Stork surprises family with baby

MOSES LAKE — There was no time to buy diapers, onesies or cute little socks.

An hour after learning she was pregnant, Carolyn Blankenship delivered a baby boy.

“It’s a shock,” Blankenship said.

Nicholas James Blankenship was born Feb. 15 at 12:22 p.m. Weighing 6 pounds, 10.9 ounces, Nicholas was born two months premature.

Except for some fatigue, no signs of pregnancy were experienced by Carolyn, who has a 10-year-old daughter and a 5-year-old son.

“I knew for an hour that I was pregnant, and then I had him,” she said.

She recalls sitting in the hospital, thinking she would awaken from a dream.

The day Carolyn gave birth, she was experiencing back pain. At the time she didn’t know it, but the pain was actually contractions. She had never before experienced back labor pain and didn’t recognize it as such.

It wasn’t until Carolyn began bleeding heavily that she went to see a doctor.

At the hospital, blood work indicated Carolyn wasn’t pregnant.

“They told me, ‘Oh, you’re not pregnant,’” she said.

When an ultrasound was conducted, a heartbeat was found.

A urine analysis gave the answer: Carolyn was seven months pregnant.

Luckily, roommate Joleen Warren was available to help prepare for the incoming child.

“I went on a mad shopping spree,” Joleen said.

Since Joleen never had a child, she wasn’t sure exactly which products to buy. She called her sister from the aisles of the store, asking for advice.

“I was, like, confused and in a daze,” Joleen said.

Her niece and nephew had a playpen, so she got it and set it up for Carolyn.

In addition, Joleen and her husband, Shawn Warren, took over a Columbia Basin Herald newspaper delivery route Carolyn was scheduled to complete.

“(Shawn) was the paperboy for the day, and I just drove him around,” Joleen said.

Joleen said she never thought her roommate looked pregnant.

“Towards the end, she had, like, a little pudge and stuff, but … ”

“Like maybe I gained weight,” Carolyn added.

At the hospital, Carolyn borrowed a baby book and poured through names, calling others to see what they thought of potential names.

“I guess what got me was, it took until 4 (p.m.) the next day to even give him a name,” Carolyn said.

Carolyn’s other children, Rebecka Card and Jakob Card, were also surprised about the addition to their family.

Carolyn waited until Tuesday to tell them, when they returned from their father’s house.

She said her daughter was studying for upcoming tests and she wanted her to be able to focus.

“I knew if I told her, she would get distracted in school,” Carolyn said.

Carolyn said she planned to give her children their Valentine’s Day gift when they returned from their dad’s house.

“Little did I know, they got an extra Valentine’s Day gift,” she said.

Despite the unexpectedness of the situation, Carolyn said she is happy to be a new mother.

Boys do not run in her side of the family — her grandmother has 22 great-granddaughters, and five great-grandsons, two of whom are provided by Carolyn.

“All of us are just in shock. That’s about it. We’re just getting used to it,” she said.