Big 33rd Birthday

Today is my birthday, and I turn 33. To celebrate, I thought I would call my mom, Phyllis, and interview her about the "big day" that occurred 33 years ago. These are the facts I found out (or was reminded of.)

1. Mom woke up on Friday, August 17, 1973 with contractions and called into her part-time job to tell them she wouldn't be coming in that day.
2. If she had reported for work, she'd be heading to the strip mine offices outside of Norris to type letters to each employee warning them of the hazards of mining and recent findings about black lung. (This was in the days of typewriters where each letter needed to be typed separately because there were no programs to do a "mail merge".) Dad would have gone into work at the music store.
3. Dad and Mom drove from Farmington, IL to Graham Hospital in Canton, IL at about noon.
4. I was born at 7:39 p.m. in the evening on Friday, August 17, 1973....even though I was not due until September 8. Over 3 weeks early! I weighed 6 pounds and 8 1/2 ounces.
5. I was in the hospital all night Friday, all day Saturday, all day Sunday, and even until Monday morning - WITHOUT A NAME! The nurses told Mom and Dad that they couldn't release me from the hospital without one.
6. Many of you know my brother, Aaron Michael. That's a great name, right? Well, my mom and dad thought so too, and they had it all picked out for me if I was a boy. I asked Mom how long they had that name in mind. She said, "Oh, ages!" and "Months and months." But, in all of that time, nothing seemed to come to mind for the possibility of a girl. Hmmm...
7. Finally, I was named Michelle Denise. They really don't know where the name Michelle came from, but they just liked it. I was given my middle name to name me after my father, Dennis, and my cousin, Sheila Denise.
8. I was taken home to live in the apartment that Mom and Dad had over the music store in downtown Farmington.