I was born in Savannah,
Georgia on November 1, 1956. If you are a Catholic, you know that
November1st. is “All Saints Day”. All Saints Day is a holy day
and more important to me as a child attending a Catholic school, it
was a holiday! No school on my birthday! Yippee! This was extra
special because the day before, October 31st, was
Halloween.
My mother told me that on that
particular Halloween in 1956, I was overdue to be born. My family
lived in a big old sprawling two story frame house on Maupas Avenue.
And on that street lived dozens of children. And every single child
on Maupas and every other street in Savannah went trick or treating
that night. My mother only had five children in seven years. Yes,
when she was twenty-seven, good Catholic girl that she was, she
already had five wee ones. Then for some mysterious reason she had
no babies for seven years. That's when my three sisters, Cathy, Cea
and Camille, aged ten, twelve and fourteen, started a campaign for my
mother to have a baby! My two brothers Larry and John, aged seven
and eight were not really interested, unless it was a baby brother.
My sister, Cea, campaigned the hardest. She really, really wanted a
little baby to play with and wouldn't stop begging my mother for one.
So finally Mama relented, and got on
the nest with little ducky number six, me. I guess you could say I
got into this world by the skin of my teeth! But, on that Halloween
night, while my five brothers and sisters went out to trick-or-treat,
Mama stayed home to give out candy to literally “hundreds” of
children. “Well, I was as big as the side of the barn, and every
time the doorbell rang I had to get up out of my chair and go give
out candy! After about a hundred trips to answer the door, it was
time to go to the hospital! I had already had one false alarm, so
when I went, I knew I better not come back home empty-handed!” she
told me.
I was born after midnight, and so I
guess I am supposed to be a saint and not a witch! When Daddy got
back to the house from the hospital, he wouldn't tell any of my
siblings if the baby was a girl or a boy until they were all sitting
together on the staircase steps. Then he announced, “It's a
beautiful baby girl! And she looks just like Cea!” Cea said that
was, at that point, the happiest moment of her life. When the new
baby was brought home Mama showed the little bundle to my brother
Larry. Larry took one look at me and said, “Another girl.
Yuck!!!” Larry ended up having eleven children. Mostly girls! He
thinks they are all beautiful...
So I ask you, do you know the story of
your birthday? In this day of smart phones and texting, will family
stories survive? Will the art of southern storytelling survive? If
you know about your own birthday, please share it on this blog! If
not, go ask your relatives that remember, before the story is gone
for good... “Another girl. Yuck!!!”
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| Front row: John, Cathy, Daddy, Mama holding her Halloween treat and Larry Back row: Camille and Cea that nagged me into this world! |
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| Lampp Family 1959 in the Woody Wagon in Savannah |
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| In case you missed me!!! |
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| Miss Paper Doll 1960 Columbus, Georgia I couldn't resist! Ha! |
Suzan, great story and great blog! I love it and can't wait to read more stories!!
ReplyDeleteSuzan, my birth story is this: my parents waited seven years to "get me." They really wanted 3 children but alas, Mama only got pregnant with me.
She was very sick almost the whole pregnancy. She lived off of ginger ale and saltine crackers for 9+ months. She said Dr. Swilling, her doctor-and a female!- said that my heartbeat sounded like a boy at most appointments (fast, not slow like a girl). My parents eagerly anticipated this little Butler boy!! They painted my nursery baby blue.
My Mama was several weeks overdue and finally they went to the hospital and after a long labor and the assistance of forceps, I made my appearance- a baby girl!!!! My parents were surprised but thrilled. (When I was about 2 they re-painted my room pink!) I was the first (and only) grandchild on my Mama's side. She said my Grandaddy made a dent in the glass at the hospital nursery window from staring at me so long.
Now, my mother was a florist by trade; she, her brother and mother owned Ingleside Florist & Gift Shop on Vineville Avenue. I was born right before Mother's Day in May and back in the 50's Mother's Day was a HUGE event in the florist business!! All the family & employees used to tease Mama about working on invoices and making bows in her hospital bed.
One more story about my birth: My Daddy was not allowed in the Labor, Delivery or hospital room at any time while my mother was there. The closest he got to me was looking through the nursery window. However, my Mama told him that the janitor came in her room while I was there with her and mopped the floor with nasty mop-bucket water!!! She and my Daddy always thought that was so funny: the janitor could bring germs in the room but heaven forbid the actual father of the child should be anywhere near the baby!!
And that's how I got here!!
I LOVE that story!!! You need to make sure you write that down on paper and give it to your children before any of that story gets away. Also, go to your Daddy and get his story recorded. That will be a treasure! Tell Cathy G. that she gave me this idea. Love, Suzan
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