NaBloPoMo: Day 21- All In The Family

I'm doing National Blog Posting Month with a twist. Every day I'll write 5 things about a specific topic.

NaBloPoMo Day Twenty-One: 5 short family stories

1. Sisterly Love~ My cousin was born more than 10 years after her 4 older brothers. When one of them needed a kidney transplant, she was the only one in the family who was a match.

2. Sisterly Grief~ My maternal Great-Grandmother was pregnant 21 times. Of the ones who survived their births and childhood illnesses, there were about 13. Two of them were sisters who were a year apart in age (around 3 and 4 years old) and very close to each other. One of the sisters was hit and killed by a trolley. The next year the other sister died of unknown causes. The family story is that she died of a broken heart.

3. Grandmother's Hair~ My grandmother told me that when my father was born she almost died and was unconscious for 2 weeks. She had hair down to her waist that she wore in a braid. She says she woke up in the hospital and the nurses has cut off her hair, so they wouldn't have to wash or brush it. She said she was permanently traumatized by this.

4. Hurricane~My Dad was in the Army National Guard.  When my parents were engaged, there was  a bad hurricane and my Dad had to go rescue people for 2 days. My Mom sat in the window of my grandparent's house the whole time, waiting to see my Dad walk down the street.

5. Procrastination Baby~ I was due to be born July 4, 1957 but my Dad was away with the National Guard. Over the next 3 weeks, my Mom went into the hospital to have labor induced 3 times. Every time, my grandfather would take her to the hospital and wait for me to be born. Nothing happened. So my grandfather would take her home. My Mom never went into labor until July 26, 1957 after my Dad arrived home. I refused to be born until Daddy could see his first child arrive.