On this day, nineteen years ago, Hayley Rae White was born. She was necessarily ready to come that day but due to a couple of circumstances, came anyway. The first circumstance was that Danny was scheduled to be in the field the first week of February. He would be on Camp Pendleton, which was near our home, but there was severe flooding on the base and he may have been cut off from an easy route home. Since I was in Vista with one in the tummy and Ashlyn running about, I did not want to go into labor and have Danny stuck between a mountain range and a raging river. If I had this baby prior to him going to the field, he wouldn't have to go. The other circumstance was a little self serving on the part of our doctor. Sunday, January 31st was Super Bowl Sunday. He was trying to avoid being at the hospital as much as possible that day so he kindly suggested we start the inducing process on Friday and go from there. So we did.
So on Saturday morning, we packed Ashlyn up to go to Alice's house. She was our neighbor, a marine wife and a new mom. God bless her for taking Ashlyn because we really didn't have too many options. Hayley was going to be born in a civilian hospital and I was so excited. Tri City Medical Center was just across the interstate from our complex.
I was induced around ten in the morning and had a very normal labor. I couldn't find a focal point to focus on while breathing, but I did have a labor coach who was well rested and did not fall asleep during contractions or forget to "who" when I was done "hee hee hee"ing! Not being much for pain, I got some reliever and that slowed things down some, but no worries. At 5:12pm, Hayley was born.
A beautiful little 6 pound 15 ounce girl. We were pretty ecstatic. Oh, and pretty tired! Hayley was just right. I felt like I was going to have a girl, not because of any of the wives tales, I just had had a girl, knew what to do with girls and wanted a girl. Ashlyn and Hayley were just over 21 months apart and they were going to be pals!
Hayley Rae White was the name we had chosen. When we decided on Hayley we felt like Rae flowed nicely with it. Later we learned that Rae was the middle name of Danny's sister who had died as an infant. That worked out nicely. We called her Hayley Rae most often and still do sometimes today. The name Hayley is English, derived from the spelling H A L E Y. We chose the other spelling because it rolled off the tongue better when it was spelled. Say it aloud a couple of times and you'll see what I mean. Now, here is the thing that is most fitting about this name, Hayley means Hero. How about that!!!
Hayley and I stayed one night in our single room at the hospital. It was heaven considering I shared a room with four women when Ashlyn was born. I was so comfortable with being a mom that I didn't need to watch the baby videos that the nurse insisted on turning on for me. She even went as far as to turn up the volume on the other bed's control. It wasn't until I told her that I had a little girl at home that she left me alone. There was a thunderstorm that night, a rarity in Vista. We had a lot of rain, but this was the first thunder that I had heard in a year. Hayley slept right through it. She was a gentle little thing. Sleepy and beautiful with three dimples. Hayley looked like Ashlyn at first, but quickly grew into her own wonderful face.
We were discharged less than twenty four hours after Hayley was born. As was our custom, we stopped to get Wendy's on the way home from the hospital. Danny carried Hayley up the stairs to our apartment so I could give the new big sister a hug. Ashlyn was taken with Hayley and showered her with love and attention. We all settled into our bigger, little family. Danny was on leave for the next ten days. I would have all the help I needed in him and Ashlyn. Hayley was resting nicely in the laundry basket she called a bassinet and the Cowboys won the Superbowl.
So here I am, nineteen years later, with a beautiful young woman with three dimples. They are harder to see now, but when she smiles just right, they show up. Hayley Rae White is really quite incredible. This sweet gentle baby went through many changes. She was an angry toddler, a princessy preschooler, a sporty middle schooler and a high schooler that came into her own after some struggles. Hayley is now a freshman in college. There is a light that comes from her, a joy. No longer the blonde of her youth, but a striking brunette with bright blue eyes and an infectious smile.
Happy Birthday Hayley Rae! My daughter, my friend and my hero. I love you.
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