Wendy, My Darling's, Birthday....

Wendy was born October 9, 1972. She was named after Wendy Darling from the 1953 Disney movie, Peter Pan. The name Wendy was created for the movie Peter Pan. It was the first time that the name Wendy had ever been used. I loved the movie Peter Pan, and I especially loved the character, Wendy. She was a wonderful sister to her brothers. She was a great and supportive friend, to Peter Pan. Moreover, I thought Wendy Darling was beautiful.

Wendy was my second baby. My first child was a son, Mark Richard. We did not have sono's in 1972 or epidurals. Every birth was natural without medication, and each baby was a surprise.

I wanted a little girl. And, I wanted her to have red hair. My grandmother had beautiful auburn hair. I wanted my little girl to be blessed with her great grandmother Jane Shirts, beautiful red hair.

I wore pink for my entire pregnancy including a pink hair ribbon everyday. We named the baby Wendy even though we had no idea if we were going to have a girl. Had Wendy been a boy, she would have been named Seth.

I went into labor two hours after I had finished my nursing shift. I was a RN in charge of the Labor and Delivery suite of St. Johns Hospital in Oxnard, California. Imagine the surprise, when I returned to the same nurse that I had just given end of shift report.

I always start with hard labor. There is never a light contraction. Wendy was no exception. I began hard contractions at 1AM. She was born a little after 5AM. I dilated quickly. I went from 5Cm's to complete with one contraction. In fact, my Dr. had just checked me when I screamed the baby is coming. Dr. Chung told me to get a grip as I was only dilated 5Cm's. I remember kicking off the sheet and screaming the baby is coming out. And, she was. Dr. Chung delivered me in his business suit. Wendy was born with such force that she broke both of her little clavicles.

I was so happy that I had delivered a beautiful little girl, but felt so sad that both of her tiny collar bones were broken in the process. There was simply nothing that could be done to prevent this from happening. Wendy was so excited to be my baby that she literally rushed into my arms. In return, I cared carefully for her little broken collar bones until each healed

After Wendy was born, I was given a private room because I was an employee of the hospital. St. John's was a Catholic hospital. I was taken to room 303. When they rolled me onto my bed, I found myself looking directly at a picture of Jesus. I remember distinctly saying, thank you to Jesus, over and over. I was so blessed to have delivered a sweet, 8lb. 8oz, baby girl with beautiful red hair. She was more than anything I had ever hoped for. She had the sweetest little fingers and toes. Her skin was unblemished and translucent. Most distinctly, she had deep violet eyes.

Wendy has lived up to everything that Wendy, the movie character stood for. She is a wonderful sister to her brothers. She has been wonderful and supportive to her friends. And to me, she is now and always will be, the most beautiful girl I have ever seen.

Wendy, my darling has been the delight of my life for 37 years.