First Born Children

“Valotte” is a song by British singer Julian Lennon, the title track and second single (first single in the US) from his debut album Valotte.

John Charles Julian Lennon (born 8 April 1963) is a British musician and photographer. He is the first child of John Lennon with his first wife, Cynthia.

Album: Julian Lennon – Valotte
Source: Waterloo Records & Video, Austin, TX
Cost: $2.00

What do Paul Hickman, Brad Hickman, Lauren Hickman, and Julian Lennon have in common? We are all the firstborn children in our families.

It was Thanksgiving 1987 and in keeping with tradition, Linda and I took stock of our lives and gave thanks. Since our marriage we had devoted time to our careers, moved on to house #2, and enjoyed traveling to places we had always wanted to see. Life had been very good to us. Many of our friends had started their families. Our plan from the very beginning was to have two kids, the first when we were 30, the second four years later. Now that we were both 30 years old, we decided that it was time to start our family.

Not long after, Linda was pregnant and we were taking Lamaze birthing classes in anticipation of our first daughter’s arrival. We converted a bedroom into a nursery. New wallpaper was hung, the crib was assembled and the empty room waited for baby Hickman.

It was early October and Linda’s due date was near. The two of us had signed up to play in a golf tournament. Dressed in my signature red, white and blue knickers (I was a huge Payne Stewart fan having played against him in high school), I told Linda we should head to the golf course and take some practice swings. She told me that probably wasn’t a good idea. She had been having sporadic contractions that may or not have been the real deal, and wanted to stay close to home, which turned out to be a good call.

Later that day, Linda decided it really was labor so we set off for the hospital but not before I loaded the car with luggage full of Lamaze props needed in order for Linda to have a “natural birth.” The most important of these items was, naturally, a stereo system and accompanying cassette tapes of new age music.

I approached childbirth with complete confidence in my role as “coach” but once labor became more intense, my suggestions to “breathe” weren’t nearly as effective as they had been during our class sessions. Linda, on the other hand, handled labor like she did all challenges; focused and head on. I supported her heroic efforts by making sure the “right music” accompanied her every labor pain.

Miss Lauren made her debut on October 2, 1988, which just so happened to be the last day of Linda’s 30^th year. It was almost as if she knew our plan and showed up in time to help us meet our goal. Anyone who knows Lauren will not be surprised by this bit of trivia, as she has an unnatural obsession with being places on time.

Happy birthday, Lolo!