The Adventures of Ellery Queen and the Lasagna

This post is the 1st of 15. We are writing our way through our youth over at Mommy's Piggy TALES. Check it out! :)
 
I was born at the foot of the mountains, so I'm told. They must have made a good first impression, 'cause I love the mountains to this day. I was also born early on a Sunday morning. My Dad teases me by complaining that I made him miss an episode of Ellery Queen.

My Mom's babies nearly always come late, but as I was the first, she had no way of knowing that. Her doctor checked her over, and there were no signs of impending labor, so he left town for a few days. That Saturday, my Mom went out shopping with my grandmother. They wandered all around 2 very large shopping malls, for the majority of the day. When my Mom got home, her feet were sore & her ankles swollen, so my grandmother told her to rest while she fixed lasagna. Wouldn't you know...my Mom didn't get to eat lasagna that night. That's what she teases me about.

So of course, her doctor was still out of town, so they had to call in a different doctor. The doctor in question had been at a luau party, and came to the delivery room in white pants & a Hawaiian shirt. My mom remembers thinking "oh great, Magnum PI is going to deliver my baby." She was relieved to find out that he was very laid back, with a great sense of humor. He reassured her that he was just  there to let her do her thing.

Now let me tell you. I'm jealous of my Mom's birthing experience. The hospital room had an honest to God bed in it. Not a hospital bed. A real-deal king sized bed. And, the first dinner they gave you after having the baby, was served by candlelight. I think my first dinner after Jewel was stale chicken surprise..or something like that. Mom & Dad had a steak dinner by candlelight. In a hospital?!?!

About a month after I was born, the doctors decided that I was too small. I was happy, and strong, but they were used to formula-fed children, so I looked tiny by comparison. They were so certain that I was underweight, my Mom was told that I wouldn't live past 3 months. Never mind that I lifted my head well, amazed them with my grip on their fingers, and could kick beautifully. Never mind that both my parents are short.

Happily, the doctors were wrong (as they frequently have been about me) and I'm still here. (And I'm still short..shhh)