Jing-Jing

Noree and Jeleen at LDS Hospital on April 19, 1972

It's amazing that Noree, at 80, has such an incredible memory of the birth of our first daughter, Jeleen Angeles Briscoe Sindall, the Forever Young and Beautiful who really started this whole BGTS. Papa remembers mainly that he was there and that he took a couple of photographs.

53 years ago... in 1972

By Mommy Noree Briscoe

April 19 was a beautiful Spring day in Happy Valley, Salt Lake City. We lived on Beryl Ave. by State Street, a neighborhood that was lower middle class but at least the rent was reasonable for a 2 bedroom apartment. I was big with our first baby. I woke up early, because I was feeling some contractions. They were still far apart so I didn't worry; I knew my due date was not until the end of the month. I got up and saw slight snow flurries outside our window. I prayed, oh, God, please don’t let it snow.” David was on the graveyard shift at AP, coming home at about 4 a.m., so I didn't want to disturb him from his sleep. I immediately went to the kitchen, washed the dirty dishes left from the night before, and cleaned the counters.

My contractions were getting stronger, coming in closer together. I said I better take a shower and get cleaned up in case I have to go to the hospital today. That's when I woke up David and told him I need you to hold me in the shower, while my contractions are getting stronger, then help me pack for the hospital. For a week now, I had all my stuff ready for the hospital, so it was just a matter of picking up things and helping me down the flight of stairs to the car parked in the back of the apartment. David got a bit confused and started picking up dirty laundry for washing. I said, no, don’t do laundry; we have to go to the hospital right away.

David had already called my doctor, but Dr. Joseph Stobbe was already in the L.D.S Hospital in the Avenues close to the University of Utah, about 20-30 minutes drive, depending on traffic. Dr. Stobbe had several deliveries scheduled that day.

On the way to the hospital, I was writhing in pain with my contractions coming in faster. When we got to LDS Hospital, a nurse was ready with a wheelchair and said there wasn't much time left to "prep" me. I was whisked to a prep room, moved to a bed on wheels for a quick vagina shave, then straight to the delivery room.

Somewhere I have a journal where I had been jotting down notes on my pregnancy. All through my visits to Dr. Stobbe, I expressed my main concern about getting too much anesthesia and painkillers at delivery which would have a negative impact on the baby. I also wanted to be conscious when the baby came out.

David was by my side, holding my hand or stroking my hair, as the nurses stood by to assist with the delivery. Then Dr. Stobbe came in, looking so worn out from so many deliveries earlier that morning. He said I was so many cms. dilated already, and the attending nurse encouraged me to breathe the way we were taught in the prenatal exercises, and bear down as hard as I could.

And that’s when the baby came out . . .

“Speedy girl!” Dr. Stobbe exclaimed with joy and relief.

Names for Our Firstborn

David and I both agreed she would be named after two strong women in our family: his mother’s mother — Johanna Lucas Wolf — and my mother, Angeles Javier Aureus. We decided a good nickname would be so important from the start because that’s how we were going to call her. “Jo” - short for Johanna - was out of the question. So tiny and sweet in her crib, she didn’t look anything like a “Jo” and I especially didn’t like her to answer to “Hey, Jo!”

We also didn’t like “Angie” - short for Angeles, or “Eles”, or “Angeling” my mother’s nicknames in Palapag, Samar, Philippines, where she was born. Then I thought maybe Celine, but spell it with a “J” to accommodate the “J” in Johanna, and instead of “Jeling” use the double ”ee” which I use in my nickname “Noree” — which is how we came up with “Jeleen.” Then when Ben and Mrs. Santos came to Salt Lake City in August to stand as godparents for the baby, as soon as Mrs. Santos laid eyes on Jeleen in her crib, she cooed:

“Jing-Jing!”

And that’s how, for a while, especially when she was learning to take her first steps, we called out to her: “JingJing.”