In the beginning – Arrival of Philip James Eide
Date of Birth: December 31, 1945
Name: Philip James Eide
City and State: Minneapolis, MN
Were you born at home or in a hospital?
In St. Mary’s Hospital in Minneapolis.
Who delivered you?
The family doctor was Dr. Creighton, but I was born by Dr. Shandorf (sp?) who was an OB/GYN. This was unusual in 1945, most of my siblings were delivered by the family doctor.
Was there anything unusual about your birth?
When I was born, the umbilical cord was wrapped around my neck three times. The doctor’s told my mom “we’re going to put you to sleep and try and save your baby.” Then the next thing she remembered were the nurses wishing everyone Happy New Year. When my mother was about ready to take me home, one of the Nuns came up to her and said “God must have had a reason to let your baby live.” Years later we took my Mom and Aunt Lucille to Kaui and she was really enjoying it and she said “Now I know why God let Phillip live.” According to my sister, Ginny, my Dad was concerned that I was being born at a Catholic hospital because he thought if there was any chance of saving the baby at the cost of the mother’s life they would take it.
Who named you? Were you named after anyone or do your names have special meaning? Did you have a nickname?
My parents were into biblical names. I was named after the disciple Philip (with one “L”). However, when I was in the first grade and my teacher Miss Erinson (sp?) taught me how to head my paper, she spelled it with two “L’s” and I was too scared to contradict her. Ever since then, I have spelled my name with two “L’s” on all legal documents and signatures.
My sister Norma used to called me Flip. When Peggy and Roy moved in with their kids, my nephew Daniel couldn’t pronounce my name, so he would call me Bolip. This is what Paul still calls me to this day.
When I was in the Army, one of the guys from Augusta, GA used to call me Eyeball. Today he also has a nickname of Tata because Sarah could not say grandpa.
Did your mother sing you a particular lullaby? Did you have a bedtime story? A special blanket?
My mother’s favorite song she would sing to us in times of stress was “I heard the voice of Jesus say” come unto me and rest; lay down your weary head upon my chest.” She had a rocking chair and she would rock me in the rocking chair sing this song. She was not blessed with a great voice, but she was enthusiastic. The other kids would jump on the running boards and help rock the chair.
The kids always slept upstairs in the attic room and we had to run through an opening in the rafters to get to where we slept. I was convinced there was a monster hiding in the rafters. One thing our mother used to say to us, “once there was a little boy who wouldn’t say his prayers. And when he went to sleep at night way upstairs, his mother heard him holler and his daddy heard him call, and when they pulled the covers back, he wasn’t there at all.”
Do you know when you walked or what was the first word you said? Are there stories your family told about when you were a baby?
I was told I didn’t speak much until I was three. Ginny would be the one to know more about this.
When I couldn’t sleep and I was crying, my mother and my sister Norma would carry me around the house and show me stuff to calm me down. My mother would get to the window and point to the moon and say “look, you can see the man in the moon” and that would scare the crap out of me!
When my sister Ginny wanted to get the house clean for a date coming over. In order to get me out of the way, she would make me sit on the couch. She would take a sticker of Santa Claus and put it on the window and tell me that Santa Claus was watching me.
What is your very first memory?
I remember being in a johnny jumper, bouncing and watching my mom. Saturday night was baking night for my mother. She used to bake bread, rolls, coffee cake, etc. Then she would wash the kitchen floor and then put newspaper down to dry the floor.
