Farewell to my precious Grandma

My precious Grandmother Abby died January 27, 2010. My husband, two sons of mine and I drove the 7 hour trip to her funeral. It was very hard, and yet I really needed that closure and ability to say goodbye too.

For anyone that is interested, Abby was a miracle from birth, born at 28 weeks instead of full term 40 weeks all the way back in 1915. She had a quick and nimble mind to the end and she was a loving, sweet woman who adored her family. I will copy and paste her brief birth story below. It's fascinating - especially when you know that even today in 2010, babies born at 28 weeks don't always survive!

RIP my sweet Grandma.

She was born June 17, 1915 in North Dakota. Her birth was the beginning of a truly miraculous life.

Aunt Abby’s mother’s name was Mary Ellen Murdock. Mary Ellen and her husband were farmers in North Dakota, and lived a hard life. One day, Mary Ellen, then 28 weeks pregnant with Aunt Abby, was serving lunch to the men helping on the farm. She went down to the cellar to get some more jam, and fell down the stairs. When she got back up, she realized that her dress was soaked, and that her water had broken! They lived far out in the country, so one of the men got on a horse and rode 1 1/2 miles horseback to the nearest phone. He called the doctor and told him what had happened to Mary, and the doctor started on his way – 5 miles by buggy. Mary Ellen had two big contractions and Abby was born! When the doctor finally arrived he took one look at Abby and said, "That won't live" and left. Mary called for her mother, Amanda Abigail to help her with the tiny baby. Amanda was a country doctor and midwife, but had never seen such a tiny baby, and neither really knew what to do to take care of her, other than common sense. Amanda wrapped tiny little Abby in a flour sack towel and weighed her on the kitchen scale, hanging from the ceiling. Abby weighed in at 2 ½ pounds! Abby’s father could hold her in the palm of his hand, and she slept for a long time in his top dresser drawer with one of his hankies as her blanket. They kept her safe and fed, and somehow, miraculously in 1915, this tiny premature baby survived!