Lillah Nicole Boyd's 27th Birthday

When Freddy and I got married on November 27, 1981 I immediately made an appointment with the fertility doctor in Birmingham. I was finally covered by insurance and back then, insurance covered fertility treatments. I began my trek back and forth that 100 miles often.

Over the course of nearly three years, I had six surgeries, countless tests, and fertility drugs which have a special circle in Hell all their own I'm sure. I had hot flashes, night sweats, and MOOD swings. Then we moved to Rome in December of 1983 and I took a break. I called Dr. Younger's office at UAB and they said I deserved one. Then, in January...I was pregnant! It took, and on October 30, 1984 we had the prettiest little baby girl you ever saw.

Nicole was 5lbs-4oz. Such a tiny little thing. By the time she got here after 19 hours of hard labor, I was so glad to see her. Freddy had tears in his eyes and under the delivery room lights, they looked like diamonds. I was shaking so hard from the epidural, I couldn't hold Nicole. Between my shoulder blades, it felt like someone had hit me with a baseball bat! So...they handed her to her daddy and she quit crying immediately.

Nicole never cried the five days (Yes, five days! They didn't send you home then like they do now.) we were in the hospital. I was nursing and every time we would fall asleep, together. The nurse would come and get her and say that I was going to drop my baby. I never did. I would never do that! In Fort Payne at Baptist Medical Center DeKalb, they didn't have rooming in then. They would bring her to see us and then come and whisk her away.

When my cousin, Tim, came to see her, she was in the nursery with two other babies. He said, "Look, fun size, regular size, and field hand size!" Nicole was tiny, a little baby boy was about 7-8 lbs, and the next baby was around 12 pounds! It really was funny.

Freddy's mother and sister brought Freddy's boys to see their little sister. He took them to the Spook House at the fairgrounds. Scotty was a little skinny 13 year old and Wayne was a good sized 15 year old. Scotty was behind Freddy and somebody came after them with a chain saw. He climbed right up Freddy's back and over his shoulders! They came back laughing and laughing! Oh how birthdays bring back memories.

Nicole was a crier when we got home on Friday. We were lost. We went to the emergency room at Floyd on Sunday morning because she cried all the time. I was nursing every three hours. Dr. Ruel McMillian came to the hospital and he gave her a bottle of formula. Then he called the hospital in Fort Payne. They had been giving her supplemental feedings because she was so small! You'd think that would be sort of important to a new mom and dad.

Happy Birthday, my love! You were a beautiful baby and you are beautiful now. I always wanted a little girl. You are my dream come true.