Melodi Carter was the biggest surprise of my life! After Tami was born, my doctor said I would never have any more children. We took him at his word.Tommy and I bought a small two bedroom home on six acres in the middle of nowhere, settling down to raise our family. We had big plans for the house. We intended to add on in every direction, eventually we did.
Our first winter in Missouri we had over 3 feet of snow. Most of it stayed on the ground from December until Spring. Every Friday afternoon in January, it began to snow and did not stop until sometime Monday. Roads were closed, school was out, and Tommy couldn't get to work. We made it fine, since we burned wood for heat, cooked with gas and had a ton of candles and six oil lamps to supply light. When the road was closed and the power lines were down, my little family and I had a good time. The kids had radios. We played cards, colored pictures and made fudge. Somewhere in the mix we also made Melodi.
Two months later I wasn't feeling all that great. Every time I took a sip of coffee, I got sick. I couldn't imagine what was wrong. We went to the doctor finally. He laughed and told me I was pregnant. I laughed and told him I was not. Then I gave him all the reasons why I wasn't pregnant. First we had just bought a two bedroom house---there wasn't room for a baby. Second, I was 30 years old. Tommy and I planned to have all our children by the time we were 30. Third, I can't have anymore kids because and I quote, "the doctor in Tennessee said I couldn't." So there.
My doctor replied, patting my hand and still laughing, "You have 7 months to figure out where to put the baby bed. Second you will still be 30 when you have this baby. Third, the doctor in Tennessee was WRONG!! Get dressed and make an appointment to see me in a month." Hmmmmm Then I got excited!!! Really excited!!! We were having a baby. Tommy was delighted after the shock wore off. He was as glad as I was about the news.
We had a million plans to make. First thing on the list, we had to tell the girls. I knew they would be thrilled. When I told Lisa the first words out of her mouth were, "Why? I just got used to having Tami around and now you are gonna have another one!!" When we told Tami, who was only 2 1/2 years old....she hung her doll!!" They got excited about two weeks later. We were looking at baby items, in a near by store. It was like magic spread all over the girls. They were having a little brother or sister. Finally, they got it!! They both wanted a sister. We bought our first baby outfit....for a little girl. It was a pink with tiny roses. Tami picked out a baby bottle with a giraffe on it. I still have that bottle. It goes on our Christmas tree every year.
Melodi's due date was October 5th. Twenty five days later she made her appearance. I was so tired of people saying, "Haven't you had that baby yet?" It was almost like they thought I was holding out on purpose. However, when Melodi was born, she made it easy on her Mama. I was in labor only 6 hours. I walked to the delivery room. She was born at exactly 12 o'clock noon. I remember the nurse telling me, that was unusual. Babies were born a minute or two before or after noon, but seldom at noon. Melodi nailed it.
Melodi was a good baby. She was beautiful and loved to sleep. To the girls, she was the best 'toy' they ever received. Lisa became a little Mama to Melodi. She adored her. For Tami, Melodi was someone she could play with, someone more fun than her dolls.
In these pictures, Melodi is one week old. Tomorrow she will be 33. The time has gone by so fast. She has a great job with CarMax, lives on the West coast in a beautiful home. She is happy, healthy and one of the most loving people I have ever known. God blessed us with the perfect surprise, for that I will be eternally grateful.
Happy Birthday Melodi, you are by far our best surprise, and we love you more than you will ever know.
Love,
Mom
No comments:
Post a Comment