September 17, 2008

The morming of Barret's birth. April 9m1974, I was alone in my apartment, the first floor of a double (really 2 parlors and a back hall) in Princeton, New Jersey. I thought I had gone into labor a few days before. And a friend of Dick's who was visiting came to my house and he was named Joey Butera. And he brought me to my doctor's office in downtown Princeton. Joey Butera had been Dick's best friend in college. He inherited his father's commercial art business in Boston and for some reason was visiting Dick. Dick lived across the street from Terry and me and was our friend.
Anyway I had gained almost 10 lbs with Barret and I had pains in my thighs. These fierce pains so I could hardly walk. I don't know where Terry was or where our car was. So I got Joey Butera to drive me to the doctor's. I don't know whether I went into labor that night but I believe the next morning they had me go the hospital to induce labor.
Jerry O'Brien Terry's mother was coming in from Indianapolis, Indiana. So the morning of April 9th it was a pretty day and I was driven to Princeton Hospital (by Terry I believe) and labor was induced. To do this they shoot some medicine in your veins to bring on labor. They did this but Barret was so big, he wouldn't come out, so they put a mask over my face and put me to sleep and cut me ope wider and took Barret out with a forceps.

i remember wakig up and hearing some nurse at the foot of the hospital bed say, "You have a son." i was so thrilled. I was teaching at that time at Rider College in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Terry was going to school there nights to get his teaching certificate. (He could go free as my spouse). He wasn't working. That had me worried. But Rachelle was about 3 or 4 and I believe stayed with Terry and Jerry Obrien at the house. We lived at 43 Park Place one street off Nassau Street in the heart of Princeton. One ov my students at Rider came from a family that ran a floral shop and I remember being so happy because he and my students made sure that all my window ledge was full of flowers and then they had to bring in extra tables so I could have more.

I remember Barret had such a big head and pale hair and was such a beautiful big baby and how happy I was to have a son. Dick and his fiance Georgie sent me a beautiful spray of orchids and Mama sent me a huge basket of pink roses. And I got flowers from David Greenan and my agent Don Krintzman and all in all it was one of the happiest days of my life. I wore my hair in 2 high pony tails and had a blue nightgown my mother had bought me and I remember feeling sad that Barret would be my last child because Terry and I had thought 2 children was enough. And jerry O'brien was so pleased and said, "Well you have your family now." And Barret was already wearing sixe 3-6mos old yellow pajamas as a newborn at the hospirtal. I put a blue ribbon round his head for the pictures taken in te hospital.

At that time reltives and husbands weren't allowed in the operating room so I was wheeled in there alone.