TRACIE ELIZABETH'S ARRIVAL

It was just several months after Troy’s birth that I came home and found Debbie feeling pretty low.  She’d been to the doctor and I was worried that she might have received a bad report.  I pressed her for details.  With tears, she burst out:  “I’m pregnant again!”  My response was immediate and spontaneous:  “That’s fantastic!”  She was instantly relieved.  After four-and-a-half-years of trying to get Troy, her birth came as a delightful surprise! 

The pregnancy was much like Troy’s.  Debbie was her healthiest when she was pregnant!  She had hardly packed her pregnancy clothes away! 

Of course, we had the same doctor and he required the same safety measures regarding this birth.  Consequently, the birth had to take place at the University Hospital in Morgantown, West Virginia.  We had to have an operating room reserved in case problems developed.  All this was necessary since Travis had been a Caesarian delivery, but Troy’s delivery had been a natural one. 

It was a bit of a nuisance to have to travel to Morgantown for doctor’s appointments, but the joy of the purpose overcame the inconvenience of the trip.  The road we traveled went through Masontown and Whitehouse and had lots of curves.  It was a challenging road to drive if you were in a hurry!  We had made the trip in a hurry some months ago [see my story, TROY BOY’S ARRIVAL].

The pregnancy went well and we reported for all of Deb’s appointments without problems.  One Wednesday night, she felt that things were coming ready to deliver and called our neighbor, Rose, to be on alert in case her contractions began. The next morning, we left Travis and Troy with Rose and made the trip to Morgantown for a regularly scheduled appointment with her doctor.  It was August 13, 1981.  We arrived at the hospital to find a new, temporary check-in system being used.  This concerned us because the line we were waiting in was long and seemed to be moving slowly. 

After a significant wait, we were seated before a relatively young, African-American man who was responsible for our intake.  I tried to field all of his questions while Debbie systematically closed her eyes and did her counting, while lightly rubbing her hands on her belly.  I could tell that the young man felt the urgency!  He began to break out in sweat and occasionally mopped his forehead with his handkerchief.  FINALLY, we were cleared to head to her doctor’s office to report for her appointment!

Her condition was quickly recognized to be urgent there and she was admitted and rushed to the labor room!  Things can move quickly in a hospital when they need to! 

When I finally was allowed to join her in the labor room, she was in a hospital gown and in the stirrups with the doctor all ready to assist with the delivery.  That’s when everything stopped!

No contractions!  No discomfort.  The doctor was concerned and placed a tap on the baby’s head.  The read-out indicated no stress on the baby;  it was okay.  He smiled and said that sometimes this just happens and that we would have to wait for Debbie’s body to signal the impending delivery. 

At that point, I was standing on her left side while holding her hand and encouraging her.  The anesthesiologist was a foot away at her head.  He suggested that I pull a stool over to be close to Debbie – since we were obviously in for a delay of unknown length.  Before I did so, I leaned in and whispered to her that she was lucky to be able to have her pastor with her in the delivery room!  She smiled and squeezed my hand.  As I walked away to get the stool, the anesthesiologist leaned down and asked her:  “Is he really your pastor?”   Ha ha ha…  Debbie delightfully reported that ‘Yes’ I was her pastor, but also her husband!  We all had a good laugh at that!

After about a fifteen minute wait, Debbie’s body resumed the delivery process and within a few minutes, we had our third child!  Excitedly, I reported:  “It’s a girl!”  She was born around 2:40 PM and weighed 6 pounds and 13 ounces. 

Throughout their childhood years, Tracie took great delight, from August 13 till August 24, reminding Troy that for that period they were the same age!  It was a miserable time for Troy!   

We had discussed names for boys and girls.  We wanted to stay with the T’s, although I had advocated for the girl’s name, Hannah.  Elizabeth was a family name on both sides, so we had decided to use it as a possible middle name – if we had a girl.  I had also suggested a creative combination by naming her ‘Tracibeth’;  we both liked that.  However, when the person came to ask her name for the birth certificate, she caught Debbie unprepared – so her name went down as Tracie Elizabeth Haire.  J

We were now very happy and satisfied with our little girl - as a family of five!