Diana

When you hear the name "Diana," what comes to mind? Lady Diana, Princess of Wales? The Paul Anka hit song from 1957? If you don't know of or remember that song, turn on your speakers and watch this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDDgYDQjtEs

Around our house, that name brings only one thing to mind: our daughter, who happens to have it.

Back when she was still under construction and her gender was unknown, we had less than nine months to come up with a name. We chose not to find out whether we would be decorating in pink or blue, so we had to decide on a name for either case. There were a few family members on my side with names that began with J, so we decided that we would not add yet another one. The funny thing is that almost everyone thought that we'd be having a boy. Someone even did that thing where you suspend an object over a pregnant woman's belly that supposedly determines the gender of your child-to-be depending on which way it swings. And it swung boy-like on Lori. Also, supposedly, children-to-be sit in the womb differently depending on their gender, and the future Diana was positioned like a boy. So there you go. We're having a boy.

Strangely, we never did decide on a boy's name. A number of names were thrown around: "Brian." "Kevin." Even "Eric" was considered, but with Lori having two cousins with that name (one on each side of her family), and with me already having the name and not wanting an "Eric Jr.," that was out.

As for girl's names: "Heather." Nope. "Karen." Nope. Lori liked "Brenna," but I thought that sounded too preppy. We didn't want a name like "Tiffany" which would be cute when she was a child, but not as an adult. The name "Diane" wouldn't fit a young girl, but "Diana" would. We talked about whether to spell it with one "n" or two (as in "Dianna"). I joked that we should use three (as in "Diannna"). Right... However, had we gone with "Diane," I'd have used two because I like the spelling "Dianne." One caution with either name was the possibility of someone calling her "Di" at some point. I absolutely can't stand that nickname, and I've always said that if anyone calls her "Di," then they will. (...will "die." Get it?)

Because of Lori's Japanese heritage, we decided that Diana should have a Japanese middle name. I suggested "Kiyomi," which is Lori's mom's name, and Lori suggested "Mari," which happens to be her cousin's middle name. "Mari" (pronounced MAH-ree) was the choice.

So along comes Monday, April 23, 1990. Labor pains begin. We loaded up the car and headed to Pleasant Valley Hospital. Water hasn't broken yet, but we figured it would at any time. Well, not so fast. We hung out there for quite awhile with nothing progressing, so they sent us home. False labor? Premature labor? Call it what you wish, but we came back home with the same number of people as when we left.

However...early Tuesday, April 24, 1990, it all starts again. We knew the drill: get in the car, head to Pleasant Valley Hospital, run any stop signs and red lights as necessary. Once we got there, we went through the same thing as the day before, only this time there was broken water all over (no one stepped in it, thank goodness), so Baby was really coming this time. During the wait-for-birth-canal-to-dilate period, I was about as useful in there as a car with four flat tires. In order to get rid of me, the nurse said to go out and get something to eat and come back in a couple of hours. At the time, Lori was only being given ice chips and no food, so she was a little envious of me.

I returned after a quick trip to Vegas—I mean, after running a couple of errands. Full dilation just wasn't going to happen, so the doctor decided that he'd better perform a C-section if we wanted our child within the year. Off to the surgical suite we went. I guess the term "operating room" is passe, but it's their hospital. Lori got prepped and I was given a free set of scrubs to get into (which I still have, but no longer fit), and in we went. It didn't seem like we were in there very long when 4:05pm rolled around and the doctor said, "You have a...daughter!" The first thing I said was, "At least we have a name picked out."

Afterward, Lori was in recovery and Diana was off being buffed and detailed after her big adventure. The way things turned out, I got to see Diana before Lori did, but I wasn't able to hold her just yet. Both of us did later on, though, right before making the phone calls to our folks letting them know that the next time we go over to their house for dinner, they'll need to put out an extra place setting.

Because Lori had had a C-section, she needed to be in the hospital till Friday. On that day, courtesy of Pleasant Valley Hospital, we were served a complimentary lunch with no interruptions just before leaving with Diana. In the early afternoon of Friday, April 27, I pulled the car up and loaded the girls for the trip home. Everything was all set for Diana's arrival, so when we got home, she was carefully placed in her crib for the rest of the afternoon.

During the next 23 years, we've had the pleasure of so many "Diana moments," most of which resulted in laughter, but some that resulted in a few tears—on both Diana's part and ours. At some point, I'll write about those.

A few years back when Diana graduated from high school, I put together a presentation that included pictures of her ranging from birth to age 18 (at the time). Here are a few pictures from that presentation along with a few more taken since then.

Diana at three days old.

Diana's first Christmas (1990).

Diana at age two

Diana's first preschool picture.
She was three at the time.

Diana hugging a tree at age six.

Second grade when the teeth started
coming out...

Still hugging trees at age 10.

Hanging out in trees at age 11.

The three of us at a club dinner.

Taking care of a bird at age 14.

Diana's high school senior picture
Class of 2008.

Diana and Lori today.

I didn't put any more pictures of me in here because you all know what I look like, and so do the authorities. Earlier today I was going to write about a different topic, but while eating lunch I saw a family with a little boy and it got me to thinking that I hadn't written anything about Diana's history. What you've just read isn't a whole lot, but it's a start. Besides, I have to do some more thinking and a little research about the other topic before I post anything about it.