I can't believe it! 26 years ago God blessed Evie and me with the world's most wonderful daughter, Carrie Lynn. Yes today is her birthday! She was named for my Grandma Patterson, Carrie Belle De Sart. We got our daughter's middle name from Evie's dad, Lynn Petersen. So she received two VERY special names of people who had a significant impact on our lives!
This morning, I just had to call her voicemail at work before she got there and sang the sad Happy Birthday song of "children dying everywhere and mothers crying in despair!" It is a sick, sick song. But a PATTERSON TRADITION!!!! We always would sing the real Happy Birthday song and would follow it with the sad version! That was just a tradition we always did as a kid!
Well, I was thinking about what today was like 26 years ago. We were living in Sioux Falls and experienced a terrible blizzard. I think we got about 11 inches of snow. I remember a day after Carrie's birth, that I had to walk to the hospital because there was so much snow in the streets that was the only way I could get there! Evie's folks had gone to St. James, MN to visit relatives and they couldn't get to Sioux Falls for several days. My folks were in eastern Iowa and came later to see Carrie because of all the bad weather and their work schedules.
We had gone to the Dr. on Thursday (day before Carrie was born). We knew that the baby would be born cesarean because Carrie had filled up Evie's cavity (not talking teeth either!) and ended up being born, butt first!
The Dr. had said that Carrie would probably come any day and had even looked at some available times when we could get in at Sioux Valley Hospital for her birth. We hadn't heard anything back from the doctor by the end of Thursday.
Well Friday morning (March 25th) really early in the morning I heard Evie say, "Mark, the water broke!" I immediately woke up and ran down two flights of stairs to the basement of our house and checked out the water pipes. I came back upstairs and said to Evie, "Honey, the pipes are fine!" Evie looked at me (now this next part I recall very well but Evie said she didn't say what she said to me.) What I remember Evie saying to me, "No you idiot, my water broke, not the pipes in the basement!!!!!" So that started the process. Evie of course had to bath, fix her hair because she wanted to look good and then I had to take a bunch of final pictures of her being pregnant before we could leave the house. We only lived about 8 blocks from Sioux Valley Hospital thank goodness!
We got to Sioux Valley and one of the funniest things that took place was a nurse who had worked about 11 1/2 hrs straight. She got Evie comfortable (if that is possible to do to a woman wanting to give birth!) and looked at me and said, "Mr. Patterson, if it is a boy do you want to circumcise him?" I was thinking of one of the couples in our birthing class where the husband was going to cut the cord and do a bunch of medical stuff and I remember telling Evie that I definitely would be at the delivery but not doing anything that might screw up our child in terms of their birth! So as the nurse asked me that simple question, I was thinking about this dude who had told everyone that he was going to cut the cord of their baby. I looked at the delivery nurse and said, "My God, no. I don't want to circumcise him, I want the Dr. to do that!" The nurse looked at me in shock and started laughing and said, "Oh my God no. I don't mean do you want to do it. I mean, do you want it done!" We laughed and laughed. The nurse went on to say, "You know in the 15 years of being a nurse, I have NEVER had anyone answer that question that way before!" Everyday while we were in the hospital I would run into that nurse and she would have a big smile on her face. I looked at her one day and said, "OK, wipe that smile off your face. I know you are still laughing about that dumb thing I said and I bet you went home and even told your husband the stupid thing I had done!" The nurse looked at me and said, "I have to be honest. I did tell my husband about the funny thing you said but I never mentioned your name!"
That's like the joke about Ole and Lena. Lena went to the Dr. because she was pregnant. Later, Ole asked her what the Dr. had reported to her about the development of the baby. Lena said, "The Dr. said, I have some good news and some bad news!" Ole looked at Lena and said, "Well what is the good news?" Lena proceeded to share that the good news was that they were going to have a baby girl" Ole responded with, "Oh Lena, thank you. I ALWAYS wanted a baby girl. What's the bad news?", Ole asked Lena. Lena looked at Ole with a sad expression and said, "Well Ole, unfortunately the Dr. said that our baby will have to be born cesarean!" Ole looked at Lena after reflecting on what she had just said and commented, "Oh gosh darn, I had always hoped that our baby would be born Norvegian!"
Well 9 months came and Lena went in to deliver the baby. Ole waited in the waiting room. The Dr. later came into the waiting room and asked for Ole. "That is me Dr., I am Lena's husband!" The Dr. looked at Ole and said, "Ole, I have some good news and some bad news!" Ole looked at the Dr. and said, "What's the good news Dr.?" The Dr. paused and said "You have a beautiful, beautiful baby girl!" Ole smiled and responded with "Oh thank you Dr. I always wanted a baby girl. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Dr.!" Ole said. Ole looked at the Dr. and said, "Dr., what is the bad news?" The Dr. looked and paused for a moment before responding and said, "Well Ole, I am sorry to say but one of her legs is shorter than the other leg!" Ole paused and said to the Dr. with a smile on his face, "That's OK Dr., we plan to call her Eileen anyway!"
So is it any wonder that Carrie turned out as normal as she did in our family. But we all know that normal is the setting on the dryer! Right?! Carrie was fun to raise most of the time and to see her earn both bachelor's and master's degrees, get married to a wonderful Christian man and contribute successfully in a wonderful career! Carrie even admitted last night on the phone that when she was younger, she was a "drama queen"! I never thought she would admit to that title!
I am VERY proud of Carrie and the wonderful Christian woman she is. It has been so much fun moving our relationship into an adult one from the father/daughter roles we had for most of our lives! She is fun and crazy. She knows what buttons to push to get me going and I can do the same with her. But she is a delight to have in my life and I am truly blessed to be her Daddo!
