone and could not go down stairs to telephone for fear they
would call me. Wexler arrived just before 8 o’clock and came out and
talked to me after seeing Eleanor. He said she was OK but things just
had slowed up and we would have to wait for nature to take it’s course.
Around about that time Dr went to make his room calls and he was back
about 9 o’clock again. Still nothing. At 10 o’clock he called in another
Doctor–Dr Timmerman who Dr had said was a great obstetrician & the
one who will take care of Marie if she does not deliver before Dr Wexler
leaves tomorrow.
(As it happened)
Andrew arrived to be with me
and am I glad to have someone with me. Seems good to have someone to
talk to although there is a husband here now waiting for his wife and I
have been talking to him for the past hour or so. Andrew is pacing the
floor for you so he can know what it is like now and it will be good
practice for him when his arrives. I just talked to the head nurse and
she tries to re-assure me saying that the trouble is that they took
Eleanor in too soon but I know better I know that something has gone
wrong. We are standing in the hall now so we can look into the corridor
that leads to the delivery room.
10:20 AM August 5th, 1945
After conferring with Dr Timmerman, Dr Wexler came out to talk to us
and he says that they will probably have to help Eleanor a little as
things do not seem to be moving as they should. I heard later that they
had decided to wait until noon and if something did not happen they
would operate. Dr says it will not have to be a cesarean.
12:00 AM
Dr Wexler is back again--- Says we will have to have a little more
patience- Says the woman in our family just don’t have their babies
easy.
The folks at home are getting worried and are phoning but I have no news for them.
1:30 o’clock
There is quiet a bit of activity in the room. Now another doctor
arrives. The nurses are all putting on their masks– Something must be
going to happen.
1:45 PM
Dr Wexler is back again and is now
putting on his white coat and mask and at 1:50 PM he came out to explain
just what they are going to have to do. He tries to explain that the
babies head is wedged in and they just cannot turn it--- He says it
fits like a piece of a cross word puzzle (of course he uses medical
terms but thinks we can understand it easier-- He says the head is just
locked in and cannot come out any further. They are going to have to cut
in order that the baby may be born. He goes back in and from then on we
all stand looking through the glass door wondering just what is
happening as we can only see the hallway leading to the delivery room
2:15 PM
Everything is as quiet as can be- You would not know that anyone is in there at all.
3:
PM Dr Timmerman comes out and asks for Mrs Kaufman’s mother and said
that Dr Wexler wanted him to say that the baby was born and Eleanor is
OK. Gee what a relief. I asked what it was and he said gee I don’t
remember Oh yes I think it was a boy. He must have been helping Dr as
the sweat is dripping from his face and he is wiping off his head and
arms as he goes down the hall.
We are still standing in the hall
watching as I do not want Andrew to go down to telephone to the folks at
home until I am sure just what the baby is. A BOY or A GIRL.
When
Dr Wexler comes out he assures us that everything is going to be
alright, that Eleanor is OK and that although they had to cut in order
to get the baby out she has been all closed up again and that it is a
nice neat job. We sure feel a lot better now.
Then the nurse
comes out with your SON and is he a bouncing baby boy. His hands are
almost as big as a two year olds and his head is exceptionally large. I
think he looks like your Dad but they all say he is just like you. We
even compared his feet prints today and what do you think his second toe
is just like the Kaufman’s. Eleanor is going to have the nurse make a
set of foot prints for you so I suppose you will soon be looking at them
yourself. The baby was born at 2:20 Sunday afternoon.
I sent
Andrew down stairs to telephone to the folks at home and they were all
thrilled about the way things came out. I had planned that we would call
your mother and have her with us but as we left in the middle of the
night and it seemed such a rush case I didn’t get to call her until
then. Eleanor said she thought that would be better as she would worry
and we thought we would call her when it was all over.
Well
they finally wheeled Eleanor’s bed out of the delivery room and as soon
as I could I went in to see her. She was pretty sick and they had given
her gas for an anesthetic. It was some time before she knew what it was
all about. Andrew went home and called your Mother to come down to the
hospital. In just a few minutes she was there and she stayed with El
while I went back home with your Dad. I was just about famished by that
time as there was no place to get a bite to eat and it was a long hard
day.
You can be real proud of your little boy--did I say
little--I meant big boy. I filled out the announcement cards and mailed
them right away. Will enclose one for you I think they are real cute.
Thursday
morning we took Marie to the hospital for her baby and she came through
fine. We got there about five o’clock in the morning and her baby was
born at 8:36 AM. We thought yours was big but she topped it with a 8lbs
and 9 oz boy. She would have to do that.
The nurses were very
nice and have moved both girls into one room. It sure makes it nice for
them to be together especially since neither one of you or Al can be
there.
Since starting this letter I went to the hospital and when
I went upstairs what do you suppose there is Ray Byrin and his wife
leave it to Ray. He fixed it up with the head nurse so they could visit
the girls. They only allow one visitor per patient a day.
They
issue a white card for the Fathers and your mother and I are making good
use of it. She is the father in the evening and I am the father in the
afternoon. There always seems to be a different nurse on duty and they
don’t know the difference between us.
Sure glad you newsletters keep coming as they keep Eleanor’s spirits up while she is in the hospital.
Your
Dad is as proud as a peacock of his new grandson. We can all hardly
wait until we can take him home. Wish you could be here for his first
bath. That is really something. I thought Eleanor would be disappointed
because she did not have a girl but she says she wouldn’t have anything
else but what she has now, I got white christening outfits for all of
the new babies but now Eleanor wants me to take them back and
exchange hers and Marie’s for real boys outfits with rompers. Well back
they go as soon as I can get around to it.
Al is trying to get a three day pass and is going to fly home this coming week end.
Well
I guess I have told you everything, I tried t keep notes so that I
could write you so you would know just what happened. Loads of love and I
sure hope that the reports we are hearing on the air do not blow up and
maybe you will be home again before you know it.
Loads of love and congratulations and
many thanks for giving me such a fine grandson.
MOM
“Yea, I’m finally born and did I ever get a Great Mom, You should see her.”
Believe it or not, I remember laying in this basket. I didn't like it because I couldn't see out of the sides and see my Mom.
