My Mom writes about Luke

           (Luke in 2014 )
My mother wanted to write in the worst way and she did a lovely job whenever she put pen to paper.  I have discovered realms of her writings and many attempts to begin again.  What I've found brings her back to life for me.  It also brings back other times and other places and people I love as they use to be many years ago.  
I find her words to be a treasure now.  I wander through her life in whatever path she presents for me, even though the stories may not be in any particular sequence.  
Here is one such writing:
                                " August 30, 1979
Thursday
Little Diane awakened about eight o'clock this morning.  I gave her a quick bath in the downstairs sink and fed her cereal and a bottle. We played together for a few minutes and then we both went to sleep again. When we woke up we had breakfast with Meg and Mary Beth. I took a shower and had some spaghetti before leaving for Albany Medical to visit Luke.  Nurse Eileen was on duty.  I rocked him from about 2:40 to 4:05pm.  He seemed to like it and I did, too.  When Bob left work he picked me up at the hospital at about 4:30 pm.  Mary Beth had a delicious meal for us- Belgium stew, tomatoes, noodles & gravy.  I drank wine & it made me sleepy & sick.  I must learn to leave it alone! Carl came at about 9:45. He had been drinking and acted unreasonable.  He gave Meg a hard time when she told him she had a date to see a doctor at the hospital.  Made a big time of it!
After eleven I called Charlie.  He seemed in good spirits.
                                      
                                    August 31, 1971, Friday
Dear Luke,
              Meg, that's your Mommie, and Aunt Mary Beth went to visit you this afternoon.  I stayed home with cousins Brian and Diane.  Aunt Mary made a delicious dinner.  I helped by breading the chicken and pork.  We also had creamed cauliflower and a delicious eggplant that Mary Ellen,  Aunt Mary Beth's neighbor sent over to us.  Ed, her husband, brought it over.
              Your Daddy didn't come to Albany.  He was working in Woodstock.  Grandpa, Aunt Anna and Aunt Anne came up from the city about eight.  We fixed dinner for them.  After dinner Grandpa, Aunt Anne and I brought milk to the hospital and I rocked you for awhile."

These entries were written shortly after my nephew, Luke Godfrey Nickerson, was born at Albany Medical Center on August 21, 1979.  If I remember correctly Luke's due date wasn't until November 11th.
 His extremely premature arrival was a shock to the entire family.  No offense Luke, but when I first laid eyes on you, you looked very much like a newly plucked chicken and a rather skimpy one at that - 2 pounds 6 ounces!  I worked in a premature nursery while in nursing school and the babies I tended to there were monsters compared to you.  I wanted to be happy but I couldn't let myself believe you would survive.