Happy Birthday Sweetie!!!!
Daddo
This morning, I just had to call her voicemail at work before she got there and sang the sad Happy Birthday song of "children dying everywhere and mothers crying in despair!" It is a sick, sick song. But a PATTERSON TRADITION!!!! We always would sing the real Happy Birthday song and would follow it with the sad version! That was just a tradition we always did as a kid!
Well, I was thinking about what today was like 26 years ago. We were living in Sioux Falls and experienced a terrible blizzard. I think we got about 11 inches of snow. I remember a day after Carrie's birth, that I had to walk to the hospital because there was so much snow in the streets that was the only way I could get there! Evie's folks had gone to St. James, MN to visit relatives and they couldn't get to Sioux Falls for several days. My folks were in eastern Iowa and came later to see Carrie because of all the bad weather and their work schedules.
We had gone to the Dr. on Thursday (day before Carrie was born). We knew that the baby would be born cesarean because Carrie had filled up Evie's cavity (not talking teeth either!) and ended up being born, butt first!
The Dr. had said that Carrie would probably come any day and had even looked at some available times when we could get in at Sioux Valley Hospital for her birth. We hadn't heard anything back from the doctor by the end of Thursday.
Well Friday morning (March 25th) really early in the morning I heard Evie say, "Mark, the water broke!" I immediately woke up and ran down two flights of stairs to the basement of our house and checked out the water pipes. I came back upstairs and said to Evie, "Honey, the pipes are fine!" Evie looked at me (now this next part I recall very well but Evie said she didn't say what she said to me.) What I remember Evie saying to me, "No you idiot, my water broke, not the pipes in the basement!!!!!" So that started the process. Evie of course had to bath, fix her hair because she wanted to look good and then I had to take a bunch of final pictures of her being pregnant before we could leave the house. We only lived about 8 blocks from Sioux Valley Hospital thank goodness!
We got to Sioux Valley and one of the funniest things that took place was a nurse who had worked about 11 1/2 hrs straight. She got Evie comfortable (if that is possible to do to a woman wanting to give birth!) and looked at me and said, "Mr. Patterson, if it is a boy do you want to circumcise him?" I was thinking of one of the couples in our birthing class where the husband was going to cut the cord and do a bunch of medical stuff and I remember telling Evie that I definitely would be at the delivery but not doing anything that might screw up our child in terms of their birth! So as the nurse asked me that simple question, I was thinking about this dude who had told everyone that he was going to cut the cord of their baby. I looked at the delivery nurse and said, "My God, no. I don't want to circumcise him, I want the Dr. to do that!" The nurse looked at me in shock and started laughing and said, "Oh my God no. I don't mean do you want to do it. I mean, do you want it done!" We laughed and laughed. The nurse went on to say, "You know in the 15 years of being a nurse, I have NEVER had anyone answer that question that way before!" Everyday while we were in the hospital I would run into that nurse and she would have a big smile on her face. I looked at her one day and said, "OK, wipe that smile off your face. I know you are still laughing about that dumb thing I said and I bet you went home and even told your husband the stupid thing I had done!" The nurse looked at me and said, "I have to be honest. I did tell my husband about the funny thing you said but I never mentioned your name!"
That's like the joke about Ole and Lena. Lena went to the Dr. because she was pregnant. Later, Ole asked her what the Dr. had reported to her about the development of the baby. Lena said, "The Dr. said, I have some good news and some bad news!" Ole looked at Lena and said, "Well what is the good news?" Lena proceeded to share that the good news was that they were going to have a baby girl" Ole responded with, "Oh Lena, thank you. I ALWAYS wanted a baby girl. What's the bad news?", Ole asked Lena. Lena looked at Ole with a sad expression and said, "Well Ole, unfortunately the Dr. said that our baby will have to be born cesarean!" Ole looked at Lena after reflecting on what she had just said and commented, "Oh gosh darn, I had always hoped that our baby would be born Norvegian!"
Well 9 months came and Lena went in to deliver the baby. Ole waited in the waiting room. The Dr. later came into the waiting room and asked for Ole. "That is me Dr., I am Lena's husband!" The Dr. looked at Ole and said, "Ole, I have some good news and some bad news!" Ole looked at the Dr. and said, "What's the good news Dr.?" The Dr. paused and said "You have a beautiful, beautiful baby girl!" Ole smiled and responded with "Oh thank you Dr. I always wanted a baby girl. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Dr.!" Ole said. Ole looked at the Dr. and said, "Dr., what is the bad news?" The Dr. looked and paused for a moment before responding and said, "Well Ole, I am sorry to say but one of her legs is shorter than the other leg!" Ole paused and said to the Dr. with a smile on his face, "That's OK Dr., we plan to call her Eileen anyway!"
So is it any wonder that Carrie turned out as normal as she did in our family. But we all know that normal is the setting on the dryer! Right?! Carrie was fun to raise most of the time and to see her earn both bachelor's and master's degrees, get married to a wonderful Christian man and contribute successfully in a wonderful career! Carrie even admitted last night on the phone that when she was younger, she was a "drama queen"! I never thought she would admit to that title!
I am VERY proud of Carrie and the wonderful Christian woman she is. It has been so much fun moving our relationship into an adult one from the father/daughter roles we had for most of our lives! She is fun and crazy. She knows what buttons to push to get me going and I can do the same with her. But she is a delight to have in my life and I am truly blessed to be her Daddo!
Happy Birthday Sweetie!!!!
Daddo
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